Preparing for Y2K What's the problem? What's ASU doing? Academic concerns Updating your computer Helpful links

IT-provided academic computing systems -- Information Technology undertook a multi-year project to ensure that IT-provided computing systems are Year 2000 compliant. This includes IBM mainframes, PC and Mac computing sites and UNIX clusters (Stats, Research, General, Al, and others). As of May 1999, nearly all IT-provided applications software was Y2K compliant, with remaining software to be updated as it is made available by vendors. Operating systems on academic UNIX clusters and the Academic MVS system are Year 2000 compliant.  

Data files containing dates -- Data files containing two-digit years are not Year 2000 compliant, as may be the case for any programs that read these data files. (Even if a data file contains only four-digit years, you should verify that programs reading the files actually use all four digits.) For future data files that you create, you should always use four-digit years. For future data files that you receive from someone else, make arrangements with them for receiving the files with four-digit years. For existing and future data files containing two-digit years, you should update the files to contain four-digit years wherever possible, and also change the corresponding programs which read the data accordingly.  

Programs and macros you've written -- The Year 2000 problem may be present in programs and macros you've written. This would occur only if the software does calculations involving dates, including use of the current date. You should review the coding of all programs, macros, scripts, execs, and any other executable code for which you have the source. Look for usage of two-digit years or the current date, and rewrite the code to use four-digit years. 

Desktop workstations -- Desktop computers have three compliance areas to watch for: hardware, operating systems, and application software. A computer system may be subjected to any, all or none of these issues, but the concerns apply to local area networks, individual workstations, servers, departmental systems and database programs. Programs that use dates and formulas may produce miscalculations if not changed to use four-digit dates. Check the ASU Information Technology page for help with analysis, testing and deployment of Year 2000 solutions for the desktop.