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United States Sees Little Y2K Impact

It's smooth sailing so far, but Monday will be the next big test.

By Patrick Thibodeau, Computerworld   

Attention now turns to the start of the work week, Monday, when systems are put back into full use.

"If we get through Monday and Tuesday as well as we have gotten through this weekend, then I think that we will feel very comfortable," said White House Y2K coordinator John Koskinen on Saturday.

There were no reports today of any failures of critical infrastructure systems in the United States. But some "minor" problems were reported in rail systems and nuclear power plants, federal officials said.

Scaling Back

Some companies were already scaling back, or dismantling, their Y2K monitoring efforts.

Home Federal Bank of Tennessee, for example, had six information technology workers in its computer room at midnight and then brought in 70 employees early this morning to check ATMs and to make sure the systems at its 20 branches would be ready for business on Monday. But its Y2K command center had already been dismantled by early afternoon, said Dennis Reedy, vice president of information systems at the Knoxville-based bank.

Koskinen and other federal officials working at the White House's special Y2K center were clearly in good spirits, despite a lack of sleep. However, they warned that unaddressed flaws in critical systems could accumulate and gradually harm key services, especially in developing nations.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission reported that five nuclear power plants suffered Y2K problems in systems used for support functions, not power generation, and that the glitches were corrected almost immediately, Koskinen said.

Amtrak, the nation's passenger rail service, experienced a problem at a control center when a system wouldn't retain train symbols as the train progressed along its route. However, the symbols were inserted manually and the date was reset, Koskinen said.

But these glitches aside, the atmosphere at the White House's Y2K command center and others like it was generally relaxed on the first day of the new year.

In Connecticut, state chief information officer Rock Regan was on the lookout for problems all day and night, catching only a few hours sleep in his office. But nothing happened.

"I don't think I watched so much TV in all my life," Regan said.

Internet, Phones Hold Up

Groups monitoring Internet performance reported good availability and response times at most sites. Keynote Systems, which measures Web site performance, said Net activity spiked around the century rollover, but page-download delays were insignificant.

Telephone systems held up well, too. Sprint spokesperson Russ Robinson said early Saturday that all of Sprint's systems were functioning normally. He noted, however, that some frustrated cell phone users in New York couldn't get cell connections to make calls--no surprise given the size of the crowd in Times Square and the desire to call friends and wish them Happy New Year.

Computerworld staff reports were included in this article.

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