In this short series we are looking at how to make sure your OS/2 system functions properly after 1 January 2000. Last time we looked the reason for the Y2K crisis and IBM's contribution toward the solution for OS/2 users. In this article we'll complete that subject, and look at a few of the available tools for testing your system, including its hardware.

2. Y2K Ready with Fixpaks (continued)

1. IBM Peer

   The Fixpaks for IBM Peer, OS/2 Lan Requester, and UPM are also not included in the regular Fixpaks. The following table contains the location of the Fixpaks for those features if you are using them.

   Peer FixPak Location

   Description	OS/2 Warp Connect	OS/2 Warp 4
   Peer FixPak	IP08196	IP08402

3. Not Ready

It is important to realize that some other IBM OS/2 products will simply be not made Y2K compatible, and thus have been, or soon will become, not supported. Most significant of these is OS/2 2.11 and earlier, which will be dropped from support on 30 June, 1999. As noted earlier the Internet Access Kit released with Warp 3 will also not be make Y2K compatible. To get a complete report of the Year-2000 readiness of each IBM component in your system, go to the IBM Year 2000 Product Readiness database and click on Generate a Software Report.

Dealing with all the steps you can take for the non-IBM components of your system is beyond the scope this article. However, in general your best line of inquiry and action lies in contacting the manufacturer, or possibly the vendor, of the product. Exceptions in the case of Netscape Navigator products and Lotus products have been noted earlier.

C. Testing

1. PC Year 2000 Evaluation Tool by IBM

2. This a free tool that thoroughly checks your computer's real-time clock to make sure it handles year-end, century-end, and leap-year problems in the year 2000 correctly.
   1. This tool does not, however, check any software for year 2000 compatibility.

   2. Check2K-BIOS by BlueSky Innovations LLC
      1. This a free tool that makes a number of tests on computer's ability to correctly recognize and manipulate the Year 2000.

      2. This tool does not check any software for Year 2000 compatibility.

D.  Aggressive

Some programs actively change or aggressively monitor your computer's Y2K status while your computer is operational. Unless you have a very high level of confidence in the manufacturer and the product, you may simply be adding another source of possible trouble.

Nevertheless, I have listed two such available products below:

1. Year 2000 Device Driver by IBM.
   1. Versions of this product are available for OS/2 and nearly all versions of Microsoft Windows.
      1. It works by updating (if necessary) the century byte of the RTC when the system is restarted after the year 2000.

      2. The operating system must also be made Y2K compatible.

   2. Y2000 Pro by BlueSky Innovations LLC
      1. This is a commercial product that deals only with hardware clock (i.e. BIOS) problems.

      2. Normally sold on a disk which modifies Master Boot Record of your hard drive and so is OS independent.

      3. Available also as an EPROM and a ISA board for diskless systems and networks.

      Note: none of these products deal with non-Y2K compliant software applications. Making sure your hardware and your OS are Y2K compliant is a start, but they are not the whole story. Any program, such as a wordprocessor that manipulates a date (e.g. in creating or searching for files) is prone to committing a Y2K error. Patient and thorough checking of your own computers is ultimately the only final answer.

For Further Reading:

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) About the Y2K Problem  © Copyright 1998 Doug White

Lotus and the Year 2000 Copyright Lotus Development Corporation 

What is the Year 2000 Problem? Copyright BlueSky Innovations LLC