Big red button
Encyclopedia
A big red button sometimes called a big red switch (BRS), is a real or fictional button
with various functions. The purpose of being big and red is for its quick identification and actuation. In its more ominous forms, the phrases are often capitalized
as the Big Red Button or the Big Red Switch.
On some mainframe designs, the emergency power-off switch would immediately physically disable the machine's power supply. Because the use of a Big Red Switch would bring down a computer in an uncontrolled fashion, getting the machine up and running again could be a nontrivial and time-consuming task. Therefore, particularly in the early mainframe computer era, people risked disciplinary action for activating the BRS of a production batch processing mainframe in a non-emergency situation (see molly-guard below).
During the 20th-century's Cold War
, the "Big Red Button" (sometimes just "The Button") referred to a device used to launch nuclear weapon
s. A person in charge may be referred to as "having his/her finger on The Button". The disastrous consequences of a full-out nuclear war
made the Big Red Button a symbol of the annihilation of humanity. In a real world case, soviet lieutenant colonel Stanislav Petrov
figuratively avoided pressing the Red Button by correctly identifying a missile attack warning as a false alarm.
Because of this potential doomsday
use, Cold-War-era fiction often featured a BRB as the final trigger for a self-destruct
process. It could also represent a "nuclear" or radical solution to a problem, much like "cutting the Gordian knot
", and likely lead to the BRB's use as a reset button
.
Once contemporary definitions of the BRB gained popularity as a plot device in Looney Tunes, the button became a running gag. A character would at some point be warned, "Whatever you do, do not press the red button." By the end of the cartoon someone would invariably press it, usually resulting in a large explosion. This attached a level of temptation to the button itself, and is often used in religious or philosophical allegory, a parallel to Adam and Eve's consumption of the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden.
, the Big Red Button has historically referred to a system's "reset" button, a red momentary electrical switch used to reboot a computer.
An early "Big Red Switch" was on the mid Seventies IBM 5100 computer, it later appeared on the first 8088 (8086) IBM PCs. It was part of the PSU
and located on the right side of the PC system unit, but on the front of the IBM 5100.
This switch was often located on the front of a personal computer or on the back next to the power supply. Most modern computer systems, however, either omit a reset button or significantly reduce its visibility and/or access to prevent users from accidentally triggering it. Although "hit the Big Red Switch" may still have a connotation of "reboot", current systems often have other means to accomplish this, like x86-based computers' Control-Alt-Delete
key combination (sarcastically called the "three-finger salute" by frustrated users).
BRBs in IT
or industrial settings are still used as kill switch
es, which cut all power
to a device or a group of devices in an emergency, similar in use to a nuclear reactor
's Scram
Button. Data center
s often have such kill switches near the entrance, and may release fire suppression systems as well.
from plexiglass to prevent a programmer's young daughter Molly from pressing the BRS on an IBM 4341 server, after she had done so twice in one day.
Similarly, molly-guard is a package on Debian
-based Linux distribution
s that traps shutdown and reboot commands over SSH
, and confirms the machine is the correct machine by requiring the user to type the hostname of the system before the event will proceed. This helps prevent the user from inadvertently shutting down the wrong system.
Button
In modern clothing and fashion design, a button is a small fastener, most commonly made of plastic, but also frequently of seashell, which secures two pieces of fabric together. In archaeology, a button can be a significant artifact. In the applied arts and in craft, a button can be an example of...
with various functions. The purpose of being big and red is for its quick identification and actuation. In its more ominous forms, the phrases are often capitalized
Capitalization
Capitalization is writing a word with its first letter as a majuscule and the remaining letters in minuscules . This of course only applies to those writing systems which have a case distinction...
as the Big Red Button or the Big Red Switch.
Usages
- A shut-down switch for catastrophicCatastrophic failureA catastrophic failure is a sudden and total failure of some system from which recovery is impossible. Catastrophic failures often lead to cascading systems failure....
circumstances to avert further damage or to cause it, e.g., an "emergency power-off"Kill switchKill switch, also called an e-stop, is a security measure used to shut off a device in an emergency situation in which it cannot be shut down in the usual manner...
button. - Help call in emergencies or for disabled persons.
- Firing or detonating a weapon, typically a nuclear device.
- In hacker jargonJargonJargon is terminology which is especially defined in relationship to a specific activity, profession, group, or event. The philosophe Condillac observed in 1782 that "Every science requires a special language because every science has its own ideas." As a rationalist member of the Enlightenment he...
, the shutdown button or power switch on a computer, especially the red "emergency pull" switch on IBM mainframe operator consoles. The term has also sometimes been used for the power switch on IBM PCs.
On some mainframe designs, the emergency power-off switch would immediately physically disable the machine's power supply. Because the use of a Big Red Switch would bring down a computer in an uncontrolled fashion, getting the machine up and running again could be a nontrivial and time-consuming task. Therefore, particularly in the early mainframe computer era, people risked disciplinary action for activating the BRS of a production batch processing mainframe in a non-emergency situation (see molly-guard below).
Symbolism
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
, the "Big Red Button" (sometimes just "The Button") referred to a device used to launch nuclear weapon
Nuclear weapon
A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission or a combination of fission and fusion. Both reactions release vast quantities of energy from relatively small amounts of matter. The first fission bomb test released the same amount...
s. A person in charge may be referred to as "having his/her finger on The Button". The disastrous consequences of a full-out nuclear war
Nuclear warfare
Nuclear warfare, or atomic warfare, is a military conflict or political strategy in which nuclear weaponry is detonated on an opponent. Compared to conventional warfare, nuclear warfare can be vastly more destructive in range and extent of damage...
made the Big Red Button a symbol of the annihilation of humanity. In a real world case, soviet lieutenant colonel Stanislav Petrov
Stanislav Petrov
On September 26, 1983 the Nuclear Early Warning System of the Soviet Union twice reported the launch of American Minuteman ICBMs from bases in the United States. These missile attack warnings were correctly identified as a false alarm by Stanislav Yevgrafovich Petrov, an officer of the Soviet Air...
figuratively avoided pressing the Red Button by correctly identifying a missile attack warning as a false alarm.
Because of this potential doomsday
Doomsday event
A doomsday event is a specific, plausibly verifiable or hypothetical occurrence which has an exceptionally destructive effect on the human race...
use, Cold-War-era fiction often featured a BRB as the final trigger for a self-destruct
Self-destruct
A self-destruct is a mechanism which causes a device to destroy itself under a predefined set of circumstances.Self-destruct mechanisms are also found on devices and systems where malfunction could endanger large numbers of people...
process. It could also represent a "nuclear" or radical solution to a problem, much like "cutting the Gordian knot
Gordian Knot
The Gordian Knot is a legend of Phrygian Gordium associated with Alexander the Great. It is often used as a metaphor for an intractable problem solved by a bold stroke :"Turn him to any cause of policy,...
", and likely lead to the BRB's use as a reset button
Reset button
In electronics and technology, a reset button is a button that can reset a device. On video game consoles, the reset button restarts the game, losing the player's unsaved progress. On personal computersOn IBM mainframes reset neither clears memory nor initiates an IPL., the reset button clears the...
.
Once contemporary definitions of the BRB gained popularity as a plot device in Looney Tunes, the button became a running gag. A character would at some point be warned, "Whatever you do, do not press the red button." By the end of the cartoon someone would invariably press it, usually resulting in a large explosion. This attached a level of temptation to the button itself, and is often used in religious or philosophical allegory, a parallel to Adam and Eve's consumption of the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden.
Computing and industrial
In computingComputing
Computing is usually defined as the activity of using and improving computer hardware and software. It is the computer-specific part of information technology...
, the Big Red Button has historically referred to a system's "reset" button, a red momentary electrical switch used to reboot a computer.
An early "Big Red Switch" was on the mid Seventies IBM 5100 computer, it later appeared on the first 8088 (8086) IBM PCs. It was part of the PSU
PSU
The initialism PSU often refers to a Power supply unit, or specifically a computer's Power supply unit .The PSU powers all the computer's main components. There are many different PSUs that can come with anywhere up to 1500 watts for a standard desktop computer. The PSU is also sometimes referred...
and located on the right side of the PC system unit, but on the front of the IBM 5100.
This switch was often located on the front of a personal computer or on the back next to the power supply. Most modern computer systems, however, either omit a reset button or significantly reduce its visibility and/or access to prevent users from accidentally triggering it. Although "hit the Big Red Switch" may still have a connotation of "reboot", current systems often have other means to accomplish this, like x86-based computers' Control-Alt-Delete
Control-Alt-Delete
Control-Alt-Delete is a computer keyboard command on IBM PC compatible systems that can be used to reboot the computer, and summon the task manager or Windows Security in more recent versions of the Microsoft Windows operating system...
key combination (sarcastically called the "three-finger salute" by frustrated users).
BRBs in IT
Information technology
Information technology is the acquisition, processing, storage and dissemination of vocal, pictorial, textual and numerical information by a microelectronics-based combination of computing and telecommunications...
or industrial settings are still used as kill switch
Kill switch
Kill switch, also called an e-stop, is a security measure used to shut off a device in an emergency situation in which it cannot be shut down in the usual manner...
es, which cut all power
Electric power
Electric power is the rate at which electric energy is transferred by an electric circuit. The SI unit of power is the watt.-Circuits:Electric power, like mechanical power, is represented by the letter P in electrical equations...
to a device or a group of devices in an emergency, similar in use to a nuclear reactor
Nuclear reactor
A nuclear reactor is a device to initiate and control a sustained nuclear chain reaction. Most commonly they are used for generating electricity and for the propulsion of ships. Usually heat from nuclear fission is passed to a working fluid , which runs through turbines that power either ship's...
's Scram
Scram
A scram or SCRAM is an emergency shutdown of a nuclear reactor – though the term has been extended to cover shutdowns of other complex operations, such as server farms and even large model railroads...
Button. Data center
Data center
A data center is a facility used to house computer systems and associated components, such as telecommunications and storage systems...
s often have such kill switches near the entrance, and may release fire suppression systems as well.
Molly-guard
A Big Red Switch often includes a molly-guard, a cover that must be lifted to trip the switch. The original molly-guard was jury-riggedJury rig
Jury rigging refers to makeshift repairs or temporary contrivances, made with only the tools and materials that happen to be on hand. Originally a nautical term, on sailing ships a jury rig is a replacement mast and yards improvised in case of damage or loss of the original mast.-Etymology:The...
from plexiglass to prevent a programmer's young daughter Molly from pressing the BRS on an IBM 4341 server, after she had done so twice in one day.
Similarly, molly-guard is a package on Debian
Debian
Debian is a computer operating system composed of software packages released as free and open source software primarily under the GNU General Public License along with other free software licenses. Debian GNU/Linux, which includes the GNU OS tools and Linux kernel, is a popular and influential...
-based Linux distribution
Linux distribution
A Linux distribution is a member of the family of Unix-like operating systems built on top of the Linux kernel. Such distributions are operating systems including a large collection of software applications such as word processors, spreadsheets, media players, and database applications...
s that traps shutdown and reboot commands over SSH
Secure Shell
Secure Shell is a network protocol for secure data communication, remote shell services or command execution and other secure network services between two networked computers that it connects via a secure channel over an insecure network: a server and a client...
, and confirms the machine is the correct machine by requiring the user to type the hostname of the system before the event will proceed. This helps prevent the user from inadvertently shutting down the wrong system.
See also
- Nuclear briefcaseNuclear briefcaseNuclear briefcase is a specially outfitted briefcase used to authorize the use of nuclear weapons.-United States:The Nuclear Football is a black briefcase, the contents of which is to be...
- Red Button (digital television)Red Button (Digital Television)Red Button is a button on the remote control for certain digital television set top boxes in the UK, Australia, Belgium, Malaysia and By Directv in the USA. It is for interactive television services such as BBC Red Button and Astro...
- Panic buttonPanic buttonA panic alarm is an electronic device designed to assist in alerting somebody in emergency situations where a threat to persons or property exists....
- Placebo buttonPlacebo buttonA placebo button, also called an idiot button, is a push-button with apparent functionality that actually has no effect when pressed, analogous to a placebo. In other cases, a control like a thermostat may not be connected....