First Steps to Y2K: Canned Software Solutions

Last time we looked at hardware solutions for Y2K. This time, we start with the more complicated issue of software. We make life easy at the beginning by going with one of the new Y2K checking software packages. Several companies have released software that will scan either a single computer or a whole network, looking for Y2K-problematic software. The scanning package then generates a report showing you what you need to be concerned about, and which software is OK. This type of scan makes an excellent first pass at verifying your system for Y2K.

The compliance package I've been using for a few customers and myself is from WRQ, maker of the excellent Reflection-X software that allows Windows machines to access UNIX servers. WRQ Express 2000 is a talented package that scans both software and hardware for Y2K compliance. The way it does this is systematic. WRQ Express 2000 checks a PC's BIOS to make sure it can roll over, then checks to make sure the BIOS knows 2000 is a leap year (remember those silly rules we talked about in the first column of this series?). 

After checking the BIOS, WRQ Express 2000 checks the hard disks for all applications (those with .EXE, .COM, and .DLL extensions) for Y2K compliance. WRQ Express 2000 then generates a report for each PC showing the results of the scan. If the WRQ Express 2000 software is used in conjunction with another WRQ product called Express Meter (which controls access to software across a network based on access rights and license validations), Y2K-problematic software can be locked out automatically.

WRQ Express 2000 and many of the other packages available that do the same tasks don't fix the Y2K problems at all. Instead, they do a very important task: they let you know which software and hardware is safe and which you have to worry about. Knowing something is Y2K compliant for sure is a lot better than hoping and guessing. For those customers who have to report to their management about such issues, summary reports showing compliance can be a god-send (not to mention job security). 

Of course, you don't need to use a package like WRQ Express 2000 to accumulate this information. You could do it by verifying with the software and hardware manufacturer. That's time-consuming and there's always the chance that you'll miss something, so it's far more economical in the long run to run automated software routines. They don't cost too much and more than pay for themselves with peace of mind. 

Also bear in mind that software like WRQ Express 2000 can't check custom applications. They work by having a list of compliant and non-compliant software in the checking routine itself, which it compares to whatever software is found on the PC. If you or your clients have custom software, then the only way to verify Y2K compliance is to test it. We'll deal with this issue in the next installment of this series.

So, you have a list of the non-compliant software generated by one of these checking packages. Now what? The best solution, obviously, is to upgrade to Y2K compliant versions. Since you're going to get this list early in 1999, that leaves lots of time to budget for upgrade purchases and installation. (You are going to do this soon, aren't you?) For those packages that can't be upgraded either because there is no upgrade or the cost is prohibitive, alternatives must be developed. Can the package be replaced with something else? Will the Y2K roll-over cause problems with the non-compliant software? Testing is the only way to find out this sort of answer.

By the way, WRQ Express 2000 is PC-based for Windows networks. There is similar software from different vendors for practically every platform you can think of, from UNIX to mainframes. For example, Global Software Inc's Giles 2001 checks OS/390 MVS systems. Giles 2001 includes checks of things like CICS transactions, JCL, and some custom applications based on the way data is moved around the system. 

One last recommendation before leaving this column. Invest in decent project planning software. If you are doing Y2K checks for yourself or your client, or helping the client set up their own testing system, project planning software can help lay out the tasks that have to be done, when they have to be completed, and any effects of slippage on the whole compliance problem. You don't need super-fancy project software, just one of the lower-end packages such as Microsoft Project, Primavera Project Planner, or On-Target from TimeLine Solutions. These let you lay the entire compliance process out and see, at a glance, how you are doing. The time invested in the planner software will be repaid on all but the smallest problem tasks many-fold, and make you look a heck of a lot better organized, too.