software failures Archives

Winsage

November 4, 2024

Microsoft warns dreaded ‘blue screen of death’ bug plaguing computers

Microsoft's latest Windows update for Windows Server 2025 is causing significant issues, including the blue screen of death (BSOD) for users. Multiple bugs are leading to software failures or excessively long restart times. Microsoft is working on a fix expected within a month and advises users to check system settings to mitigate BSOD risks by reducing the number of logical processors to 256 or fewer. Users have reported being locked out of their PCs for hours due to BSOD errors, with some considering switching to alternative operating systems. Microsoft has provided guidance on adjusting logical processor settings through the Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) setup to prevent instability. DailyMail.com has sought clarification from Microsoft regarding the impact and timeline for updates.

Tech Optimizer

October 2, 2024

How a large financial AWS customer implemented high availability and fast disaster recovery for Amazon Aurora PostgreSQL using Global Database and Amazon RDS Proxy | Amazon Web Services

A financial institution collaborated with AWS to create a solution that enables sub-minute failover between Availability Zones and single-digit minute recovery times across AWS Regions for their wealth management customer portal. The solution utilizes automation for failure detection and failover, along with AWS-managed data replication, specifically employing the Amazon Aurora PostgreSQL-Compatible Edition and Amazon Aurora Global Database for cross-Region replication. Key components include canary outage detection via AWS Lambda, DNS redirection through Amazon Route 53, and control plane resilience using the Amazon Route 53 Application Recovery Controller. The architecture is based on a three-tier model, with in-Region failovers expected to occur in seconds and cross-Region recoveries within minutes. The architecture team aimed to reduce the Recovery Time Objective (RTO) from tens of minutes to seconds and established a Recovery Point Objective (RPO) of under one minute. The failover process prioritizes speed, opting for immediate failover rather than controlled switchover. Testing confirmed that in-Region failover resulted in minimal disruption, while cross-Region failover could be completed in single-digit minutes. Recent enhancements to Amazon RDS Proxy and Aurora PostgreSQL have improved the architecture's efficiency and user experience.

Winsage

July 20, 2024

Opinion: Opinion | The Microsoft Windows ‘Glitch’ Is Actually A Warning For Today’s Tech

The text discusses the impact of software failures on various sectors such as airlines and hospitals, highlighting the lack of stringent standards for tech companies like Microsoft and CrowdStrike. It questions why the tech industry is not held to the same accountability as other sectors and calls for mandatory redundancies and regulations to prevent catastrophic failures in digital infrastructure.