STL Time Machine Report #41 - Monday 22 March 1999 (1999-03-22)

Testing is continuing until early April.  That's when we turn it
back over to development for retesting of our applications with
the final non-Y2k enhancements for 1999.  

UPGRADES

Various upgrades are continuing.  We completed our final upgrade
from MVS/ESA 5.2.2 to OS/390 2.5 in our primary data center a week
ago.  The third-party database is still bothering us.  The LE/MVS
runtime compatible version had to be backed out due to poor
performance in certain batch jobs.  The vendor has a fix, we will
test it, and probably go again in another couple of weeks or so.

There's still a few CICS regions to be converted from COBOL II
runtime libraries to LE/MVS.  This has been delayed because in
some cases it depends on the LE/MVS status of the third-party
database.  The final network CPU upgrades are due in July.
After that, we go into lockdown mode.  There's nothing left to
do but test and continue with contingency planning.

There's also tons of projects being put off into 2000.  We'll
be working on them in the last half of 1999, unless we get
some interruptions.

SIGNS

Recently I noticed a thread on bit.listserv.ibm-main about
windowing versus expansion.  This subject was discussed to death
here in c.s.y2k two years ago, but the same arguments came up.
For some people nothing short of full expansion will ever be an
acceptable solution.  They talked about fixed window and sliding
window, about 24X7 systems that can't be taken down to expand
the files.

I talked with a friend recently who does Unix consulting at a...
um...large defense manufacturer in the area.  He doesn't take
Y2k very seriously, but says they rev'ved all their Unix apps
and the OS, and suddenly they were running out of gas.  They
had to start some unexpected hardware upgrades, more memory,
faster CPU's.  He chuckled about it, but told me he knows a
PHM who is stockpiling three months worth of food.

I know someone in the oil refining business.  The only problem
he's worried about is that he doesn't expect to get paid on time.

I expect to be pretty busy for the next two or three months, with
both Y2k work and non-Y2k work.  We will be in full contingency 
mode for 1999-07-05, which was a date that one of our applications 
would have experienced problems without a Y2k fix.  That means 
geeks on site, analyzing files, watching for abends and corrupted 
data.

As of 1999-03-22, my countdown now reads:

 18 days until 1999-04-09 (IBM Julian date 99-099)
105 days until 1999-07-05 (First Fail date)
171 days until 1999-09-09 (9/9/99)
285 days until 2000-01-01 (Rollover)

Previous Year 2000 Time Machine Reports are available at:
http://home.att.net/~arnold.trembley/tmr.htm

STANDARD DISCLAIMER:  I am NOT an official corporate spokesperson.
My opinions should not be held against my benevolent employer.

--
Arnold Trembley
http://home.att.net/~arnold.trembley/
"Y2K?  Because Centuries Happen!"