In computer systems, there is always the possibility of a seismic event, or motion anomaly, such as a motion and/or acceleration condition. Such seismic conditions can occur because of external forces such as earthquakes, or they may occur due to other events that cause motion, shock, or acceleration internal to the computer housing.
Regardless of how the seismic event occurs, the results can be devastating to data being worked on by the computer. In a typical scenario, an earthquake occurs and exceeds the operational limits of the computer. If the computer continues to operate during the seismic event, data loss and damage to internal components can occur. In this event, data that has not been stored is either lost or stored in a temporary file which then must be recovered when the system is restarted.
Currently, the computer can not sense that excessive motion or a seismic event is occurring. Usually, the computer operator is unaware of the onset of a seismic event or motion that is about to exceed the operational limit of the computer.