NERC Releases Interim Report on Aug 14th Blackout

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NERC Releases Interim Report on Aug 14th Blackout

Posted by michael on Thursday November 20, 2003 @05:44AM from the candlelight-vigil dept.

will writes "The North American Electric Reliability Council has released four documents concerning the August 14th power outage power outage in the North East. The blackout investigation homepage lists all NERC's documents relating to this event. Press coverage is at The Washington Post, CNN, and CBS News. The take home message: FirstEnergy did it. The are, of course, denying it." The report is also available at reports.energy.gov. Reader stinkydog writes "According to Yahoo News part of the blame for the big fizzle of 2003 lies with a failing SCADA system, GE's XA/21 power management system. 'Not only did the software that controls audible and visual alarms stop working at 2:14 p.m. EDT, but about a half hour later, two servers supporting the emergency system failed, too.' According to the product specs, it is a Unix system with X Windows."

17 of 426 comments (clear)

Go get 'em! by grub · 2003-11-20 05:44 · Score: 5, Funny

"According to the product specs, it is a Unix system with X Windows."

Good, let's sue SCO!

ps: f1st pr05t

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Trolling is a art,
1. Re:Go get 'em! by orthogonal · 2003-11-20 05:50 · Score: 4, Funny
  
  'Not only did the software that controls audible and visual alarms stop working at 2:14 p.m. EDT, but about a half hour later, two servers supporting the emergency system failed, too.' According to the product specs, it is a Unix system with X Windows.
  
  Darl McBride had repossessed the system, leaving a bill for $699 and a subpoena in its place.
  
  --
  Opinions on the Twiddler2 hand-held keyboard?
2. Re:Go get 'em! by tekspot · 2003-11-20 05:51 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  "According to the product specs, it is a Unix system with X Windows."
  
  The reason they use X is because their systems are managed by MCSEs.
Oh boy, here it comes by Stonent1 · 2003-11-20 05:46 · Score: 2, Funny

it is a Unix system with X Windows

Send in..... the Trolls.
Are they into warez? by Anonymous Coward · 2003-11-20 05:46 · Score: 2, Funny

http://www.nerc.com/~filez/
just wondering if their webmasters are into the warez business...
Flame bait by gnuLNX · 2003-11-20 05:47 · Score: 2, Funny

My god was the unix comment WITH X WINDOWS really necassary. ok so I will bite. SHoulda been a linux computer then it would not have crashed. HA!

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what?
Told Ya So by Valiss · 2003-11-20 05:48 · Score: 1, Funny

See, if they were using MS Windows, it would have crashed LONG ago and we wouldn't be talking about it today. We'd be talking about it years ago. And then again last year. And then again this... uh nevermind.

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-Valiss
Microsoft sucks by Meor · 2003-11-20 05:48 · Score: 5, Funny

[Slashdot]
You shouldn't use MS products for such a critical system.

What? It was a unix system?

Must have been a hardware failure then.
[/slashdot]
Memo to power company: by SuperBanana · 2003-11-20 05:48 · Score: 4, Funny

Not only did the software that controls audible and visual alarms stop working at 2:14 p.m. EDT, but about a half hour later, two servers supporting the emergency system failed, too.
Memo to power company:
Put power-system controlling servers on UPSes :-)
(yeah yeah, I know, it wasn't because they lost power. Its a joke :-)

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Please help metamoderate.
Disaster again by Camel+Pilot · 2003-11-20 05:50 · Score: 4, Funny

If I remember correctly wasn't a "Unix system" also implicated in the chaotic havoc that was Jurassic Park?
1. Re:Disaster again by Enry · 2003-11-20 05:57 · Score: 2, Funny
  
  No, just bad writing. Ugh.
2. Re:Disaster again by mcc · 2003-11-20 07:29 · Score: 2, Funny
  
  Yes, but the Unix systems were running the now-widely-discredited "AH AH AH YOU DIDN'T SAY THE MAGIC WORD" security system product.
  
  It was a third-party-application issue, not an OS issue. Unix itself is not to blame.
  
  --
  Irritable, left-wing and possibly humorous bumper stickers and t-shirts
Report vindicates First Energy by gordguide · 2003-11-20 05:53 · Score: 2, Funny

In a press release First Energy spokesmen said that the report "totally vindicates us" and the blame "clearly lies with the uncontrolled and inherently dangerous actions of something called 'trees'. We are calling on Government Agencies to immediately ban the use, propegation, and distribution" of all trees, which "apparently reproduce unaided" by some "poorly understood virus-like activity".

From CNN Money's link:
" ... He noted that Ohio-based FirstEnergy (FE: Research, Estimates)'s failure to trim trees growing alongside major transmission lines contributed to the massive blackout. ..."
Re:Yeah...that's right... by Anonymous Coward · 2003-11-20 05:57 · Score: 1, Funny

But what would Brian Boitano do?
Power out again @ FirstEnergyCorp by kidgenius · 2003-11-20 06:16 · Score: 2, Funny

Well, I clicked on the link to FirstEnergyCorp and I got a 500 Error.
Seems that their server went down. I guess this means the northeast will be experiencing another blackout.
Blackouts by ./ Must be a first
Re:Power outage traced to dim bulb in White House by Lord+Omlette · 2003-11-20 09:44 · Score: 2, Funny

"but, but, but, 9/11 changed everything!"

And whoosh! All of the good points Mr. Palast raised no longer apply.

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[o]_O
Re:Now we know... by coupland · 2003-11-20 11:17 · Score: 2, Funny

Anyway, it's still unacceptable that such things happens in the most powerful country in the world.

What, Canada? Don't say such things, we're really very shy.

The government owns it and some laws do protect the costumer.

Wow that's some country, laws to protect costumers no less. What about mimes and jugglers?

When I arrived in the USA I was shocked by the poor quality of your electric system

Well, you're definitely French, I'll grant ya that.