5-5 JPNIC Report on the "Year 2000 Problem"

(JPNIC Secretariat)

JPNIC would like to report the results of our approach concerning Y2K compliance. The following details the preparatory countermeasures initiated by JPNIC, and specific actions taken on critical days at the end and beginning of the year.

Preparations

• Compliance for DNS, Whois, and other application processing systems
  • DNS (JP primary DNS server): Compliance was completed at the beginning of November, 1999, by the transfer from ns1.nic.ad.jp to ns0.nic.ad.jp.
  • Whois: The Christian date previously indicated in two digits was changed to display in four digits.
  • Application processing systems: Examination and modification of both hardware and software were completed.
• Announcements
  • JPNIC Y2K statements (October 29 and December 13, 1999)
  • Business schedule for the end/beginning of the year (December 6, 1999)
  • Emergency contact information for members (December 13, 1999)
• Emergency contact information for outside related organizations
  • Organizations responsible for maintenance of official JP secondary DNS servers
  • Y2KCC/JP (Y2K Coordination Center/Japan)
  • JPCERT (Japan Computer Emerqency Response Team/Coordination Center)
  • NSPIXP2 (Internet exchange point,located in KDD)
  • APNIC
• Preparation of Emergency Telephone Lines

Systems and Situations for Ccritical Days

• 12:00 noon, December 31, 1999 to 9:00 pm, January 1, 2000
  • 6 staff members were stationed at JPNIC Secretariat; 8 staff members on-call at home
  • Check of system condition every hour; publication of status reports on web site
  • Telephone calls accepted from outside. Received a telephone call from Y2KCC/JP asking for support
  • Informed Y2KCC/JP with a timely report regarding JP DNS/Whois (0:03 am, January 1,2000)
• January 2, 2000
  • Performance tests on application processing systems confirmed that no problem existed.
• January 4, 2000 - Returned to normal operations

Follow-up work

• Closed the Y2K statement pages (March 1, 2000)
• Improved further check system

Current situation as of March 2000, and approach for the future

After conducting performance tests for all JPNIC systems and equipment, including DNS, Whois, and other application processing systems, JPNIC has not discovered any problems caused by the Y2K problem. Through the surveys and checks that have been conducted so far, we believe that the Y2K "problem" will not result in any serious problems.

We have worked very hard, paying careful attention to the Year 2000 problem. JPNIC will continue to make maximum efforts towards stable operation of the Internet.