US computers get hot under the collar

This week's heatwave in the US has left IT systems paralysed down the East Coast.

Up to 28,000 customers of Bell Atlantic were left without long-distance phone lines just after midnight on Tuesday, after a power plant overheated. IT systems across the region suffered from blackouts as utilities cut power for up to four hours at a stretch.

Consolidated Edison and an electricity supplier in Delaware were the main culprits, according to US media reports.

Engineers voicing their concerns online blamed the electricity outages on increased demand, as companies turned up their air conditioning to cope with temperatures of over 103 degrees Fahrenheit (F). They claimed some customers had been unable to use their computer workstations, and many had closed operations altogether for the day.

In some cases, universal power supplies (UPS) protected crucial servers, but one engineer reported that even UPS batteries got too hot at temperatures over 100F, and did not work properly.

A spokeswoman at Bell Atlantic confirmed: "Our central office in DuPont, New York, was completely out for 3 minutes 20 seconds, following a cut in electricity supply. It happened at 12:20 on Tuesday morning, and potentially 28,000 customers were affected."

She added that Centrex and PBX telephony systems became more sensitive in hot and humid conditions, which did not help matters.

However, IT directors across the East Coast will breathe a sigh of relief at weather forecasts predict steady temperatures of 80/90 degrees for the rest of the week.