Admin horror stories (was: Replacing NIS)

[pll at lanminds.com]

In a message dated: Wed, 18 Jun 2003 16:40:30 EDT
Derek Martin said:

>I didn't do it, and I didn't work there when it supposedly happend so
>I also didn't see it, but at that same job, someone told me a story
>about someone absent-mindedly leaning on the computer room's panic
>button...

A similar thing happened at my first sysadmin job before I got there. 
We had the stereotypical BRB installed on the wall for a server room 
full of big NFS servers, hard drive arrays (you know, the huge 20MB 
platter arrays from DEC), etc.

There was evidently a problem with AC which triggered the 
environmental monitoring alarm which was this piercing shrill of a 
constant beep.  One of the other sysadmins told this "technician" to 
go shut the alarm off.  She asked how, and he said "it's the red 
button on the wall".  Which it was, just the *small* red button just 
beneath the BRB.

AFAIK, to this day, the BRB is known as "The Patty Button" in honor 
of the tech who pushed the wrong button :)
-- 

Seeya,
Paul
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