Information Systems and Technology (IST) is responsible for maintaining the ACS cluster, the university-wide Central Servers, Application Servers for Irix 6.X and Solaris 2.X, and UIS Central Administrative Systems software and computer equipment.

IST has gathered information on these web pages to help simplify the task for the person who normally maintains your computer systems. Each department, center, lab, or office not maintained by IST on a daily basis is responsible for its own software and computer equipment.

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The answer to this question depends upon the availability of skilled staff. IST will contract with a limited number of customers if it can perform extra work while maintaining core services. A reasonable hourly fee may be charged to offset outsourcing costs associated with maintaining minimum service levels.

Your chance of acquiring IST or other help is greatly increased by requesting assistance early. As January 1, 2000 approaches, the time IST staff and Year 2000 contractors will have to help you will become extremely scarce, resulting in very long service delays. Act as soon as possible by taking the First Steps to assess your Year 2000 problems. The sooner your department assesses its Year 2000 exposure, the sooner remediation can begin. In addition to IST help, Year 2000 Assessment/Remediation Services are available through many software and hardware vendors.

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Your department chair or business office will know who your regular support representative is and how to get in touch with them. The department chair is responsible for assigning a knowledgeable person the job of assessing your Year 2000 exposure or for contracting with a Year 2000 Assessment/Remediation Service, available through many software and hardware vendors.

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Each business unit (department, center, lab, or office) is responsible for keeping its equipment up-to-date. As you are figuring your new budget, take into consideration that new equipment or software may need to be purchased.

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The answer to this question rests with the grant funding source. Check with that organization. The National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health have defined your responsibility in separate notices:

• National Science Foundation (NSF) Notice.
• The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Notice Regarding the Year 2000 Computer Problem.

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Begin by familiarizing yourself with the First Steps section of this web site. You will find helpful information for taking an inventory and evaluating the technology in use at your location. Fill out the suggested inventory worksheet for each system. Check the Software and Hardware tables for compliance status and remediation information. If commericial software or hardware you use is not listed in the tables, contact the manufacturer. Custom Applications need special attention. For PCs, determine BIOS revision through use of Diagnostic Tools. If necessary, arrange for an upgrade with an authorized service agent.

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Get a statement from your vendor certifying that the equipment and software purchased from them is Year 2000 compliant. You may also check the hardware and software tables found in these web pages for Year 2000 compliance information.

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Determine which applications are most commonly used and essential to your operation. This may involve conversations with other people who use your machine as well as looking for batch or automated processes. We have developed an Inventory Worksheet to help you get started. Carefully read the Planning for Action section of these web pages.

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One of the tools we have tried on a wide variety of machines may help. See the Diagnostic Tools section of our web pages.

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The answer to this question is not as simple as it seems. For a more complete answer see the Custom Applications section on our web site.

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Investigate programs from other vendors and plan as early as possible to migrate to new Year 2000 compliant software.

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Check the many web sites with Year 2000 information. A number are listed under Other Y2K Web Sites. Also, contact software vendors and hardware manufacturers.

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