phone rings, 4AM
still asleep, all websites down
way to wake up fast
Once a month or so, I take my turn being ‘on call’ to take overnight support calls if stations have problems.
And call they do.
With 40+ websites at TV Stations affiliated with 4 different networks in 4 different time zones, something can always go wrong.
It can be a problem with just one website.
Problem: I can’t get into our website
Answer: Have you tried to switch your computer off then on?
It can be a regional problem impacting several sites.
Problem: We can’t get into our websites
Answer: Have you tried to switch your computer off then on?
It can be server farm issues that impacts the eastern half or the western half of the company.
Problem: Everyone on the west coast can’t get into their websites
Answer: Have they tried to switch their computers off then on?
And it can be, once in awhile, a problem that takes all the websites offline.
Down.
Crashed.
404, not found.
In the words of the immortal Buster Scruggs, The San Saba Songbird , ‘That ain’t good’.
When that happens, the problem is not ‘what can I do to fix this’ but ‘who am I going to have to wake up to fix this.’
I will say this.
The words, ‘all sites are down’ sure wakes you up fast.
No Haiku For You 