Article 156379 of comp.os.vms:

 

	     Testing for the Year 2000 with OpenVMS

      You can identify potential Year 2000 problems by validating
      software in an artificial system environment that simulates
      future dates. The OpenVMS operating system allows you
      to set the system clock forward and backward, which
      provides an appropriate environment for system testing.
      This procedure describes a technique for protecting your
      environment while testing applications for the Year 2000.

      Many system applications and layered products are affected
      by any substantial modification of system time, independent
      of the change to the Year 2000. This procedure includes
      guidelines that minimize side-effects that may occur due
      to these time modifications. Digital recommends that you
      follow these guidelines to ensure system integrity.

	_______________________ Caution _______________________

	Do not perform Year 2000 tests or widely vary the
	system clock on a system in a production environment.

	______________________________________________________

      The procedure for testing your system is as follows:

      1. Check that installed Product Authorization Keys (PAKs)
	 will not expire during the testing period. If your
	 system has temporary PAKs, contact your application
	 vendor.

      2. Perform a complete backup of the system disk and
	 associated data disks. (If possible, back up to spare
	 disks.)

      3. Remove the system to be tested from the production
	 environment (for example, no cluster or Ethernet
	 connections). This will ensure data integrity during
	 the test sessions.

      4. If you are using backup disks, boot that backup copy of
	 the system disk and mount the backup copies of any other
	 data disks (if applicable).

	 If you are not using backup disks, go to the next step.

      5. Be sure that your system is in a state of minimal
	 activity, with no pending batch or print jobs and no
	 background processes that are unrelated to the testing
	 requirements.

      6. Use the SET TIME command to set the system clock date
	 forward to your testing date. For example, you might set
	 the date to December 31, l999, and watch the transition
	 to January 1, 2000.

      7. Initialize and complete tests for your specific
	 environment.

      8. When testing is complete, use the SET TIME command to
	 reset the system clock to the current time. If your
	 system continues running normally, go to the next step
	 to restore the original disks.

	 Note, however, that resetting the time (in effect
	 going backward from the Year 2000) might cause certain
	 applications to hang or crash your system or to exhibit
	 other unexpected behavior. If this occurs, shut down the
	 system and do the following:

	 -  Begin a conversational boot on your system.

	 -  At the SYSBOOT> prompt, set the system parameter
	    SETTIME to 1.

	 -  When the system prompts you to enter the system time,
	    enter the current time.

	 -  When the system is running, reset the system
	    parameter SETTIME to its original value.

      9. Perform one of the following procedures:

	 o  If you used backup disks for the testing, shut down
	    the system. Then mount and restore the original
	    system disk (and associated data disks).

	 o  If you did not use backup disks for the testing (you
	    backed up your disks on tape), restore the original
	    system disk (and all original data disks) from your
	    backup tapes.

      10.Reboot the restored system.


  -------------------------- pure personal opinion ---------------------------
   Stephen 'Hoff' Hoffman   OpenVMS Engineering   hoffman@xdelta.enet.dec.com
   <Headers deliberately munged to avoid automated junkmail -- the spam-bots.>
    OpenVMS Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ): http://www.openvms.digital.com