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The following Y2K material has been kept available by MITRE for historical purposes only and has not been updated unless noted.

Interface Management

Interfaces are the Achilles heel of most systems. It is through interfaces that information is transferred to the outside world.

Sometimes the interface is with a human being, the user, and sometimes it is with another computer or system. The entities on each end of the interface define it and it is important that the understanding of that definition be the same for both.

As we approach the Year 2000, it is likely that you are considering changes to some of the interfaces into your system to accommodate the century transition. Given the small amount of time available and the inherent complexity associated with changing existing interfaces of active systems, organizations should strongly consider fixing their Year 2000 problems while freezing their interfaces. Of course, if the dates you are passing span more than 100 years, then you have no choice but to expand the year field. This material applies to any situation that requires the establishment or modification of an interface between systems. This information applies to all interfaces, but is particularly important for maintaining interfaces with computers at each end.