The Royal Navy and BAE Systems plc were pleased as punch yesterday to announce that their implementation of Windows for Submarines™ is complete ahead of schedule. Windows boxes on Ethernet LANs are now in control of the UK’s nuclear-propelled and nuclear-armed warship fleet.
The programme is called Submarine Command System Next Generation (SMCS NG), and uses varying numbers of standard multifunction consoles with two LCD screens, hooked up on an internal Ethernet network installed on each sub. Initial reports as the programme developed suggested that the OS in question would be Windows 2000, but those who have worked on it have since informed the Reg that in fact it is mostly based on XP. “This is a fantastic achievement,” said Captain Pat O’Neill. “From speaking to operators and maintainers, I know how much they like SMCS NG. BAE Systems’ work is proof that we can get commercial off the shelf technology to sea quickly and support it affordably.”
Here on the Reg naval desk, we’d go relatively easy on submarine worries – even the Trident boats – as sub command LANs are by their nature very isolated and physically secure, and submarines almost never need to give their command systems autonomous firing authority. By contrast, however, an air-defence destroyer like the Type 45 – if it is to be much use – will fairly often have to give its collection of Windows boxes the ability to loose off a sheaf of Aster missiles without human authorisation. Shooting down the possible supersonic sea-skimmers of tomorrow will be even more impossible with the delays of having humans in the loop.
Just to add to the slight feeling of nerves, a destroyer LAN will need to be connected to other networks off the ship as a matter of routine, and physical access to a destroyer is hugely easier than to a sub as well.
So we aren’t really looking at Windows boxes triggering nuclear armageddon if something goes wrong here. But we just might, if things go wrong, be looking at a computer snag causing another USS Vincennes airliner shootdown disaster in coming years. Or, of course, at British sailors of the future staring helplessly at what would shortly be literally a blue screen of death, as the shipkillers bored in without response.
Fire when ready!
BLUE SCREEN OF SEATH will take on a whole new meaning…
Good Luck!
Don’t they learn anything from Battlestar Galactica? Networked computers on board ship can be hacked by a Cylon virus.
Captain! We have to lauch the missles now!!!
Oh No! The missle lauch drivers are corrupt!
Quick! Do a repair install!
“But we just might, if things go wrong, be looking at a computer snag causing another USS Vincennes airliner shootdown disaster in coming years.”
Which just shows that you know NOTHING about how that error happened…
This is a bad idea…
Esp with WINDOW GENUINE ADVANTAGE..
Forget to PAY the update Fee, and you can loose the License and WINDOWS DIES..
“Im sorry, you cant do that, as you AINT PAID FOR IT.”
What would it take to set custom SETUP under Linux..NOT that hard.
I can see it now..a delay in LAUNCH because of an 8 bit driver used to test Water temp, hasnt returned control to the CPU.
Another interesting fact: The vast majority of 911 phone calls in the U.S. are answered on equipment running Windows 2000 or XP.
# 4,
Not enough power on that sub to run vista.
I’m not comforted by the possibility that someone on a nuclear sub can be playing minesweeper while minesweeping.
#5 – Paddy-RAMBO
>>Which just shows that you know NOTHING about
>>how that error happened…
But of course YOU do, right Paddy-RAMBO? I’m sure the Secretary of State told you all about it while you were rearranging items on her desk.
HAW! Paddy-O’Beltway!!
You’re very big on telling people how stupid they are for not knowing something, but not quite so big when it comes to displaying YOUR knowledge of the matter.
Open windows! No. Close all windows and someone get a mop. I meant boot the controllers.
Nuclear warship + windows controls. This is an Onion article, right?
Everyone…
1994 called. They want their “windows is the crashiest” joke back.
I’m guessing no one here has used enterprise windows configurations? You know, the ones were genuine advantage means nothing, and updates are managed by policy, and the whole machine can be locked down tighter than… well, a navy sub under water? Right. Thought not.
Kinda hate to break it to you guys — being in such a happy anti-MS rant orgy — but Windows-based man-machine interface has been running factories, refineries, mines, water purification plants, and yes, nuclear power reactors, for years without serious problems.
I heard it was Windows ME.
#14, kind of stole my thunder, but he is right. Windows is in more places than you think. I see it running medical devices all the time, and it works fine, no blue screens, no crashes. The reason why is pretty simple. These devices usually do not allow unauthorized people to install software, usb ports are disabled, and their is no way to surf the net. In fact most of them hide windows completely, so that you have to know some voodoo password to even access windows.
These devices work fine because they do not allow the user to screw them up. If our home pc’s were like that then they would run for years without a single problem. Of course they wouldn’t do much good either since you could only do what the manufacturer allowed.
16,
“These devices work fine because they do not allow the user to screw them up. If our home pc’s were like that then they would run for years without a single problem. Of course they wouldn’t do much good either since you could only do what the manufacturer allowed.”
So, you own a Mac as well?
On a submarine, you shouldn’t be opening Windows.
Ok, it’s time to pray.
“Our Father, who art in heaven,
Hallowed be thy Name.
Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done,
On earth as it is in heaven.”
Amen, RIP Royal Navy.
Captain! Have you applied Service Pack 3 and patched Explorer? I can’t get the torpedos to fire!
They’ve locked onto us! I don’t have 30 minutes to run Windows Update! What do you mean “My windows isn’t Genuine, please purchase an activation key”? We’re under water here!”
Etc.
Seriously, I had heard that a lot of our Lational Labs stuff runs on seriously locked down (to Mil-Spec) BSD. That’s got to be tighter than WINDOWS….
I would love to get in on this discussion, but then I would be on the same side as Paddy-o. So I will be forced to sit this one out.
I feel the urge to point out that not only is windows running on the computers, but the control surfaces were probably written in Visual Basic.
Our whole economy runs on Windows… wait…
Be grateful it’s not using OSX, otherwise the Royal navy’s budget would cost three times much and only in maintenance.
Well……can’t use a commie OS like Linux….
PLEASE some tell me a C64 is controlling these ships..
A 2004 article from the Register about the AMS systems (yes I know, the S is redundant).
It’s interesting to see that this systems battle has been going on for several years. It’s also important for hacks like me to learn yet again is that architectural choices (e.g. Unix vs Windows) are rarely made by sane rational decision processes – regardless of their outcome.
I can see it now…
Wondering the Ocean, and your laptop picks up a WIRELESS signal, and WINDOWS AUTO connects…
LOVELY…
I think I’ll go change my underwear now.
I’m guessing they avoided Vista because of its driver revocation feature. Which could knock out some critical system, and not even tell them. On the other hand, adopting XP sounds somewhat like a PR move. Rather than using something like Linux or Unix, that could be thoroughly locked down. They chose what was most likely to be popular with the new recruits. It save the Royal Navy having to teach an unfamiliar OS to its members. And they can brag that the use of XP will carry into civilian jobs.
Fortunately for all the diesel-electric sub owning nations the implementation makes British subs slower and slower every year they are in service.
I can see it NOW…
the WHOLE ship is networked..
A few for wondering the net…For personal use..
For those that understand this..
SPAM BOTS and Virus ALL OVER the system.