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Lessons Learned From Skype’s Outage

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the don't-die-during-christmas dept.

aabelro writes "On December 22th, 1600 GMT, the Skype services started to become unavailable, in the beginning for a small part of the users, then for more and more, until the network was down for about 24 hours. A week later, Lars Rabbe, CIO at Skype, explained what happened in a post-mortem analysis of the outage."

4 of 278 comments (clear)

  1. Blogspam by ralf1 · · Score: 5, Informative

    Not sure why you didn't link to the actual article on Skype http://blogs.skype.com/en/2010/12/cio_update.html Instead of the blogspam site.

    --
    "Would you, could you, with a goat?" Dr Seuss
    1. Re:Blogspam by commodore64_love · · Score: 2, Informative

      Not sure why you didn't link to the actual article on Skype http://blogs.skype.com/en/2010/12/cio_update.html [skype.com] Instead of the blogspam site.

      Here's why: "Your organization's Internet use policy restricts access to this web page.
      "Reason:
      "Internet Telephony is filtered." - So I'm glad slashdot linked to the blog so I'd be able to read what was going on. My workplace is so backwards they still use old-fashioned telephone lines rather than internet phones. Oh and hot water radiators with that classic "thunk thunk thunk" sound when they turn on. Feels like I'm living in the 1930s. ;-)

      --
      "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." - historian Evelyn Beatrice Hall
  2. Re:lesson (hopefully) learned... by smash · · Score: 5, Informative

    Why do I block skype? Because the only way to have it work properly through most firewalls is to allow ALL outgoing ports. Which means you allow any random program to do any random shit through your firewall to the outside network. Its a massive, massive security issue you could drive an oil tanker through.

    Also, many companies pay for bandwidth. I don't want all of my bandwidth chewed up on video calls instead of mission critical apps.

    Its not just because we're nazis, its because skype protocol is completely fucked when it comes to the ability of your admin to control resources. Want voip/video? Use something else.

    --
    I run: Windows, OS X, Linux, FreeBSD. Just because you have a hammer, doesn't mean everything is a nail.
  3. Re:lesson (hopefully) learned... by smash · · Score: 4, Informative
    1. Because skype wasn't written that way. You want standard voice/video, use a SIP program. Skype was written deliberately by the developers to allow it to talk to anywhere and everywhere through your network so it can route other people's calls, and connect to random other nodes for your own call routing. That free lunch you're eating? Paid for by other's use of your bandwidth.
    2. Multiply 500 users by 48kbit. thats 24 megabit in streaming audio. That you can get off that fucking $10 FM radio on your desk. Now i'm not sure how expensive bandwidth is where you are, but a 24 business grade meg METERED (say, 300 gigs) internet connection here is about 5-10 grand a month. The business is not going to wear the cost of 5-10k per month for our users to listen to shitty quality streaming MP3. Thats before you take into account the increase latency to mission critical apps, or remote end points on crappy satellite connections paying anywhere up to $7 per MEG of data
    --
    I run: Windows, OS X, Linux, FreeBSD. Just because you have a hammer, doesn't mean everything is a nail.