TALLINN -
The reach of the Skype
Internet telephone service was
demonstrated on Aug. 16 when the
system crashed, causing disruptions
around the world.
Engineers in Skype's Tallinnbased
development center raced to
restore the service by Aug. 18, but
not before international media
caught on to the crash.
Up to 9 million people around
the world use the service at any
given moment, according to Skype
Estonia general manager Sten
Tamkivi.
Internet media outlets reported
large disruptions to small and
medium-sized businesses that now
rely on Skype as a cheap medium
for international communication.
The event tested the public's confidence
in the system, which until
now has received stellar reports
for its clarity and reliability.
Engineers found problems in
the peer-to-peer network were
caused by the simultaneous
rebooting of millions of computers
around the planet.
A large number of users
restarted their computers in a
short time frame after Windows
sent out a routine update patch,
which required that computers be
shut down to take effect.
Although similar global
reboots occur with each Windows
update, Skype said problems within
its own software caused it to
react adversely on this occasion.
The company said it had now
"quashed the bug," and assured
users that future Windows updates
would not trigger another system
meltdown.
