On Tue, 9 Oct 2001, Joerg Dietze wrote: > I'm sure there IS connection to the outside world. In Germany we have a > system of terminals where You can get cash using Your "EC" card.There is > no matter which bank owns the terminal. You insert Your card, enter the > amout of money and a PIN and You get cash. The terminal retrieves Your > credit and authentifies the access to Your money.
That only means that the bank has (at least) one database server accessible to the public. Each bank will have several database servers, each syncing with the other, however, offering no throughput from access point to access point. Just because the data entered on a dumb terminal is accessible to the "outside world," that doesn't mean that the network the dumb terminal sits on is accessible to the outside world. > > 3) It's very doubtful that any data is actually kept > > on any of those machines. They most likely serve as > > "dumb terminals," having the sole function of > > transferring data to one of the ultra-locked down and > > secure database servers... one of which probably > > resides in the secret basement of the vault... ;-) > > These machines are no dumb terminals, they run OS/2 with a set of > programmes which retrieve data about Your credit. Since I used "dumb terminal" in quotes, there was the implication that I was using the term in other than the strictest sense. As hardware evolves, so does our terminology. ;-) To elaborate, what I mean here by "dumb terminal" is a computer with limited communications protocols which has as it's main (or only) function, the ability to enter and retrieve data from a central server. If no data is stored on it, or manipulated by it, then to me, that's a "dumb terminal," regardless of whether it runs DOS, a linux kernel, or OS/2. > I know that sys admins > perform remote maintenance if there is any problem with the system. Then we run into the definition of what exactly constitutes "the system." Certainly the sysadmins can't perform maintenance from an ATM machine! ;-) - Steve
