USM/UCT Year 2000 Project

These pages and this project center around determining Year 2000 compliance of computers and software owned by The University of Southern Maine. We have developed these pages to assist departments in evaluating their systems.

Year 2000 Topics

 

Introduction

Early in the morning on Saturday, January 1, 2000, a new millennium begins. Also on this date there is the possibility that computers, software and equipment which have computer chips as an internal part of their operation may not work as expected. They may not recognize the date correctly and may shut down or provide incorrect information.

The core of the problem is that when these computers and software was designed they were programmed to recognize years as only two digit dates and they assume that the two digits are proceeded by the number 19. Therefore, on that Saturday some pieces of equipment may think the year is 1900 and it will respond accordingly.

Generally speaking, if you have an IBM compatible PC which was built after 1996 the odds that you may have a problem are diminished substantially. The same can be said for software you are using. If you have the current version of your word processing, spreadsheet and database management software the you are also in minimal risk of having date related problems. However, the older your equipment and software is the higher the probability you will have difficulty.

The same is true for any equipment which may have embedded data processors. Security systems, HVAC systems, testing equipment, and all other such equipment should be checked to make sure they will be compliant when the millennium begins.

In addition to equipment, any time or date sensitive information which is extracted or downloaded to be manipulated for further use may also cause substantial problems. One should check to make sure your application is reading the date correctly and using the information in a manner which would provide accurate information.

Year 2000 - The Scope and Consequences, A slide show presented to The University System by Linda Monica, Murray, Plumb, & Murray.

The Process

The process the University has chosen for this project is one of education and self help. The numbers and variety of computers, software, equipment, and applications make it impossible for one single entity to ensure that all are compliant. As a result the members of the community are being provided with the information about the problem, a method for checking their compliance and locations to go for further information and assistance.

Equipment and Compliance Databases
System-Wide Services Inventory Database
This database is for entering all equipment, software, applications and databases in the first phase of the Y2K project. Each individual, department, school/college, or division may enter their data here. Reports can be generated by campus, person responsible. NOTE: The information is only as reliable as to the level of information provided or person who entered the data.
Search UCT's Compliance Database
Allows you to search the database for cataloged items and perhaps see if they have already been checked for year 200 compliance. This database contains information gathered by USM Computing Staff to assist end users, and UNet.
Year 2000 - The Scope and Consequences
A slide show presented to The University System by Linda Monica, Murray, Plumb, & Murray
 
Reference and Links
NOTE: None of these sites are endorsed by the University, we are simply listing them as we find them to help the University community understand and approach the Year 2000 problem.

Hardware Vendors

Apple Computer's Year 2000 Page
Apple Computer's disclaimer about their machines working until 29,940.
 

Software Vendors

Microsoft's Year 2000 Page
What list would not be complete without the most popular software vendor's Year 2000 statements.

Other Year 2000 Locations

Year 2000 .COM
Year 200 web site discussing vendors that are working on y2k issues.
NSTL's Year 2000 Page
NSTL is a testing service organization that has made some effort in the Year 2000 area.
University of Connecticut
A Plan For Insuring Year 2000 Compliance. Which includes the "special" dates to check, etc.
Mitre Corporation
A rather comprehensive Year 2000 Overview.
C|Net Y2k Pages
Computer media company's Myths about Y2k.
FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
What Do I Need to Do?
Each department will be responsible for testing any programs, macros, databases, spreadsheets that they have written (or comissioned) for their department or individual use.
 
What is ACS/UCT Doing to Help?
We (the computind departments) will be gathering and disseminating information on which application programs are compliant.
 
July 17th, 1998 Deadline for Year 2000 Inventory
The July 17th deadline is strictly a deadline for submitting an inventory of equipment and data, it is not a deadline for completing Year 2000 assessment. You do not have to research all your software and hardware for compliance. You only need to list what software and hardware you are using. A later stage will address compliance issues.
What's Changed
October 19, 1998/SARH
Revise Introduction text and reorganize based on Captian Bill's draft.
August 17, 1998/SARH
Added UNET's inventory database and changed topic to Equipment and Compliance Databases
August 10, 1998/SARH
Added more reference links.
July 13, 1998/SARH
Added data for Microsoft products from http://www.microsoft.com/year2000/.
July 6, 1998/SARH
Added data from USM inventory and hacked a new Perl CGI program to query the data.
July 2, 1998/SARH
Initial setup of UCT's Y2K Pages and database.
Stephen Houser

Last modified: Tue Jul 14 16:29:56 EDT