New software will help UA keep abreast of Y2K bug

Jennifer Etsitty Arizona Summer Wildcat Paul Christian, an administrator on the University of Arizona's Year 2000 management team, is responsible for maintaining the Y2K home page.

Gov. Jane Hull took steps July 13 to ensure year-2000 compliance for state computer systems, endorsing the same software the UA will purchase to help kill the millennium bug on campus.

Hull announced the state signed a license agreement with Viasoft Inc., of Phoenix, to purchase the company's OnMark 2000 ASSESS software, which helps convert desktop computers. Paul Christian, an administrator on UA's Year 2000 management team, said the University of Arizona will be making the software available on campus.

"We will be arranging to obtain a site license for any department that wishes to purchase the program," Christian said last week.

The year-2000 problem exists worldwide because the year was listed with two digits instead of four digits in older computer systems and software programs. This oversight will cause computations and data fields within the programs to miscalculate after Dec. 31, 1999, because the computers cannot accept 00 as a year.

The UA's Year 2000 management team is trying to stave off conversion problems by reprogramming the main computer system and educating employees that run smaller computer systems.

"The Viasoft product will allow employees at individual work stations to check whether the hardware and software in their machine is year-2000 compliant," Christian said.

Christian said he was confident the three systems overseen by the Center for Computing and Information Technology would be to speed in time.

"It's not just a mainframe problem," Christian said. "The Financial Records System, the Student Information System and the Personal Services Operating System are all well on their way, but the other systems on campus need to comply as well."

He added, "The National Science Foundation is now requiring that projects they fund must be year-2000 compliant to continue receiving grants."

Although CCIT is not responsible for the UA's smaller computer systems, Christian said a team is working to advise system administrators.

Kelley Bogart, who heads a CCIT outreach team, said Residence Life, Parking and Transportation, the Cancer Center and University Medical Center each have a computer system that needs to be modified.

"Their analysts are responsible for compliance," Bogart said, "but we will provide information on things they need to think about."