Booted up in 1993, this server still runs – but not for much longer (2017)

A Stratus fault-tolerant server installed in 1993 at Great Lakes Works EGL in Dearborn, Mich., remained in production through 2017, maintained by IT application architect Phil Hogan. Built with redundant hardware and running Stratus’s proprietary VOS operating system, the machine survived more than two decades with close to 80% of its original components and no unplanned shutdowns, according to Hogan. Over the years he replaced disk drives, power supplies and a few parts using third-party suppliers (Stratus says it may still have parts in stock), and the system won a Stratus longevity contest in 2010. Users tolerated its character-based interface because of its reliability, and plans to modernize were repeatedly delayed by ownership and business-cycle changes.

Stratus fault-tolerant boxes like this one are designed for nonstop workloads in payment processing, telecommunications, credit-card clearing, manufacturing and energy, and the vendor now supports Windows, Linux, VMware and VOS on newer systems. After United States Steel acquired Great Lakes Works in 2015, a scheduled upgrade was set for April, at which point the veteran Stratus machine would be retired. When powered down, its end will mark the close of a rare, long-lived production system whose uninterrupted service was largely attributable to intentional redundancy and persistent hands-on maintenance.