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- Comments: Gated by NETNEWS@AUVM.AMERICAN.EDU
- Path: sparky!uunet!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!darwin.sura.net!paladin.american.edu!auvm!MSU.BITNET!RWWMAINT
- Message-ID: <IBM7171%93010611403448@VM.TCS.TULANE.EDU>
- Newsgroups: bit.listserv.ibm7171
- Date: Wed, 6 Jan 1993 12:40:42 EST
- Sender: Protocol Converter list <IBM7171@TCSVM.BITNET>
- From: Richard W Wiggins <RWWMAINT@MSU.BITNET>
- Subject: Re: 7171 failure rates
- In-Reply-To: Message of Wed,
- 6 Jan 1993 09:50:28 EST from <stellr@SMYRNA.CC.VT.EDU>
- Lines: 26
-
- >It is possible your boxes are of the same vintage as ours and you will loose
- >three, tomorrow. What would you do? The repair turn around rate on the
- >power supply is 6 weeks. Is that an acceptable down time for three of your
- >boxes? Do you need to have eight backup units, or is one enough? I needed
- >three. I might need more, and that's what I'm trying to get a handle
- >on.
- >
- >So, my point is, in this community, is there a feel for the right backup
- >level and can we determine the mean time to failure?
-
-
- We've had 4 7171s in use for 5+ years; at least 1 is 7 years old.
- Years ago we took them all off IBM maintenance because 1) IBM
- sells a parts kit for repair 2) the 7171 has no moving parts and
- 3) we have an engineering staff that can swap boards from the
- parts kit. I believe we've had one or two failures across all
- of them.
-
- I would not be overly concerned about 7171s suddenly failing, the
- one site with the power supply problem notwithstanding. If you're
- worried, talk to your CE about what depot supplies these parts,
- or get your own parts kit, or buy a spare used 7171. (With the
- trend to Ethernet connectivity there should be more spares on the
- market; in fact we just decomissioned 2 of our 4 7171s).
-
- /Rich Wiggins, Michigan State U
-