Third in a four-part series.
Pay special attention to your remote access gear as you prepare for 2000, because this equipment could become your company's lifeline.
Some corporations envision a worst-case scenario in which their networks work fine next year, but transportation and public safety computer networks go haywire and prevent employees from getting to work. In such a case, employees would have to work from home, making remote access vital.
Even if you don't buy into this doomsday view, you'll probably still be increasingly dependent on your remote access network in years to come.
While your remote access hardware will likely keep on ticking at the turn of the century, the software for these devices could cause problems if not upgraded for Y2K compliance - this according to our survey of Y2K service vendor Infoliant's online hardware and software compliance-tracking database.
Potential remote access problems all stem from the Y2K compliance issue, in which devices display years as two digits instead of four. So when 2000 rolls around, the data these devices share with others as well as with software programs could be misinterpreted.
Such misinterpretations could invalidate systems for tracking and charging back remote access users. Also, end users whose access to corporate network resources is defined by time of day or day of the week may have trouble logging on to the network as a result of misunderstood data.
The good news is that if you have been keeping up with the software upgrades issued by your vendors, you probably already have compliant software. But you still should search vendors' Web sites for compliance information.
The bad news is that some vendors have deemed certain products too old to fix. Even though these boxes have been doing their jobs for years, you will have to buy replacements or new parts in order to assure Y2K compliance.
Cabletron, for instance, says its CSX-7010 and 7011 remote access chassis may need processor exchanges or BIOS software upgrades to bring them into compliance. Those boxes 3 years old or older are the ones you'll need to upgrade, the company says.
3Com's Total Control Remote Access Concentrator, the company's major central site remote access switch, is fully compliant. But other 3Com remote access products require upgrades.
3Com's NetServer remote access servers, for example, are fine as long as you don't try to manage them using SNMP. Because of discrepancies in the way the boxes and SNMP software tools display post-2000 dates, the products will have trouble understanding each other. 3Com claims most users don't use SNMP to manage its boxes, but the company says it will replace SNMP users' boxes with Y2K-compliant SuperStack II Remote Access Servers free of charge.
Additionally, 3Com's Ac-cess Builder 2000 and 4000 need hardware up-grades to be compliant. The company recommends that customers upgrade to the SuperStack RAS 1500.
Ascend suggests a software upgrade for its Pipeline 220 ISDN dial-up routers, even though the company says the routers should have no trouble connecting to central site servers. However, once connections are made, the routers could have trouble dealing with Remote Authentication Dial-In User Service servers used to authorize and authenticate users. Pipeline 400s are similarly noncompliant; Ascend recommends replacing them with newer models.
Ascend lists its Multiband MAX access switch as noncompliant because the device uses just two digits to display the year. But the company says the box does not use that date to calculate or process data, so performance will not be negatively affected.
Another remote access product, Shiva's Access Manager NT, stores date information as two digits. Potential problems resulting from the misinterpretation of time-related information include the following: dial-in authorization software might allow an unauthorized user to dial in during restricted times; accounting information used to bill departments for their remote access use might be corrupted; and user accounts scheduled to expire this year could be reactivated and allowed to stay active until 2099.
The fix? Upgrade to Shiva Access Manager NT 4.0.
Having the correct software version installed is also important for Cisco remote access gear. Cisco's AS 5200 remote access server and 1600 access router must be running the firm's IOS 11.1 operating system or a later version to comply with Y2K. The company's AS 5200 must run IOS 11.2 or later. Cisco 700 ISDN routers, on the other hand, are compliant even when using Version 4.02 of IOS.
Some Nbase/Xyplex noncompliant terminal servers also will not be upgraded. They are the 1100/1120, 1500/1520, 1600/1620 and 1800/1820 series. The company recommends going to the MAXServer eight- or 20-port server and offers a 25% discount to customers who need to trade in their old gear.
Most remote access vendors have already designed ways to get around Y2K problems - or they've decided the only way out is to buy new equipment. Check with your vendors to find out what steps to take.
Next week: Y2K issues for switches and routers.
