|
IBM Year 2000 |
The Year 2000 Final Stretch -- IBM Information, Tools, and Offerings IBM has many services and tools to help customers during the final stretch of preparation for Year 2000. IBM's offerings help in assessment; hardware, system software, and middleware remediation; application remediation; application replacement; and testing and verification. IBM has updated the Y2K package for TCP/IP 4.0, it is now dated at Feb. 8, 1999 at: ftp.software.ibm.com dir: /ps/products/tcpip/fixes/v4.0os2/year2000/
Many customers tell us they are making excellent progress toward Year 2000 readiness. In addition, you've told us you appreciate our Year 2000 help. IBM currently offers information and tools on its Internet site to help customers assess and then address the Year 2000 status of their products. Usage of our Technical Support Centers, our Product Readiness Database, our help on Year 2000 testing and the road map to PC readiness is high and growing. Many of you have decided to convert or upgrade current hardware and software. Others have decided to replace old products with our Year 2000 ready offerings. However, facing a fast approaching deadline, some of you indicate you still need assistance in very specific areas. This announcement focuses on help available for the "final stretch" of preparation for Year 2000 on some of the areas customers have identified as important needs.
Some customers may search for complete, packaged Year 2000 ready offerings that are installable with minimal tailoring. These customers will benefit from attractive financing to stretch their budgets as they acquire new solutions.
Customers have much activity scheduled for early in 1999. Some are still assessing the Year 2000 readiness of their current systems. These customers are requesting services and tools to help assess the readiness of their current PC hardware, system software, networks and applications. In some cases, customers may decide to replace some of their equipment. These customers are also asking us for information about trade-in programs to ease the financial burden of the effort. Network Stations may also provide attractive replacement options for those looking for more centralized management of desktops.
Customers experiencing lengthening remediation cycles, lack of staff and short time may want to consider expanded IBM Global Services Factory Options offering extra capacity and trained personnel. Our Factory Options have been tailored for accessibility and speed of response to customers who are running out of time. While Global Services is very busy, it is far from sold out, offering services for small and medium businesses as well as large customers.
Customers moving further into the steps of Year 2000 readiness, are realizing the importance and complexities of a complete system test. The new S/390 Generation 5 and our services offerings help customers add testing capacity in-house or at our conversion centers, without disruption or long planning cycles.
Finishing on schedule is becoming a challenge for some customers, as "new" code from replacement activities, newly discovered applications and internal project schedule misses impact the testing plan. In addition, customers are finding they need to validate the continued readiness of earlier remediation and testing efforts. New offerings from Global Services will be available to address these late stage aspects of Year 2000.
Customers have spoken. We've listened and are trying to help customers to a successful "final stretch" to Year 2000 by providing the information, tools and offerings described in this fact sheet and on our web site.
The hardware and software offerings described in this fact sheet are "Year 2000 ready." A product is Year 2000 ready if the product, when used in accordance with its associated documentation, is capable of correctly processing, providing and/or receiving date data within and between the 20th and 21st centuries, provided all other products (for example, software, hardware and firmware) used with the product properly exchange accurate date data with it.
For PC products, the following general principles apply:
Currently offered new IBM personal computer hardware has been designed to process four-digit date information correctly within and between the 20th and 21st centuries, if it is used in accordance with its associated documentation, and provided all other products (for example, hardware, software and firmware) used with the product properly exchange date data with it.
Device drivers, Flash BIOS, instructions for manual reset and other tools are available from IBM, at no additional charge, to help you prepare earlier models for Year 2000.
IBM personal computers cannot prevent errors that might occur if software the PC exchanges data with is not ready for the Year 2000. IBM cannot take responsibility for the readiness of non-IBM software and other products, even if those software and other products are preinstalled or otherwise provided by IBM. Customers should contact the software developers directly if they wish to verify readiness, understand limitations and/or look for software updates.
If an IBM computer is on when the century changes, the customer should turn it off and then back on again once, or restart the operating system, to ensure that the internal clock resets itself for the new century.
Price/performance improvements, attractive financing and a trade-in program make it easy for customers to buy new IBM equipment. Also, some customers may decide to buy new equipment as part of their Year 2000 preparations. If a customer wants to buy new equipment, for any reason, the offerings described in this document are designed to help them choose IBM products.
CONTACT IBM YEAR 2000
http://www.ibm.com/year2000/mkt/final/facts.html
@Macarlo,
Inc.
@Macarlo's Shareware & Web
OS/2
Java
Lobby Member
Java Site Accredited