With calendar year 2000 just months away, owners of older computers are scrambling to correct a defect born of a time when electronic storage and retrieval capacity was limited and expensive. Some fear the Y2K "bug" will bite hard, resetting internal clocks to the year 1900 and stopping essential systems dead in their tracks.

To prevent millennium fever from erupting into computer-code-scrambling delirium, Jefferson Lab has established an in-house task force to describe and prevent potential threats. Fortunately, says Year 2000 Committee chair Sandy Philpott, Y2K risk to Lab systems appears relatively minor and manageable.

"The problem exists. We're taking it seriously," Philpott says. "At this point we've uncovered no catastrophic problem. And we have 11 months to keep digging."

The Laboratory benefits from its relatively young age and abundance of modernized equipment. Although some personal computers are five or more years old, most of JLab's major systems are constantly monitored and upgraded. In its Y2K evaluation, the Committee has paid particular attention to critical systems, such as those pertaining to accelerator controls and operations, data acquisition, plant engineering, business services and human resources. Software that drives the operation of telephones, elevators and environmental controls has also been examined for compliance with accepted standards.

Often, Philpott explains, software vendors have taken the Y2K initiative. Despite mergers, acquisitions and the occasional bankruptcy, companies see to it that their customers are provided with corrected code as needed. "We apply patches the vendors send us," Philpott says. "All the big players know that if they are going to stay in business they have to provide software that works."

The committee has reached out to every Lab group, urging that all responsible parties investigate their specific operation for computing system and software compliance. Site-specific understanding and investigation of potential difficulties should help to ensure that as many systems as possible are considered when evaluating Y2K readiness.

"We're asking each group to look at their own area," Philpott says. "There's no way for the Computer Center to know exactly what everybody has. We'd like everyone to be aware of what's critical to their operation and take steps accordingly."

The Committee sends regular updates to the Department of Energy site office to chronicle the Lab's progress. As of late November, more than 600 machines and systems on site had been assessed. Of those, nearly 60 percent were deemed to be in full compliance with Y2K standards of robustness and redundancy.

"It's an ongoing issue," she says. "The wheels are turning. All through 1999 we¹ll be revisiting it." Anyone needing Y2K assistance or more information can send e-mail to y2k@jlab.org or contact Philpott directly.

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