Same NRC regs apply, yes. Same consequences for a boo boo, no.
When you crash a critical computer in your open pool reactor, it shuts down. When you crash a computer at a 1000MW PWR, lives may be lost.
I did know about the copper -- some of the copper at the surface is transmutted... I didn't know about the electric current in the pool for the Nitrogen diffusion. very cool. I'm guessing it's N-17 (Oxygen + neutron)
Well, the system that was infected was important enough -- the status display for plant operations. If you read the SecurityFocus posting you'll see that a contractor working at the site bypassed the plants security / firewall and connected directly into the plants network with their computers. The contractor's computers didn't have a firewall and were, themselves linked to the internet.
I missed this line... No one should have allowed this connection. I had assumed (damn it, extracting foot from ass) that the contractor hadn't gotten permission make the connection; or, that the network services people had allowed it because the contractor had assured them the connection was safe.
Sometimes you have to trust the contractor -- when he tells you he used the correct materials you believe him unless given reason to believe otherwise. The liability falls on the contractor.
No No No. That's not what I'm saying. The original poster said "Does anyone know if Microsoft accually encourages this type of a deployment - if they dont, what moron decided to use it?
I was informing the poster that Microsoft will sell software to anyone (Not faulting them there) and that the morons using it in an inappropriate manner are...
Windows is decidedly not for use in a real-time environment with fault-tolerant requirements. Anyone who uses it in this manner needs to have his forehead smacked.
DOS, while not designed as a fault-tolerant fail-safe OS, is simple enough that I can see it's use here. Provided, as you've indicated, there are back-up machines on-line to take over if one machine goes down; and, a worst case scenerio is handled by some fail-safe, by design foolproof back-up (i.e. computer goes off-line, gravity pulls rods back into core).
You're describing the classic open pool reactor. Although they are nuclear reactors, they're a far cry from a pressurized water reactor where the water temperature is 800F and the pressure is 1000psi. It's nearly impossible to have a catastrophic failure with a open pool reactor (provided there's water in the pool).
I can't imagine much that's more important than the "display monitor" system, since it's the big board that tells the operators what's going on in the plant...
Well, hopefully the real-time safety systems aren't running on windows platforms.
Critical systems such as these are never updated unless a) there's a damn good reason b) the update has been thoroughly tested. Of course, Truly critical systems aren't directly connected to the internet.
As I understood it, a outside contractor connected his machines to the internet (without a firewall) and then to the internal network at the plant. The worm got in through the connection created by the contractor. The contractor should have to answer to the NRC...
Ok, to save face: The Bush Administration, while talking up the benefits of Hydrogen power, hasn't bothered to include the obvious hydrogen power solution -- fusion. They're guilty too...
Actually, it's not totally the President's fault -- he just makes suggestions and signs the final document. The Congress actually writes the budget!
Because I worked for the Department of Energy (not on fusion research itself) and read many of the internal publications on the subject. Although the research continues to make progress, all indications are that it's not going to happen in the near future.
You mention will power. Fusion research funding was decimated by the Clinton administration. There wasn't enough money left over by the time they were done, to pay the maintenance costs (i.e. janitors). Several major projects were cut completely. A joint international project was killed (because the U.S. backed out). Needless to say, there's been very little money poured into the projects. We know we must do it; we're just not willing to fund it.
Then read the article -- they said this was an impracticle idea, just shows it can be done.
To answer your second question, not necessarily. If you put the iodine-129 target into a container surrounded by water, for example, the released neutrons would either interact with one of the nuclei to form an isotope with a similarly short half-life, or decay into a hydrogen atom (neutrons have a very short half-life themselves, quickly decaying into a proton and electron).
I'd argue that, instead of relying on grungy old men with ham radios, that emergency personel should have access to ham radios.
The equipment's a little more complicated than what they're used to. Not that they can't be trained; but, the hams are more efficient and deploy during any disaster to help.
As a ham operator, I co-trained with by local rescue groups (as in more than one) and would deploy with them to provide communications. Not only did they get the additional service (emergency communications) but they got a spare set of hands.
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I'm pretty sure we had our 28-asr (?) running at 300 baud. We were using it for amateur radio work back in '87 at Va Tech.
Yah, there's nothing like the light smell of machine oil and ozone eminating from the teletype...
Find a tape reader. Create the paper loop. Set it up so we can slashdot your teletype server!
I'm not really that old.
OK, the ionosphere is where the Earth blocks most incoming ionized radiation. The Moon is a little bit above that (say 300k miles or so).
When you crash a critical computer in your open pool reactor, it shuts down. When you crash a computer at a 1000MW PWR, lives may be lost.
I did know about the copper -- some of the copper at the surface is transmutted... I didn't know about the electric current in the pool for the Nitrogen diffusion. very cool. I'm guessing it's N-17 (Oxygen + neutron)
Well, the system that was infected was important enough -- the status display for plant operations. If you read the SecurityFocus posting you'll see that a contractor working at the site bypassed the plants security / firewall and connected directly into the plants network with their computers. The contractor's computers didn't have a firewall and were, themselves linked to the internet.
Sometimes you have to trust the contractor -- when he tells you he used the correct materials you believe him unless given reason to believe otherwise. The liability falls on the contractor.
I was informing the poster that Microsoft will sell software to anyone (Not faulting them there) and that the morons using it in an inappropriate manner are...
Windows is decidedly not for use in a real-time environment with fault-tolerant requirements. Anyone who uses it in this manner needs to have his forehead smacked.
DOS, while not designed as a fault-tolerant fail-safe OS, is simple enough that I can see it's use here. Provided, as you've indicated, there are back-up machines on-line to take over if one machine goes down; and, a worst case scenerio is handled by some fail-safe, by design foolproof back-up (i.e. computer goes off-line, gravity pulls rods back into core).
You're describing the classic open pool reactor. Although they are nuclear reactors, they're a far cry from a pressurized water reactor where the water temperature is 800F and the pressure is 1000psi. It's nearly impossible to have a catastrophic failure with a open pool reactor (provided there's water in the pool).
I had to pick myself up off the floor. That was a good one...
Well, hopefully the real-time safety systems aren't running on windows platforms.
Critical systems such as these are never updated unless a) there's a damn good reason b) the update has been thoroughly tested. Of course, Truly critical systems aren't directly connected to the internet.
Oh, the idiots would include U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, NRC, DOE, DOT... Do I need to continue?
As I understood it, a outside contractor connected his machines to the internet (without a firewall) and then to the internal network at the plant. The worm got in through the connection created by the contractor. The contractor should have to answer to the NRC...
Actually, it's not totally the President's fault -- he just makes suggestions and signs the final document. The Congress actually writes the budget!
You mention will power. Fusion research funding was decimated by the Clinton administration. There wasn't enough money left over by the time they were done, to pay the maintenance costs (i.e. janitors). Several major projects were cut completely. A joint international project was killed (because the U.S. backed out). Needless to say, there's been very little money poured into the projects. We know we must do it; we're just not willing to fund it.
posted like, two weeks ago?
I'm still looking for a working vintage pdp, teletype and punch card machine. Anyone who can work with these is a real programmer!
Why, because...
I'd love to know where you heard 30 years. That would be a dream come true. Too bad it's not likely...
Then read the article -- they said this was an impracticle idea, just shows it can be done.
To answer your second question, not necessarily. If you put the iodine-129 target into a container surrounded by water, for example, the released neutrons would either interact with one of the nuclei to form an isotope with a similarly short half-life, or decay into a hydrogen atom (neutrons have a very short half-life themselves, quickly decaying into a proton and electron).
I'd argue that, instead of relying on grungy old men with ham radios, that emergency personel should have access to ham radios. The equipment's a little more complicated than what they're used to. Not that they can't be trained; but, the hams are more efficient and deploy during any disaster to help. As a ham operator, I co-trained with by local rescue groups (as in more than one) and would deploy with them to provide communications. Not only did they get the additional service (emergency communications) but they got a spare set of hands.
Apparently the author hasn't heard of it. This system will waste energy because of all the conversion losses.