Internet Downtime

[Jerry Bricker]

> *** Attention ***
>
> It's that time again!
>
> As many of you know, each leap year the Internet must be shut down for 24
> hours in order to allow us to clean it.  The cleaning process, which
> eliminates dead email and inactive ftp, www and gopher sites, allows for
> a better-working and faster Internet.
>
> This year, the cleaning process will take place from 12:01 a.m. GMT on
> Feb. 29 until 12:01 a.m. GMT on March 1.  During that 24-hour period,
> five powerful Internet-crawling robots situated around the world will
> search the Internet and delete any data that they find.
>
> In order to protect your valuable data from deletion we ask that you do
> the following:
>
> 1.  Disconnect all terminals and local area networks from their Internet
> connections.
>
> 2.  Shut down all Internet servers, or disconnect them from the Internet.
>
> 3.  Disconnect all disks and hardrives from any connections to the
> Internet.
>
> 4.  Refrain from connecting any computer to the Internet in any way.
>
> We understand the inconvenience that this may cause some Internet users,
> and we apologize.  However, we are certain that any inconveniences will
> be more than made up for by the increased speed and efficiency of the
> Internet, once it has been cleared of electronic flotsam and jetsam.
>
> We thank you for your cooperation.
>
> Kim Dereksen
> Interconnected Network Maintenance staff
> Main branch, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
>
> Sysops and others:  Since the last Internet cleaning, the number of
> Internet users has grown dramatically.  Please assist us in alerting the
> public of the upcoming Internet cleaning by posting this message where
> your users will be able to read it.  Please pass this message on to other
> sysops and Internet users as well.  Thank you.
>
>