Here's how it's done: Vendor logins have password expirations and admin changes. When vendor needs/wants access, they have to ask, and provide explanations and assurances. If (not when) access is granted, they are given a password for the duration of the requested session. At end of session, admin changes their password to a random secret one. Never, ever, EVER allow anyone outside the plant 24/365 access to your DCS process controls. That's suicide.
Yup. I'm a controls engineer, and 1. I don't expect IT to either fully understand the nuances distributed controls architecture, or 2. do my job for me. I don't fix accounting network gear, they don't fix my DCS. Knowledge of how to manage TCP/IP networks on the factory floor is Engineering's job, not IT's.
That said, it sounds like OP's engineering manager is a fucking idiot that needs to be canned, along with the staff that tolerated it. This is how refinery explosions happen. This sort of laziness and lack of oversight is unforgivable, and actionable in the event of an accident.
My equipment OEM's do not touch my machines without express case-basis authorization, and I test simulate all software/firmware edits before they go on a live machine or system. I build rigorous program safety and functionality testing into our purchase specs and support agreements. The PLC project files, the ones that can kill people, are read-only except by qualified engineers, precisely to keep amateurish production, maintenance, and OEM support people from doing dumb things.
I want to know who this dumbass lead controls engineer is so I can be damned sure to never hire him.
Now that so much of the lid is coming off of a lot of the long-suspected abuses by the government under the "security" banner, where are all the usual snide trollings about "tin foil hats" and conspiracy nuts?
The really sad part, the thing that would make Madison and Jefferson cry, is that it isn't Bush's fault, it isn't Obama's fault, or even Nixon's or J. Edgar Hoover's fault.
It's OUR fault, for being such a collective lot of either lazy, gullible, complacent, self-absorbed sheep, or snotty pseudo-sophisticated hipster smarter-than-you "intellectuals".
The bastards have won, the Constitution isn't worth the parchment it's scrawled on, and we have no one but our collective selves to blame./rant
Siemens has sucked out loud in every imaginable way ever since they abandoned the old TI 505/Step 5 framework. Step 7 is grossly bloated for the scale it's good at, and fails miserably as a wannabe DCS.
The bridge hardware is worth every penny. By the time somebody grinds out a kludgey emulator zombie for some junk freeware, you're up and running with your system. In a factory environment, you often just don't have time to indulge in experimental development of custom applications.
You can also see if the old RS-232/485 gear is recognizable by a Phoenix Contact or Wago DeviceNet-Serial hub. That's even easier since all modern PLC's support DeviceNet out of the box, and the hubs are fairly inexpensive.
"President Mr. Transparency Obama today invoked the National Security Act of 1947 to issue an Executive Order applying prior restraint on disclosure of any and all FISC rulings and decisions."
Wouldn't the "owner" be entitled to claim the purchase cost, maintenatnce, and service charges as allowable cost-of-employment expenses, similar to a mechanic's hand tools or a salesman's unreimbursed automobile mileage?
Sadly, I tend to agree. Hopefully the character-specific interactivity that comes with "sandboxing" will give individual characters an identity, and unique "life story" beyond "Level 99 Troll Ninja Paladin" or whatever. I don't know which publisher will be first-to-market with a sandbox MMO, but it should help make RP a viable experience in MMO's again.
The only real RP I've seen lately is pretty limited. There are still some active RP guilds on the EQ2 primary RP server, Antonia Bayle, but the server as a whole has devolved into casual grind-and-raid play. The only RP personality traits my main chars have is from being reborn after a 9-year original career on the now-defunct EQOA Frontiers.
I have a friend who tries to RP in Eve Online with limited success.
Apart from the premature press release, I'd give Blizzard the benefit of the doubt on going slow with their next MMO.
They have proven their prowess at MMO's with WoW, which like EQ and others will eventually stale for players and be rendered technologically obsolete by new engines, platforms, etc. They probably realize that an advanced 100% interactive sandbox world, perhaps like the rumored Everquest Next, will take a ton of time and effort to get right.
MMO players, especially RP types, tend to be very franchise-oriented. It is in Blizzard's best interest to have a next-gen WoW product in the wings while the original is still commercially viable and thus retain their core player base.
For all it's failings, Sony has gotten a lot of mileage out of the EQ franchise. EQ and EQ2 fans, even many who quit from burnout, will flock to EQ Next if it ever launches because of their familiarity and comfort with the lore cache and medieval/hobbit weltanschauung. Continuity has benefited the Final Fantasy franchise as well. Blizzard, I'm sure, has taken note.
Fantasy RP games, especially MMO's, cater to fan bases with certain tastes in game world, be it outer space, sword n' dungeon, infantry combat, what have you. Blizzard had a knockout with WoW. I don't think they want to miss out on a repeat.
Disclaimer: I'm not a WoW player, but I am an MMORPG fan.
The real competition is who has the most/brightest hackers and security geeks. If we keep flooding ourselves with incompetent H1B's, the Iranians will have us by the short hairs.
As former Navy man who spent many a fine night with the ladies of Olongapo / Subic Bay, representing our great nation with honor and dignity, I deeply resent being compared to the F-35.
I rather think, and hope, that the smarter route would be a trend toward universal cross-platform functionality while coping with the inherent strengths and weaknesses of hardware based on customer preference.
Granted, there are currently some hellish obstacles. Low-latency ISP connections for the console crowd to support intense server-side processing is just one that comes to mind. Better native PC OS support for analog controllers and other input devices for PC's is another. There are more, of course.
If the gaming industry's goal is to maximize profit, doesn't it make sense to include the widest possible player base?
Here's a great chance to jump in on another multi-billion dollar government tech boondoggle. Why let SAIC and the other Beltway Bandits scarf up all the big bucks? A bunch of us ought to slap a shell company together and bid like there's no tomorrow. Get on board that gravy train while we can!
If this goes anything like recent FAA, USPS, and VA projects to name but a few, a successful contractor can bill for years while never delivering a finished, operational product.
Surely we can spec a 2.6K TFlop monster, with ancilliary systems, and market it to the GSA purse-holders. Easy math. Calculate the probable actual cost (fair bid price), triple it (IBM, Kray, or SAIC's price), and multiply by.9 = winning bid (never bid too low on a government contact; they automatically chuck out the highest and lowest).
You, me, and a few thousand professionals and "power users" got your message years ago. What was true in 1995 remains true. System integrity is the owner's responsibility.
One thing that hasn't been fixed is the millions of teenage girls, grandmothers, and neckbeards clicking on every widget that pops on a screen, and falling for every "fix your PC" gimmick they see.
Larry Page's demonstrated acumen and record of success in his business endeavors do not necessarily equate to divinely-inspired wisdom on all things ethical and economic.
Based on his remarks in TFA, I can only wonder if his quaintly naive understanding of the insurance industry is born of true ignorance or is he just pretending to toe the public-perception mark so not to offend the bigger fish in the pond.
Insurance companies are owned by the same incestuous, anonymous equity holding consortiums that own the big banks, mass media, and energy companies. Nobody rocks the boat for long till he gets chucked overboard and drowned.
The same privacy and fairness issues that apply to medicine apply to employment, social reputation, and access to credit.
Sure, he made a lot of money compared to us plebeians, but on the grand scale he's a just a lucky amateur.
Hasn't Professor Irwin Corey already claimed the title of World's Foremost Authority?
Slashdot Mirror
If Snowden is ever brought to trial, and not droned or Gitmo'd, his only defense will be to prove he was exposing/preventing a greater crime.
The discovery motions alone will be surreal, and what about jury selection? Appellate trial transcripts? Sworn testimony from agency honchos?
I sure hope Groklaw is cranking up for this one. This might be the trial of the century, if it happens.
I will happily trade your fascist fear-mongering for democratic freedom.
Here's how it's done:
Vendor logins have password expirations and admin changes.
When vendor needs/wants access, they have to ask, and provide explanations and assurances.
If (not when) access is granted, they are given a password for the duration of the requested session.
At end of session, admin changes their password to a random secret one.
Never, ever, EVER allow anyone outside the plant 24/365 access to your DCS process controls. That's suicide.
Yup. I'm a controls engineer, and 1. I don't expect IT to either fully understand the nuances distributed controls architecture, or 2. do my job for me. I don't fix accounting network gear, they don't fix my DCS. Knowledge of how to manage TCP/IP networks on the factory floor is Engineering's job, not IT's.
That said, it sounds like OP's engineering manager is a fucking idiot that needs to be canned, along with the staff that tolerated it. This is how refinery explosions happen. This sort of laziness and lack of oversight is unforgivable, and actionable in the event of an accident.
My equipment OEM's do not touch my machines without express case-basis authorization, and I test simulate all software/firmware edits before they go on a live machine or system. I build rigorous program safety and functionality testing into our purchase specs and support agreements. The PLC project files, the ones that can kill people, are read-only except by qualified engineers, precisely to keep amateurish production, maintenance, and OEM support people from doing dumb things.
I want to know who this dumbass lead controls engineer is so I can be damned sure to never hire him.
Now that so much of the lid is coming off of a lot of the long-suspected abuses by the government under the "security" banner, where are all the usual snide trollings about "tin foil hats" and conspiracy nuts?
The really sad part, the thing that would make Madison and Jefferson cry, is that it isn't Bush's fault, it isn't Obama's fault, or even Nixon's or J. Edgar Hoover's fault.
It's OUR fault, for being such a collective lot of either lazy, gullible, complacent, self-absorbed sheep, or snotty pseudo-sophisticated hipster smarter-than-you "intellectuals".
The bastards have won, the Constitution isn't worth the parchment it's scrawled on, and we have no one but our collective selves to blame. /rant
You do realize that you just made a great case for http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anarcho-syndicalism don't you?
Well done!
Ever heard of Kent State?
Siemens has sucked out loud in every imaginable way ever since they abandoned the old TI 505/Step 5 framework. Step 7 is grossly bloated for the scale it's good at, and fails miserably as a wannabe DCS.
Excellent call. You beat me to it.
The bridge hardware is worth every penny. By the time somebody grinds out a kludgey emulator zombie for some junk freeware, you're up and running with your system. In a factory environment, you often just don't have time to indulge in experimental development of custom applications.
You can also see if the old RS-232/485 gear is recognizable by a Phoenix Contact or Wago DeviceNet-Serial hub. That's even easier since all modern PLC's support DeviceNet out of the box, and the hubs are fairly inexpensive.
India could launch unarmed missiles at a desert island and still destroy everything of value in Pakistan.
in 3...2...1...here it comes...
"President Mr. Transparency Obama today invoked the National Security Act of 1947 to issue an Executive Order applying prior restraint on disclosure of any and all FISC rulings and decisions."
Betcha a six pack of your favorite it happens.
I hope you're being sarcastic. Using the terms "court" and "law" in any discussion of Chinese business practices is automatically +5 Funny.
Wouldn't the "owner" be entitled to claim the purchase cost, maintenatnce, and service charges as allowable cost-of-employment expenses, similar to a mechanic's hand tools or a salesman's unreimbursed automobile mileage?
IANAL, so I was just wondering.
Sadly, I tend to agree. Hopefully the character-specific interactivity that comes with "sandboxing" will give individual characters an identity, and unique "life story" beyond "Level 99 Troll Ninja Paladin" or whatever. I don't know which publisher will be first-to-market with a sandbox MMO, but it should help make RP a viable experience in MMO's again.
The only real RP I've seen lately is pretty limited. There are still some active RP guilds on the EQ2 primary RP server, Antonia Bayle, but the server as a whole has devolved into casual grind-and-raid play. The only RP personality traits my main chars have is from being reborn after a 9-year original career on the now-defunct EQOA Frontiers.
I have a friend who tries to RP in Eve Online with limited success.
Apart from the premature press release, I'd give Blizzard the benefit of the doubt on going slow with their next MMO.
They have proven their prowess at MMO's with WoW, which like EQ and others will eventually stale for players and be rendered technologically obsolete by new engines, platforms, etc. They probably realize that an advanced 100% interactive sandbox world, perhaps like the rumored Everquest Next, will take a ton of time and effort to get right.
MMO players, especially RP types, tend to be very franchise-oriented. It is in Blizzard's best interest to have a next-gen WoW product in the wings while the original is still commercially viable and thus retain their core player base.
For all it's failings, Sony has gotten a lot of mileage out of the EQ franchise. EQ and EQ2 fans, even many who quit from burnout, will flock to EQ Next if it ever launches because of their familiarity and comfort with the lore cache and medieval/hobbit weltanschauung. Continuity has benefited the Final Fantasy franchise as well. Blizzard, I'm sure, has taken note.
Fantasy RP games, especially MMO's, cater to fan bases with certain tastes in game world, be it outer space, sword n' dungeon, infantry combat, what have you. Blizzard had a knockout with WoW. I don't think they want to miss out on a repeat.
Disclaimer: I'm not a WoW player, but I am an MMORPG fan.
No contest, USA wins that one hands-down.
The real competition is who has the most/brightest hackers and security geeks. If we keep flooding ourselves with incompetent H1B's, the Iranians will have us by the short hairs.
As former Navy man who spent many a fine night with the ladies of Olongapo / Subic Bay, representing our great nation with honor and dignity, I deeply resent being compared to the F-35.
Keyboards are for secretaries and pianos.
I rather think, and hope, that the smarter route would be a trend toward universal cross-platform functionality while coping with the inherent strengths and weaknesses of hardware based on customer preference.
Granted, there are currently some hellish obstacles. Low-latency ISP connections for the console crowd to support intense server-side processing is just one that comes to mind. Better native PC OS support for analog controllers and other input devices for PC's is another. There are more, of course.
If the gaming industry's goal is to maximize profit, doesn't it make sense to include the widest possible player base?
Smedley, Ballmer, and you lot. Are you listening?
Mod up for insightfully pointing out that a large percentage of the general population despises pigs in human skin, not just med students.
How do you misdiagnose a clear presentation of chronic gluttony? TFA refers to a specific condition, not general diagnostics.
Power-grabbing government fucktards exploiting fear created by murderous religious nutjobs yet again. And again. And again.
Until humanity as a species somehow simultaneously outgrows religion and greed, we're stuck with it.
I'm betting on Carrie Fisher clone extraterrestrials showing up with free beer and a cure for herpes first.
Here's a great chance to jump in on another multi-billion dollar government tech boondoggle. Why let SAIC and the other Beltway Bandits scarf up all the big bucks? A bunch of us ought to slap a shell company together and bid like there's no tomorrow. Get on board that gravy train while we can!
If this goes anything like recent FAA, USPS, and VA projects to name but a few, a successful contractor can bill for years while never delivering a finished, operational product.
Surely we can spec a 2.6K TFlop monster, with ancilliary systems, and market it to the GSA purse-holders. Easy math. Calculate the probable actual cost (fair bid price), triple it (IBM, Kray, or SAIC's price), and multiply by .9 = winning bid (never bid too low on a government contact; they automatically chuck out the highest and lowest).
What could possibly go wrong?
You, me, and a few thousand professionals and "power users" got your message years ago. What was true in 1995 remains true. System integrity is the owner's responsibility.
One thing that hasn't been fixed is the millions of teenage girls, grandmothers, and neckbeards clicking on every widget that pops on a screen, and falling for every "fix your PC" gimmick they see.
It all boils down to, "You can't fix stupid."
Larry Page's demonstrated acumen and record of success in his business endeavors do not necessarily equate to divinely-inspired wisdom on all things ethical and economic.
Based on his remarks in TFA, I can only wonder if his quaintly naive understanding of the insurance industry is born of true ignorance or is he just pretending to toe the public-perception mark so not to offend the bigger fish in the pond.
Insurance companies are owned by the same incestuous, anonymous equity holding consortiums that own the big banks, mass media, and energy companies. Nobody rocks the boat for long till he gets chucked overboard and drowned.
The same privacy and fairness issues that apply to medicine apply to employment, social reputation, and access to credit.
Sure, he made a lot of money compared to us plebeians, but on the grand scale he's a just a lucky amateur.
Hasn't Professor Irwin Corey already claimed the title of World's Foremost Authority?