Space station computers to be replaced - where's the hot site?

Stan Beer
Saturday, 16 June 2007 08:27

Science - Space

As the International Space Station management rushes to reassure the public that a US$100 billion plus project is not going to drift off into space, the latest reports circulating through the world media suggest that the entire bank of failed Russian computers may have to be replaced. The entire episode highlights hopelessly inadequate operational computer systems and, as each day passes, management with its back to the wall issuing conflicting reports.

One minute we are being told that the computer power supplies need to be replaced; another minute suggestions emerge that the entire bank of computers needs to be replaced. Then we are told that the space station crew will be able to stay aboard; if they have to leave, though, the space station will be able to survive without a crew for a few months.

Amid all the conflicting reports, incredible as it seems, no-one has been able to pinpoint exactly how and why the computers failed. The prevailing view is that a power surge, caused by bringing a new solar panel array online, was the underlying cause. If so, the question remains as to how it came to be that mission critical computer systems were not isolated from such a surge.

Speaking of mission critical systems, virtually every major enterprise in the world that cannot afford to be without its computers for even a short period - whether it be a bank or a defence agency - runs what are known as computer hot sites. These are standby back-up sites that can take over at a moment's notice in the eventuality of a catastrophic failure of the primary computer systems.

Hot sites are generally exact mirrors of the main site but in a geographically isolated location. Thus, if an earthquake takes out the main computer, the hot site in another state or the other side of the world can kick in and take over.

The concept of a hot site is not new. Is it a reasonable question to ask why there is no deployable hot site - perhaps even at mission control - for a massively expensive project like the International Space Station?