ill take our systems back to the year 1900 instead of taking the systems forward toward the year 2000. If corrective steps are not taken, this can become a major problem for systems running data analysis, and transaction processing systems such as medical, financial, and banking system. For instance, many applications rely on the system date for accurate processing. In addition, many Network Operating Systems and workgroup applications base many automated network functions on the server system date.Problem in DetailMost of the attention of this Y2K crisis has centered on the significant problem of identifying and updating business software applications to handle the century rollover. Another aspect of the problem, however, has received less attention. Most of the personal computers (PCs) in operation today will be unable to advance their hardware-based system dates to the year 2000 without intervention through the system BIOS. It is most likely to happen to PCs that are powered off at the time of the century rollover, and then powered up on January 1, 2000 or after. Unlike the larger software applications problem, the system date problem is quite easily remedied. The ramifications of not fixing it, however, can be major. For instance, many applications rely on the system date for accurate processing. Additionally, network operating systems (NOSs) and workgroup applications base many automated network functions on the server system date.Most PCs maintain two system datesone in the CMOS real-time clock (RTC), a chip located on the system board that maintains the date and time even when the system is powered off, and one in the operating system (OS) software. The RTC system date can be set and retrieved using BIOS calls. When the OS is booted, it normally initializes the current date from the RTC through BIOS call. Once initialized, the OS maintains the system date as long as the system is powered on. Conversely, under certain...
