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Y2K and...

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The Question is:

 
All knowing Wizard,
 
Question:
Availability of language specific utils to test VMS date/time system
services and library routines?
 
I've been asked to test and document the language specific date/time
functions and proper calls/returns fro the various system services.  I'm not
a programmer but I can do this if I must.
I'll probably just write my own (C v5.7, Cxx v6.1, Fortran v7.1) but I've
been looking for util(s) with source that will test all the VMS date and
time functions; both system services and library routines.
I've looked around but can't find one.  Yes, I can piece together snippets
from the programming examples but I would think with all the Y2K fever out
there somebody has done this already.
Do you know of any available sources for this?
If there aren't any I'll probably just write one and post it for everyone
else to use.
 
Regards,
 
Ron Hesse
Systems Engineer - VMS Team
FactSet Research Systems Inc.
 
 


The Answer is :

 
  A cursory Y2K test is trivial.  See the OpenVMS Freeware for various
  source-code examples of calling time-related system services.
 
  A complete Y2K test is a major undertaking.
 
  Without intending offense, you clearly do not understand the number
  of different places throughout OpenVMS that accept, manipulate, or
  return time values.  The Y2K review located many such areas, ranging
  from the obvious sys$actim system service to more obscure references
  such as the time fields within various data structures used with the
  sys$qio calls to the file system XQP to the contents of the RMS XABDAT
  data structure and the WFIKPCH device driver routines.
 
  The complete OpenVMS regression test suite occupies roughly 9,238
  files and 1,523,979 blocks, requires several weeks and a very large
  and specialized hardware configuration to complete, and is evaluated
  by skilled engineers very familiar with the operation of the test
  suite and associated environment.
 
  The Y2K testing performed here in OpenVMS included the use of the
  regression test suite and code reviews of the operating system,
  among other activities.
 
  For the recommended Y2K testing procedures, please see the Y2K
  website referenced in the Ask The Wizard page and in the OpenVMS
  FAQ.  Skipping steps in the Y2K testing procedure -- such as
  skipping the system reboots or the disk backup operations -- is
  strongly discouraged.

answer written or last revised on ( 25-MAR-1999 )

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