More Porky`s from CAA
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More Porky`s from CAA
Despite comments from CAA experts about the Saturday night shutdown having run smoothly with no disruption, the truth was the new processer was installed, tested and failed. The result being the old processor, supposedly not 2000 compliant, had to be re-installed in a hurry before the east bound atlantic traffic arrived. Rumour control speculates it will be November before another attempt is made. Why is NATS trumpeting it is 2000 ready when IBM says it isn`t,and it requires full staffing over the new year just in case.
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Today's Computer Weekly has a report on this very subject.....go to
http://www.computerweekly.com
and do an 'advanced search' on NATS with 12/08/99 as the date to read it
http://www.computerweekly.com
and do an 'advanced search' on NATS with 12/08/99 as the date to read it
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The Computer Weekly story.
Issue date: 12 August 1999
Article source: Computer Weekly News
Air traffic control revamp stalled
Mike Simons
There were red faces at air traffic control last Saturday night when the first phase of controversial plans to upgrade the service's mainframe computers had to be aborted.
Last week Frank Agnew, IT director of the National Air Traffic System (Nats), told Computer Weekly that the upgrade from 10-year old IBM 4381 mainframes to new IBM S/390s would be "relatively straightforward".
However, this week a Nats spokesperson admitted that unexpected difficulties had resulted in the original machines being left in place.
"During the transition we found some problems which were not identified in our extensive testing programme, and the decision was made to abort and revert to the original configuration," she said.
According to Nats, problems were found in the "baseline check in the run up to operations". However, experts with long experience of the Nats system want to know why the problems were not identified before the upgrade was attempted.
Passengers were unaffected by last weekend's failure, but Nats is unsure whether work planned for this Saturday night will go ahead.
Another failure will cause problems for Nats, which brought forward its mainframe upgrade because of IBM's plans to withdraw technical support for the 4381s and the Civil Aviation Authority's year 2000 freeze in the last quarter of this year.
Issue date: 12 August 1999
Article source: Computer Weekly News
Air traffic control revamp stalled
Mike Simons
There were red faces at air traffic control last Saturday night when the first phase of controversial plans to upgrade the service's mainframe computers had to be aborted.
Last week Frank Agnew, IT director of the National Air Traffic System (Nats), told Computer Weekly that the upgrade from 10-year old IBM 4381 mainframes to new IBM S/390s would be "relatively straightforward".
However, this week a Nats spokesperson admitted that unexpected difficulties had resulted in the original machines being left in place.
"During the transition we found some problems which were not identified in our extensive testing programme, and the decision was made to abort and revert to the original configuration," she said.
According to Nats, problems were found in the "baseline check in the run up to operations". However, experts with long experience of the Nats system want to know why the problems were not identified before the upgrade was attempted.
Passengers were unaffected by last weekend's failure, but Nats is unsure whether work planned for this Saturday night will go ahead.
Another failure will cause problems for Nats, which brought forward its mainframe upgrade because of IBM's plans to withdraw technical support for the 4381s and the Civil Aviation Authority's year 2000 freeze in the last quarter of this year.
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Always interesting to see Computer Weekly having a go as it keeps the pressure on the people that have the power within NATS, but it would be nice to see them just once get stuck into their own industry and place more of the blame where it belongs. That is the computer industry, who either build kit which can't perform as they say it will, or give ATC software which can't do what it's supposed to and so on.
Of course, maybe they do attack their fellow computer experts, IBM, and the other giants in the industry for such failures but I have to say it's a not a rag I read very much.
Looks like they have thought up a new name for the post PPP company as well - National Air Traffic System.
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PPRuNe Radar
ATC Forum Moderator
[email protected]
Of course, maybe they do attack their fellow computer experts, IBM, and the other giants in the industry for such failures but I have to say it's a not a rag I read very much.
Looks like they have thought up a new name for the post PPP company as well - National Air Traffic System.
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PPRuNe Radar
ATC Forum Moderator
[email protected]
