Department of Defense (DoD) December 1999 Y2K Schedule

Department of Defense
December 1999 Y2K Schedule

Department of Defense Year 2000 Oversight and Contingency Planning Office
Y2K Tech Conf Briefings June 99

Y2K December Planning Calendar

Wednesday, December 1, 1999

The Defense Science Board Predicts a Possibility of Increased Hacker Attacks Masquerading as Y2K Bugs
Review network security features to identify possible avenues of intrusion
Review system security procedures to detect/limit possible damage

Thursday, December 2, 1999

Recovery Depends Upon an Accurate Backup
Check to see that files can actually be recovered from backup media
Verify transactions are kept so that, once applied to the backups, the system can be restored

Friday, December 3, 1999

Simulate a Power Failure on Non-Production Equipment
Make sure the Operating System performs an orderly shut down on the system
Repair or replace UPS as necessary

Monday, December 6, 1999

Review Written Plan for Bringing Systems Back On-line After Power is Restored
Verify proper prioritization of component power-up
Ensure procedures are in place to prevent corruption of data from files open at time of power failure

Tuesday, December 7, 1999

Review CM Files to Make Sure the System was Unchanged Since Y2K Certification
If the configuration has changed, check to make sure adequate regression testing was performed
Perform additional tests as needed

Wednesday, December 8, 1999

Create a List of Personnel to be Contacted in the Event of a Y2K Failure
Separate lists for hardware and software failures
Post lists in system/network control
Instruct system operators in recall procedures

Thursday, December 9, 1999

Y2K Failures May Impact Ability to Communicate Between Network Nodes
Failure may affect internal comm system or external (public switched) system
Ensure contingency plan has adequate redundancy to provide for communication between network control stations

Friday, December 10, 1999

Provide a Means to Return a System to Production After a Y2K Failure
Place additional software maintenance contractors on retainer
Identify CASE tools to assist in repair
Ensure adequate physical resources are available to support repair

Monday, December 13, 1999

Know Beforehand of Possible Consequences and Plan Accordingly
Research dependencies so that impact of system failure can be minimized
Will enable system owner to make timely recommendations to interface partners and end users

Tuesday, December 14, 1999

Choose a Setback Date and Test the System with that Setback Date
Check to make sure the encapsulation is complete and no setback dates are transmitted to interface partners
Plan for data conversion to recover from use of a setback date

Wednesday, December 15, 1999

Place Filters on Incoming Data to Prevent Corruption of Local Files in the Event Bad Data is Transmitted to You
Y2K errors in upstream data may not be recognized until local files are badly damaged
Plan for backup of data

Thursday, December 16, 1999

Virus Authors Frequently Select "Popular" Dates to Trigger Virus Payloads
New Year and Leap Year dates are likely to be targeted
Anti-virus software providers may not identify and release fixes until the last minute

Friday, December 17, 1999

Certain IP Protocols are Known to be Used by Hackers to Gain Access to Systems
If the protocols are not needed, adjust firewalls to reject those protocols
Limit field of potential errors to help identify Y2K problems

Monday, December 20, 1999

Ensure Help Desks are Adequately Staffed and Trained to Handle Reports of Potential Y2K Bugs
Verify trouble ticket system is in active use and captures enough data to effect repair
Effort must extend past Jan. 1, as some errors make take time to manifest

Tuesday, December 21, 1999

Drill System Operators and Repair Crews in Conducting Operations with Non-Standard Communication Paths
Exercise plan previously constructed
Incorporate changes based on lessons learned from drill

Wednesday, December 22, 1999

Test, or Where Possible, Hold an Actual Drill on the System Contingency Plan
Mark up Contingency Plan as needed
Conduct a formal debrief to assess success
Procedures will be fresh in everyone’s mind

Thursday, December 23, 1999

Based on Drills and Tests, Determine Who Should be Called in the Event of a Y2K Failure
Includes both users of system and interfacing system
Add any new "Y2K Coordination Centers" in call sheet

Friday, December 24, 1999

Limit the Exposure of Mission Critical Systems to Outside Interference
Reduce possible avenues of network attack
Restrict sources of data with Y2K errors
Applies only to Internet. Do not sever network connectivity on DoD networks

Monday, December 27, 1999

UPS Operation is Often Taken for Granted
Physically inspect UPS battery state to verify system readiness

Tuesday, December 28, 1999

Perform a "Wall-to-Wall" Backup of the System to Enable Restoration in Case of Failure
Carefully review progress of backup to make sure any adjustments to backup procedures determined earlier are followed

Wednesday, December 29, 1999

Make Sure All Error Logging/Data Capture Features of the System are Enabled
Assist in rapid identification of potential problem
Help repair crews locate source of Y2K error

Thursday, December 30, 1999

Make Sure That New Transactions Against the Backed Up System are Being Captured
Repeat system backup if there is any doubt that the system can be recovered
Review overall system operation in terms of Y2K readiness

Friday, December 31, 1999

Enjoy a job well done