Techies, what's with the RBS computer?

bluesnake

We had this conversation at work and our conclusion was they must be using Microsoft BizTalk - an engine that takes data from one database and possibly manipulates it, then places it into another database. If you see this product run away!It is what causes us the most trouble.We had a HP unix box doing a similar task and it worhed virtually faultlessly

S0litaire

bluesnake wrote: »

We had this conversation at work and our conclusion was they must be using Microsoft BizTalk - an engine that takes data from one database and possibly manipulates it, then places it into another database. If you see this product run away!It is what causes us the most trouble.We had a HP unix box doing a similar task and it worhed virtually faultlessly

They might not just be using a MS system.
They could be doing the same with a Linux system and scripts.
I'm betting they have many legacy systems that can't talk to each other directly and need servers in between them to "translate" if one of those servers dies due to a faulty update then that would probably bring the whole system to a halt.

ChiefGrasscutter

tocsin wrote: »

Hey, Mr/Ms ChiefGrasscutter!

That post sounds like a raw nerve has been hit - you aren't a banking IT manager are you? :rotfl:

My vote goes to exprog...

No (thank goodness) I'm a Professional engineer.
I did used to write some in-house engineering design 'number crunching' programs as part of my general engineering job in the days before software quality control became more formalised.
So engineers were trusted to write whatever they needed to program as/if necessary to do the analysis, check it worked properely, and then use it immediately on production designs - and to get it right. There was no formal approval system for any of this and engineers would pass round stuff they had written for one job for someone else to modify/update and use it on theirs. Nor was there really much formal written documentation - that was generally in the code in the form of remark statements - sometimes.

But then it was a different environment/ethos where changes were made by engineering with very little oversight. The directors really didn't want to know too much about how we worked, they knew it bordered on anarchy/chaos: but we brought in lots of money so they didn't interfere.

I fully expect some of my stuff has by now been incorporated into some gigantic do it all program and I'm equally sure that somewhere in the middle will be some instructions which when fed with a peculiar set of circumstances will send the program down some untested never used long forgotten side routine and it all will spew out incorrect answers which everyone will believe 'cos they they came from the program which no one now understands.

bluesnake

S0litaire wrote: »

They might not just be using a MS system.

While BizTalk does run under windpws, I takes data out virtually any OS and recognises many database formats. Would put my 2 pence on that it is an MS problem.

Unix scripts, once working, rarely fail.

Chris55_2

Actually, according to the best information I can find the problem was with an upgrade to http://www.ca.com/us/products/detail/ca-7-workload-automation.aspx . We're talking ancient software on IBM mainframes. As has been said before RBS have outsourced nearly everything - they've laid off most of the people who knew the old systems. Too many chiefs and not enough indians (and the indians are now in India).

after more looking at techie websites I'd like to point out that it does not appear to be a fault in the ca-7 product - indeed no bank would deliberately put software live midweek (mabe only accidentally?).

JCB2020

Quite true, outsourcing has been an ongoing trend for a number of years. Senior managers are concerned more about the cost than the risks. We are constantly reminded that IT is the most expensive overhead in the business. Trying to get get approval for software upgrades is like pulling teeth!

S0litaire

One good thing will come out of this....

Check Halifax /RBS careers site Monday! they'll be looking for a few good IT guys! lol

amcluesent

Nah, it'll be one IT guy on £500/day and 10s of compliance pen pushers, project managers, PR spinners and the like on £1000/day

Chris55_2

http://hyderabad.quikr.com/Batch-Admin-with-CA7-tool-W0QQAdIdZ81783921

Owain_Moneysaver

S0litaire wrote: »

One good thing will come out of this....

Check Halifax /RBS careers site Monday! they'll be looking for a few good IT guys! lol

They already are.

In India.