Subject: Year 2000 Compliance Memorandum
Date: 3 February 1999
To: Science Center Faculty and Staff
From: Phil Reid, Acting Direct Clark Science Center
Popular media is full of discussion about Year 2000 risks to computer hardware and software, and other equipment and devices such as calculators, fire alarm systems and security systems that are dependent on electronically coded dates. The "Y2K problem1" or "millennium bug" is a device or software failure caused by the inability to properly keep track of the date or time as we approach the year 2000. Hardware or software may fail in different ways, and even on different days, depending upon the particulars of the date encoding in the device. The obvious problem is software that represents the year as a two-digit number (98 or 99) since the year 2000 will be represented by "00". The college has been working on Y2K readiness for several years. Year 2000 compliance issues in the administrative computing system, telephone system, alarm systems, and other computer systems have been addressed, or are in the process of being addressed. Although the college is addressing centralized Y2K compliance issues, it is the responsibility of the individuals concerned to address Y2K issues that are specific to their offices, labs, and research. As a science community, we should be particularly concerned about the Y2K problem, because much of our scholarship is reliant on equipment and systems that could contain Y2K "bugs". This memo is meant to provide information that will help you get started on addressing Y2K issues in systems specific to your area.
Recently a Smith Year 2000 (Y2K) Committee was established. The Committee, made up of faculty and staff from several areas of the college, was introduced to the college through a memorandum to Academic Chairs and Department Heads on January 4, 1999 (see the attached). As stated in the memo, the mandate of the committee is to "coordinate continuing efforts in such areas as surveying and educating the community about Y2K and assisting with the identification of problems, priorities and solutions as the millennium approaches." Merrie Bergmann, Brenda Bolduc, and Eric Brewer, who serve on the Committee, will help to facilitate communication between the Committee and the sciences.
The Y2K Coordinating Committee is in the process of finalizing a Y2K "Tool Kit" for use by the Smith College community as a whole. The Tool Kit provides information about Y2K issues, and includes a step-by-step process, with timeline, for addressing Y2K compliance issues. Copies of the Tool Kit will be distributed to Academic Chairs and Department Heads shortly, and will be made available to the college community shortly via a Y2K website.
As detailed in the Tool Kit, the step-by-step process for addressing Y2K compliance issues includes the following steps:
Since Step 4 and 5 may take some time to complete, it is important that Step 1-3 proceed fairly quickly. To assist in this process, I have provided a preliminary equipment inventory for your review. This inventory includes equipment for which you are identified as "responsible person" in the FRS fixed assets database. A caveat -- the database is being quality checked on an ongoing basis, but should not be considered a sole source for the purposes of identifying possible Y2K equipment risks. Corrections and/or updates to the database should be forwarded to Joe Dibrindisi. Secondly, in evaluating Y2K risks, you should also consider non-equipment risks, such as those associated with outside vendors being unable to provide product or service in a timely manner (due to Y2K glitches). Examples include feed for the Animal Care Facility, and gases required in equipment such as the NMR.
- Create an Inventory of equipment, systems, etc. that may have Y2K compliance issues
- Evaluate risk, and prioritize action
- Create a plan for corrective action
- Identify resources and budget needs
- Take corrective action
- Test conversions and solutions
What devices do you need to worry about? Anything that knows what the date is, whether it be computer hardware, software, or device controllers such as are often present in sophisticated lab apparatus and environmental control systems. Equipment controlled by a standalone computer (e.g. confocal microscope, NMR, etc.) can be vulnerable from three different points of potential failure: the controlling computer's hardware may not "roll over" correctly on 1/1/2000; the software may calculate time passage or store information using only two digits to represent the year; or the device being controlled may have its own built-in clock chip that does not roll over. Other equipment such as -800 freezers, may be affected by failure of other systems (e.g. power outage).
I.T.S. is working on solutions for faculty and staff office computers and classroom computers. But they do not know about (or want to know about) all the older PC's and Mac's that are scattered throughout labs and research spaces in the Science Center. They specifically will not support PC's and Mac's that were "inherited" when I.S. upgraded old equipment and discarded it for us to re-discover. Some of these older computers will have no problems whatsoever with Y2K, while others may crash completely.
Determining Y2K compliance or non-compliance of a given system or piece of equipment may be as simple as knowing that the equipment doesn't contain a "date chip", or it may be fairly complex. It will probably be helplul to ask equipment vendors to provide Y2K compliance information, and/or recommendations for upgrades or other fixes. A sample vendor letter is attached. It is also available electronically on the Science network in the Faculty Forms folder (Win 95/98 users will find it in the Science Win 95 Shortcuts folder. Macintosh users, should look in the Mac volume of Science).
I hope that you will find this information heiplul in identifying and addressing Y2K compliance issues in your area. I will provide updated information, as it is made available to me. Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns.
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