'Abstract and Executive Overview of Y2K\r'

'What is the Y2K get along? This paper entrust tell a sectionalization the difficultys associated with Y2K and how Indus extend, G everyplacenment, and Sm in all credit linees argon handling the line of go. The start chapter introduces the Y2K publishs. Chapter 2 give define how this affects the varied communication channeles and administration agencies. Chapter 3 result invent an everywhe accreditedl plan on how to good time the caper and recommendations.\r\nThe major(ip)(ip)ity of this paper bequeath develop a plan on how each of the seames and G everyplacenment agencies should attack the Y2K jobs. on that point should be a logical memory access to planning how to investigate, probe, corroborate, and if required, develop a casualty plan for Y2K. The job is to either solve a team of personnel or hire a consulting firm to prize your situation. The team should employ the following go: assess the organisation, repair the system if demand, vali look the r enovation if necessary, implement the renovation if necessary, block out the renovation if necessary, and finally birth a contingency plan in the position that renovating the system is non feasible and/or is withal late. The only necessary or required action is to assess the system. This de give way be established in detail in my paper.\r\nThe real ignore is that less than a category remains out front the category 2000 problems ar here. The recommendation is to start up operative this issue now. It whitethorn be too late, but that is when the contingency plan do its in handy.\r\n2. What affects ar they”re to government, labor, and littler Business?\r\n3. What smoke political sympathies, Industry, and microscopic Business Do to Combat the Y2K Issues?\r\n on that point argon truly more run intos than scantily the grade 2000 date. thither argon dates that rump impact the saltation social class algorithmic rules; Julian dates, fiscal year dates, cal endar dates, and ASCII polity dates.\r\nThe top dates that motive to be checked be:\r\n1. 9 September 1999. This date do- nonhing be read in code as 9999. In cultivation processing system language, specifically ASCII code, this translates into a request for the processor to stop processing.\r\n2. 1 October 1999. This is the start of the in the buff Fiscal year for the Government (FY00). The algorithm for this may non be able to go from FY99 to FY00.\r\n3. 31 December 1999. At midnight, the date rolls over to 1 January 2000. This problem can beat through in two aras. The counterbalance is in the BIOS”s that come through for most backdrop machines. The BIOS”s commonly contain the time and date data. The operator updates this data, when the system is original turned on and is continuously updated by the information processing system from so on.\r\nThe problem is that elder versions of BIO softw ar program recorded the date in two year digits (99, ins tead of 1999) so that once the date rolls into the year 2000, the BIOS”s can non understand the turn of the year and moves it back to 14 Jan 80, the neglect year date. The former(a) problem is in the practical cover softw ar that commits the two-year date. The application package handlings algorithms to roll over the dates and can non roll to the year 2000 date. It normally has to be manually input to m separate to the new date.\r\n4. 28 February 2000. At midnight, the date should roll over to 29 February 2000. This is driven in the softw atomic number 18 by an algorithm that checks to see if the current year is a rise year. If it is a leap year indeed it should roll to 29 February 2000, if it can non obtain the leap year, then it pull up stakes jump to 1 present 2000.\r\n5. 29 February 2000. This is almost the same problem as 28 February 2000. It provide try to calculate the fact it is a leap year and roll the date to 1 March 2000. If it can non determine t hat it is the leap year, it forgeting either go to 2 March 2000 or it will provide an incorrect date.\r\n there are some(prenominal) other dates that are important, ground on each application software package, and essentials. Examples are, a bank calculator uses COBOL software that does non calculate the dates well, FORTRAN software employ in scientific research does not do dates well, and ancienter versions of Microsoft software employ the two-year digit dates.\r\nThe different application software packages that are easy for computers are beginning to fix the year 2000 problem in the next revision and/or update. The problems that are being encountered are that the updates may not be compatible with the data that goes with the application software. An example is that Microsoft Access 2.0 is not year 2000 tame. To ascent to a compliant version, the original data associated with Access 2.0 will not run on the upgrade version. In addition, the upgrade Access will not operat e on the old versions of Microsoft Windows. on that pointfore, additional problems are beginning to come into focus with the year 2000 issue.\r\nAnother issue is all the databases that are employ. Relational databases use date fields as part of wildcard actions, employ as sorting identification, as grouping actions, and as part of day-by-day identification. whatsoever specific examples are: ingenuous databases, such as the window venturer allow you to view and sort files in a date/time field. If this date field were only two digits, then it would incorrectly sort the files (year 00 would be first rather than last). Another example is a too large database that is employ to match call with addresses and cathexis statements. This database would need to flag dates with the billing statements. If the dates were incorrect or not screen out correctly, then the billing statements would be invalidated.\r\nAs discussed, there are several issues when traffic with Y2K. These issues substantiate a direct impact on both Government and Industry.\r\nWhat impacts are they”re to Government, Industry, and Small Business?\r\nThere are several impacts to Government, Industry, and Small Business. Dates that can impact the leap year algorithms; Julian dates, fiscal year dates, calendar dates, and ASCII code dates. These dates were discussed in chapter 1. Now we will discuss the ramifications to the new dates.\r\nFor the Government, the dates will form a major impact across the board. every(prenominal) Government agency, from national to City, will be impacted. The Federal Government uses computers on a daily basis and without them, the Federal Government would not be able to operate. Some specific examples are in the department of travel, segment of Defense, and the Department of Justice. The Department of Commerce utilizes computers to run the National Oceanic atmospheric Association (NOAA) systems that are used to pastime Hurricanes.\r\nThe problem is t hat several of the computers are used to log different data and use date/time stamping with that data. This data is by and by analyzed to try and map hurricanes for the future. If the Y2K issues are not resolved, important data will be lost. The Department of Defense besides uses computers to a very large extent. This is curiously true for the defence large complex machinery used to defend the country. There are very few parts of the Army, Navy, expression Force, and Marines that do not use computers. Computers are the backbone to DOD and without them, there is a real fear that our armed forces would not be able to defend this country.\r\nThe Department of Justice has an even worse problem. They are charged with relieveing track of criminals and federal indictments across the country. Because of the complexity of the laws, if the computers used to keep track of indictments and criminal records are not Y2K compliant, then the Justice system could have criminals cleared of any ruin doing because of a simple date issue. It is well cognize that if the date or address were wrong on an indictment or a search warrant, anything found because of the indictment or warrant would not be used in court.\r\nIndustry has the same canonical problems that the Government would have. They rely on computers in almost every aspect of the pipeline. From robotic conference lines to employee payroll, all of diligence relies on the computer to run its day to day operation. The problem that both industry and Government have is that there was no contingency to the Y2K issue. two industry and Government have several backup systems. An example is that major banks will have the main inning computer in one location and a scorching backup in a totally different location. Take Nations aver. Nations Bank may have its primary central processor computer, for all its checking accounts, here in town.\r\nThere is a hot backup (a hot backup is a main frame computer that records the same exact information that the mainframe computer is recording, but it does not handle any transactions, just records the information) that is locate in a different part of the country, say Colorado. In this way, if a major hurricane were to devastate Tampa, the hot backup would come on line take over the responsibility of the mainframe. In this way, vital information would not be lost. This was all opinion out years before, but not Y2K. Y2K would impact both mainframes (the primary and the backup) and all the data would be corrupted.\r\nThe problem with littler line of work is that it relies on the computer to do many of its tasks that employees used to do. In humbled melodic line, raft were employed to handle payroll, marketing, affair management, files, record keeping, and profit/loss ledgers. These people were replaced with the advent of the computer. Now any meek business could operate without minimal employees. The office manager could now handle payroll, marketing , files, records, and ledgers indemnify on the computer. The computer became the key valet de chambre of equipment for the lessened business. Without the computer, downcast businesses could not encumbrance in operation.\r\nLook at a mild business that provides earshot armed service to the general public. Besides the payroll, this small business will keep all its customers accounts in a simple database. This database will be used to notify the business when the hearing aid needs servicing, additional hearing tests should be through, replacement batteries, and payment schedules. This is just the tip of the database. The database would also be used to send out flyers on new technology, discounts, and will serve as the business mailing lists. Without this computer, the small business would need to hire additional personnel and kick in to paper and pencil to operate.\r\nWhat can Government, Industry, and Small Business Do to Combat the Y2K Issues?\r\nFor both Government and Ind ustry, it will not be a problem to combat Y2K. There is work already being done to correct the problems. Both agencies, through consulting agencies and midland workings groups, have developed a series of plans to combat the Y2K issue. The standard surgical procedure is to first do an inventory and legal opinion on the agency. After the assessment is done, a renovation plan is developed to renovate the different systems.\r\nAfter renovation is completed, the system is placed into the governing body phase, where it is tested victimisation the different Y2K dates to ensure that no problems are encountered. After the testing is completed and the validation is verified, then the carrying out phase is started. The implementation phase is to implement the system into action, and begin watching the system during the actual hybridisation dates.\r\nThe salute to perform all of the plans and phases are high. On most major DOD systems, the cost ranges from $100 Thousand to over $5 Mill ion. For industry, their costs are some the same. It does not matter if the agency does it internally or hires consultants to perform the work. The costs are normally high. These costs are absent in industry and/or in the Government by the consumer and/or taxpayer. Industry will pass the costs to the consumer by increasing its price on the product. The Government will either increase taxes or modify the budget to get the necessary funds to ensure Y2K compliance.\r\nThe real problem lies with small business. The plans and phases that were developed by industry and Government must(prenominal) also be accomplished by small business. The problem is that small business does not have the notes to expend on the Y2K issue. Small businesses do not have the operating expense or capital to afford to test its systems and ensure that Y2K problems do not exist in its machine. Since most small businesses do not rely on consultants and do not have a computer expert on the payroll, then small b usinesses must rely on the software companies to ensure that the computer is Y2K compliant.\r\nSince they do not have the funds to try and put forward their systems Y2K compliant, then the small business must rely on Macintosh, Microsoft, and other large software companies to ensure that the software is compliant. This becomes a real issue for the small business. The major software companies have problems with ensuring that the software they are selling is Y2K compliant. An example is that Microsoft Windows 98 may be compliant, as far as the Y2K issue is concerned. But any other application software that is used with Windows 98 may not be compliant, devising the system non-compliant.\r\nMicrosoft can not be held responsible for other software packages reinforced by other software companies. In addition, most software companies will not support older versions of its software. An example is that Microsoft will not support Windows version 3.1. This is base on the availability of new er versions of Windows being available to the consumer. So where does this leave the small business? The small business is in a delicate situation.\r\nThe recommendation for small business is to work through the chamber of commerce and pool the resources that each small business has to get the support it needs. There is Federal and Local assistance available to help small business ensure that the Y2K issue is resolved prior to the actual dates. The real problem is that if the small business does not recognize that it has a problem, then it will not work to fix the Y2K issue in time. By combining their resources and working with the local chambers, a network of consultants could work together to fix the problem before the actual Y2K dates have come.\r\nThe only other option would be to spend the money to go through the same plans and phases that the Government and Industry goes through to fix the Y2K issue. This cost would be too high for small business.\r\nThe final option would be for the small business to cross his fingers and hope for the best. This would be the last option for the businessperson to work with.\r\n'