I am responsible for Y2K Awareness, Planning, Testing, Remediation and Contingency Planning for a 150+ employee corporation.

Now that we're finished collecting all of our Y2K compliance letters from our vendors and have a good idea of what our exposures are, I've been asked to create a schedule of testing to prove all the supposed compliance. We want to test our hubs, switches, servers, alarm, computers, etc. and are eager to look at how other companies schedule and perform the testing. Can you point us in the right direction? Where can I look on the Web to find examples of how others have done their testing without long-term disruption to their normal network and system operations?

-- Lisa Abramowitz (leebie@erols.com), March 31, 1999

Answers

Are you for real or just having some fun with us?

It's like......DUH......April tomorrow.

To do it properly you're going to need to set up some type of parallel system to test. You can't take down your normal network and system to test it.

Unless you already have a team of Y2K specialists that know specifically what to look for on all the different levels and they are already way ahead of the game, you're probably in serious trouble.

My suggestion would be to get the best consultants you can immediately.......if it's not already too late to find anyone.

What are you going to do if you find that you need components that are impossible to get? Or you have no time left to test your systems?

-- Craig (craig@ccinet.ab.ca), March 31, 1999.

Lisa,

This board is not for that type of advice. You'll probably get a bunch of messages telling you that you're doomed.

Try these:

www.y2ktoday.com

www.year2000.com

Since you're using Erol's you may be close to these guys:

www.DavisLogic.com

www.consult2000.com

I agree with Craig. You're gonna need some help.

-- get help (just@somebody.somewhere), March 31, 1999.

Lisa,

Not to be rude, but lotsa luck. Unless you company undertakes projects by developing tests plans and then uses the test plans to spec out the projects I'll suggest that your firm has neither the depth not the will to do the testing you suggest. In fact most shops (with exception of the likes of NASA) do a horrible job of testing. They just don't have the discipline; they are more willing to spend money tracking down and correcting problems than to eliminate the source. (The places I've worked are guilty.)

The network people I've worked with (my personal experience not necessarily true across the board) tended to arrogant,insecure, and paranoid as hell. They never make mistakes (althought its amazing how problems magically resolve when in despair you send a problem up the chain.) They wouldn't give straight answers even before y2k. If by some fluke this is your situation, you may have legit concerns.

So eventhough I loath them, do you know how to spell consultant? Do you know how to spell big bucks?

Good Luck

-- NotThis Time (beenthere@done.that), March 31, 1999.

Lisa,

Not to be rude, either. But if you don't already know how to do this, why were you assigned this job?

You're not going to get an answer from around here - there is no standard answer. I suggest you hire a Y2K and/or Testing consultant. That's your only chance.

Jolly does testing.

-- Jollyprez (jolly@prez.com), March 31, 1999.

Please get hold of me off line with more details. Don't know enough to comment.

-- Robert A Cook, PE (Kennesaw, GA) (Cook.R@csaatl.com), April 01, 1999.