Cut cable creates computer chaos

Photo By Sgt. Kevin Stabinsky | Soldiers fill up an Internet café on Forward Operating Base Kalsu, Jan. 31. The SpaWare system the Internet café runs on is unaffected by the break in Internet cable lines in a major commercial undersea segment somewhere between Egypt and France. The cables provide Internet and other electronic data distribution for a majority of African and Middle East countries, including Egypt, India and Iraq. They should be repaired in seven to 10 days.  

ISKANDARIYAH, IRAQ

02.04.2008

Story by Sgt. Kevin Stabinsky 

2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division Public Affairs

By Sgt. Kevin Stabinsky
2nd Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division Public Affairs Office

FORWARD OPERATING BASE KALSU, Iraq – Soldiers trying to access the Internet on Forward Operating Base Kalsu may experience a slow-down in the computers' processing speed, causing some to wonder "why me?"

The experience is not limited to Soldiers of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division. Due to a major cable break in the Mediterranean sea, countries in Asia and the Middle East are experiencing a disruption in Internet capabilities.

Due to the degraded capabilities, the 2nd BCT S6 signal shop is implementing tighter restrictions on the network. To maximize use of the small amount of bandwidth available, only .mil and .gov sites will be left open for access, said Maj. Louis Manning, 2nd BCT, S6, signal systems officer in charge.

Because the break is on a major commercial undersea segment somewhere between Egypt and France, Manning said it could take some time to correct the problem.

Soldiers looking for faster access can go to one of the three Internet cafes on base, said Spc. Nancy Perez, 2nd BCT computer help desk.

The Internet cafes located on FOB Kalsu run off a satellite-based system, SpaWare, and are unaffected by the break. Soldiers can use these cafes to access any site they choose.

If there is no one waiting in line, Soldiers can stay on as long as they like. However, if there is a line, Soldiers are limited to 30 minutes, said Pfc. Lawreece Fluellen, a military policeman in the MP platoon, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2-3 Brigade Troops Battalion. Fluellen, who also works in the 2-3 BTB computer lab front desk, said since the lines went down Jan. 30, the lab has been very busy.

Though the incident may cause some people to wonder how safe their Internet connection is, Perez said cables like the one broken are extremely difficult to damage. Unlike normal fiber cables, underwater cables are armored, making them extremely difficult to break. They are encased in a metal casing and covered with another insulating coating, she said.

One explanation for the break is either the cable was hit by some boat, piece of underwater machinery, submarine or large maritime animal, Perez said.

Regardless of the cause, the effect is a severe slowdown in the non-secure Internet for about seven to 10 days, the length of time repairs are expected to take, Manning said.

• Date Taken: 02.04.2008
• Date Posted: 02.04.2008 12:52
• Story ID: 16000
• Location: ISKANDARIYAH, IQ