(mailed and partly posted)

Hi, Allan,

Thanks for the report!  

[Schedule notes response in email only.]

This business about the BIOS date/time affecting the DF nightly updates and power-off system (resulting in that Maintenance Mode issue) is really useful to know.  I had assumed that the process was all the way controlled by signals from CPS ITS downtown (or the local ADM01).  But this point about it being the BIOS-CMOS settings -- which in the space of a week I've learned about from 3 sources, including you and Terry -- really changes the picture of what to do about computers coming up in Maintenance Mode.   I'll plan to share a tech note on that with all our crew.

Sort of in connection with that, we've been discussing getting hold of some of those "coin cell" batteries to replace the run-down ones.  The plan might include buying a few fresh ones.  But mostly we're thinking in terms of adding these to the (mostly mental) checklist of things to salvage out of a computer that's going into disposal.  ... Do I correctly gather from your report that you found enough of these in the broken / disused computers sitting around Reavis, or would you need more?

Thanks,

  ==mitch