One Server Broke. They Lost Everything.
In October 2016, Kings College London experienced a major data loss in their Strand Data Center due to an incompatibility issue when replacing a faulty part in their main storage system. This led to the loss of important data, including student records and research. Despite having backup systems like snapshots, another storage system, and tape backups, many of these failed or were not properly managed. For example, snapshots were on the same machine, other systems weren't fully replicated, and tape backups had issues with capacity, automation, and staff not backing up critical data. This incident highlighted significant problems in their IT management, including an overloaded team, lack of communication, and the absence of full-scale disaster recovery tests. The college spent a month on a difficult recovery process, but some data was permanently lost.
Key Vocabulary
An informal exclamation used to express mild surprise, frustration, or to emphasize a question, often as a substitute for a stronger expletive.
Examples:
- What the heck just happened to our internet connection?
- Oh, heck, I forgot my keys inside the house.
- Where the heck did you put my book?
To free someone from guilt, blame, or responsibility for an action, often implying a formal declaration of innocence or a release from an obligation.
Examples:
- The court's decision did not absolve the company of its moral responsibility.
- His confession seemed to absolve him of the burden of secrecy.
- The new policy aims to absolve employees of minor infractions if they report them promptly.
Extremely demanding and exhausting, requiring great effort and endurance.
Examples:
- The marathon training was a grueling process, but it paid off on race day.
- After a grueling week of negotiations, they finally reached a compromise.
- The team faced a grueling schedule of back-to-back games.
In mathematics, referring to a property where the grouping of operands in an operation does not affect the result. For example, (a + b) + c = a + (b + c).
Examples:
- Addition is an associative operation, meaning you can group numbers differently without changing the sum.
- The associative property of multiplication simplifies complex calculations.
- Not all mathematical operations are associative; subtraction, for instance, is not.
In mathematics, referring to a property where the order of operands in an operation does not affect the result. For example, a + b = b + a.
Examples:
- The commutative property of addition allows us to add numbers in any order.
- Multiplication is also commutative, as 3 x 5 yields the same result as 5 x 3.
- Division is not commutative; 10 divided by 2 is not the same as 2 divided by 10.
The delay or amount of time it takes for a data packet or signal to travel from one point to another, especially in a network or computer system.
Examples:
- High network latency can cause significant delays in online gaming.
- Reducing data center latency is crucial for high-frequency trading applications.
- The new fiber optic connection significantly decreased the latency for our remote servers.
Conspicuously bad or offensive; remarkably and shockingly poor or reprehensible.
Examples:
- The company was fined for its egregious disregard for safety regulations.
- His egregious error in judgment cost the team the championship.
- The report highlighted several egregious examples of corporate misconduct.
The state of being no longer needed or useful, often referring to an excess of components or information to ensure reliability or availability in case of failure.
Examples:
- The system has built-in redundancy with multiple power supplies to prevent outages.
- Data redundancy is a common strategy to protect against data loss.
- To achieve maximum uptime, the server architecture incorporated several layers of redundancy.
To confirm or establish the truth, accuracy, or existence of something through examination or evidence.
Examples:
- Please verify your account details before proceeding with the transaction.
- The auditors were tasked with verifying the financial records.
- It's important to verify the source of information before sharing it.
Most important, prominent, or influential; ranking above all others.
Examples:
- She is considered the foremost expert in her field of study.
- His foremost concern was the safety of his family.
- The company's foremost goal is customer satisfaction.
A specific class of computer software that provides the low-level control for a device's specific hardware. It is typically stored in non-volatile memory and is essential for the device's basic functions.
Examples:
- Updating the router's firmware can often improve its performance and security.
- The new printer required a firmware upgrade to be compatible with the latest operating system.
- Faulty firmware can cause a device to malfunction or become inoperable.
A quick summary or explanation of something, often providing essential details or an overview.
Examples:
- Could you give me a quick rundown of what happened at the meeting?
- Before the presentation, the manager provided a brief rundown of the project's progress.
- The evening news offered a rundown of the day's top stories.
An acronym for Redundant Array of Independent Disks, a data storage virtualization technology that combines multiple physical disk drive components into one or more logical units for the purposes of data redundancy, performance improvement, or both.
Examples:
- Implementing a RAID 5 configuration provides both data redundancy and improved read performance.
- The server utilizes a RAID array to protect against data loss if a single hard drive fails.
- Different RAID levels offer varying degrees of fault tolerance and speed.
Traditional stories, legends, or myths passed down orally from generation to generation within a culture, often featuring moral lessons, supernatural elements, or explanations of natural phenomena.
Examples:
- Many cultures have folktales that explain the origins of the stars and planets.
- The old woman enchanted the children with her captivating folktales of talking animals.
- These folktales are an important part of our shared cultural heritage.
A public facility containing toilets and sinks, often found in commercial buildings, public spaces, or workplaces.
Examples:
- I need to find a restroom before the movie starts.
- The sign directed visitors to the nearest restroom on the ground floor.
- The restaurant prides itself on having clean and well-maintained restrooms.
The capacity to recover quickly from difficulties; toughness, or the ability of a system to maintain its functions when faced with challenges or failures.
Examples:
- The team showed great resilience in bouncing back after a tough loss.
- Building system resilience is crucial for disaster recovery planning.
- Her personal resilience helped her overcome many obstacles in life.
The period during which a system, machine, or service is not operational or available, often due to maintenance, repairs, or failures.
Examples:
- Scheduled server downtime was announced for system upgrades.
- The company aims to minimize downtime to ensure continuous service for its customers.
- Unexpected downtime can lead to significant financial losses for businesses.
A plan, system, or recourse that can be used in an emergency or when a primary option fails.
Examples:
- The generator serves as a fallback power source during electrical outages.
- Always have a fallback plan in case your initial strategy doesn't work out.
- The cloud backup acted as a crucial fallback when the local server crashed.
An eager desire to know or learn things; a curious and questioning nature.
Examples:
- Her inquisitiveness led her to explore many different academic subjects.
- The scientist's inquisitiveness was key to his groundbreaking discoveries.
- A good journalist should always possess a strong sense of inquisitiveness.
Capable of being used; fit or ready for use.
Examples:
- After the repairs, the old car was once again usable for daily commutes.
- The software update made the interface much more usable for new users.
- Only a small portion of the raw data was actually usable for the final report.