Gearing up for 2000
Vol. 17, No. 25March 26, 1998

Gearing up for 2000

As part of Information Technologies' continuing preparation to ensure that the University's computer operating systems and programs are compatible for the year 2000, the operating system on the IBM mainframe will be changed early next month from MVS/ESA to OS/390.

The University has been working with IBM for several years to prepare for the changes that must be made to UD's operating system before the year 2000.

After its installation, UD staff will continue to monitor the new system to ensure that it operates properly. As part of that effort, a testing system has been in place since early December. This "shadow" of the new operating system will be used to run application programs, using the year 2000 date and beyond, to ensure that the computers will function properly when the actual 2000 date arrives.

The upgrade of the operating system on the IBM on the dates listed below should be the final step in preparing the University's operating system for the year 2000.

However, University personnel will remain in continuous contact with IBM to keep abreast of the latest systems and programming changes to ensure that any new appropriate developments will be incorporated into the University's system.

MVS Upgrade Schedule

Over the weekend of April 4-5, the MVS-IBM mainframe operating system will be upgraded to OS/390, version 1, release 3, which will make the operating system year-2000-compliant.

That weekend, all MVS applications will be unavailable from 3 a.m., Saturday, April 4, through 6 a.m. Sunday, April 5. This includes EMC2 e-mail, Supernatural, SIS PLUS, EZFORMS and all UD-PHONE applications.

DELCAT and WEBDELCAT will be available beginning at 10 a.m., Sunday, April 5.

Output Queues

Users should be aware that all JES queues will be deleted during this upgrade. Users should move any output they want to save. Supernatural jobs that run overnight after April 2 should not be scheduled unless there is no need to view the job output.

Call the IT Help Center, at 831-6000, if you have any questions regarding the timing of the upgrade.