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The procedures that Cal State Long Beach computer system managers are using to prepare campus systems for the year 2000 are being considered a model for other CSU campuses, Chancellor's Office assistant director of planning and analysis Glen Ducet said.
"Because of the large size of the campus and the diversity of systems housed here, it is the ideal environment to learn what needs to be done," Ducet said. "Progress can be monitored. Lessons learned and information gained can be coordinated and shared."
Modifications are needed because many computer functions are date-dependent. Most basic input-output systems recognize only the last two digits of a date, making a '2000' entry ambiguous, assistant director of Administrative Computing Services Michael Markoski said..
In 1996, the Information Technology Service Office began modifications when the problem, known as Y2K, was recognized. The analysis of various software programs and the making of necessary changes became part of the ongoing development and maintenance process, making special project funding unnecessary, Markoski said.
Academic Computing Services oversees computer systems within each department. Individual departments are handling the modification of desktop personal computers and the accompanying programs, Markoski said.
Two basic solutions are being applied to update software systems. The most commonly used solution is to change the input-output system to store the date using eight bytes, rather than six bytes that older software programs utilize. This enables the entry of the first two digits of the year, Markoski explained.
The second solution is the usage of a technique called windowing. Every time a date is used in a calculation, computer logic determines whether it should assume the first two digits are 19 or 20. A 50-year windowing approach would work this way: If the year is from 00 to 49, the software would assume it is the next century. If it is from 50 to 99, it will assume a 19 goes in front, Markoski explained.
Another aspect of the Y2K problem is the date function within a microchip. Chips hidden within campus facility systems, such as heating and air conditioning, may make the systems vulnerable to failure, Markoski said.
An independent contractor was hired and recently began to analyze and inventory campus facility systems to determine if modifications are necessary, Ducat said.
Intel began manufacturing microchips that are 2000 compliant in 1996. Microchips that do not comply to the year 2000 will need to be replaced, Markoski said.