Y2K Testing of Credit Card Transactions, Data Transmissions Conducted

greenspun.com : LUSENET : TimeBomb 2000 (Y2000) : One Thread

This seems like good news, but the following bothers me:

"donated substantial laboratory and staff resources. FNRC member companies also contributed multiple laboratory sites and test support"

What's your take on this? Was the testing done in a lab environment, not touching anything in the real world? Any of my fellow pros out there ever do any frame-relay? I spent about 7 years in a big-time TP shop, but frame-relay wasn't on the menu. <:)=

Link

WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 14, 1999--

No Y2K Anomalies Discovered in Industry-Wide Testing of Frame Relay Networks

The Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions (ATIS) - a D.C.-based association comprised of North American telecommunications carriers, equipment manufacturers and other telecommunications companies -- announced today that no Y2K-related anomalies were discovered during recently-completed internetwork interoperability testing, conducted to determine Y2K's impact on frame relay networks, and specifically credit card transactions and financial data transfer.

The internetwork interoperability testing was conducted by the ATIS-sponsored Internetwork Interoperability Test Coordination (IITC) Committee in partnership with the Y2K Financial Networks Readiness Consortium (FNRC). ATIS member companies Bell Atlantic, MCI WorldCom and SBC Communications served as primary participants in the testing activities and donated substantial laboratory and staff resources. FNRC member companies also contributed multiple laboratory sites and test support.

The FNRC is a group of corporations with business related to the financial community who have joined together to share key information between its members as it pertains to Year 2000, and to conduct compliance related telecommunications efforts with major telecommunications service providers and industry groups. The FNRC is comprised of American Express, Bank of America, First Data Corporation, JP Morgan, MasterCard International, MBNA America, Total System Services, Visa International and Wells Fargo & Company.

Both the IITC Committee and the FNRC defined the test network configuration and detailed test scripts in January and February 1999, and implemented testing in April. The testing focused on the interoperability of the "Frame Relay Networks" - the technology and related systems that transfer credit card information for authorization and account verification via telecommunication carriers' networks. Key Y2K rollover dates tested were December 31, 1999 to January 1, 2000; February 28, 2000 to February 29, 2000; February 29, 2000 to March 1, 2000; December 31, 2000 to January 1, 2001; and February 28, 2001 to March 1, 2001.

This financial data testing activity is one of three phases of Y2K internetwork interoperability testing being led by ATIS and its IITC Committee. The IITC released a report in April of this year indicating no Y2K-related anomalies within the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), following a phase of network testing it conducted in cooperation with the Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association (CTIA).

A third phase of IITC Y2K testing - to be conducted in August and September of 1999 - will assess Y2K's impact on international calling.

Published copies of the final report that fully describe testing activities, results and recommendations can be ordered when visiting the ATIS web site at www.atis.org. For additional information contact ATIS Forum Director Nancy Pierce at 202-434-8824 or via e-mail at npierce@atis.org.

The IITC is one of several open industry forums and committees within the Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions (ATIS) that examines network reliability and interoperability for the telecommunications industry.

Nearly 2,500 experts from 500 companies participate in ATIS committees, whose work includes the development of United States network interconnection standards, the establishment of guidelines for number portability, billing, and toll-free access, and the identification of methods for improving data communications, among others.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) frequently refers operations issues to ATIS committees for recommended solutions. Members of ATIS and committee participants include, but are not limited to, telecommunications service providers, manufacturers, software developers, resellers, enhanced service providers, and providers of operations support.

ATIS committees also address bar coding for inventory of telecommunications products and implementation agreements for SONET networks, among others.

Information on ATIS is available on the World Wide Web at www.atis.org, or by contacting the ATIS headquarters at 202/628-6380, or by writing to: ATIS, 1200 G Street, N.W., Suite 500, Washington, DC 20005.

Copyright 1999, Business Wire

Here's more: U.S. data networks sail through Y2K tests

WASHINGTON, July 14 (Reuters) - A trade group said on Wednesday its testing had found no 2000-related glitches in networks that may carry more than a trillion dollars a day in U.S. credit card and other financial transactions.

``It's 'D' minus six months and all systems are go,'' said Martin McCue, chairman of the Washington-based Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions, or ATIS.

The group's latest drill dealt with frame relay networks, the web of systems that authorise U.S. credit card purchases and zap financial data to Federal Reserve clearing houses.

Nancy Pierce, ATIS Director of Industry Forums, estimated more than $1.1 trillion in transactions were processed daily over the U.S. telecommunications infrastructure.

``No Year 2000 date change anomalies were found during the testing,'' which went all the way from swiping a credit card at a simulated point of sale to settlement, ATIS reported.

At issue were fears that some computers may crash or scramble data by misreading 2000 as 1900, the result of old space constraints that pared the date field to two digits.

Tested in the latest round were the rollovers from Dec. 31, 1999, to Jan. 1, 2000; Feb. 28, 2000, to Feb. 29, 2000; Dec. 31, 2000, to Jan. 1, 2001; and Feb. 28, 2001, to March 1, 2001.

The industry-wide testing was carried out in partnership with the Y2K Financial Networks Readiness Consortium, or FNRC, an industry group concerned with with 2000's possible impact on data transmission.

The FNRC is made up of American Express, Bank of America, First Data Corp., JP Morgan, Mastercard International, MBNA America, Total System Services, Visa Interantional and Wells Fargo & Co.

ATIS member companies Bell Atlantic, MCI WorldCom and SBC Communications served as primary participants in the latest round of internetwork interoperability testing.

The next phase of drills by the ATIS-sponsored Interoperability Test Coordination Committee will assess the date changes' possible impact on international calling. It will take place in August and September, said Daniel Currie, chairman of the test panel.

In test results released in February and April, the ATIS test panel reported no glitches in U.S. interconnected telecommunications networks and public switched telephone networks.

Nearly 2,500 representatives from 500 companies take part in ATIS panels, which develop and test U.S. network interconnection standards.



-- Sysman (y2kboard@yahoo.com), July 15, 1999

Answers

snip

``No Year 2000 date change anomalies were found during the testing,'' which went all the way from swiping a credit card at a simulated point of sale to settlement, ATIS reported.

Would this be like the NERC simulation or the DoD simulation???

-- Don (dwegner@cheyenneweb.com), July 15, 1999.


Howdy Don,

Yea, this reminds me of the FAA lab. Remember the Statement by KENNETH M. MEAD, INSPECTOR GENERAL, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION before the U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES:

"Implementing repairs into the real operational environment has risk due to potential complications resulting from local adaptations to ATC systems (changes made by local technicians). In the past, FAA has encountered problems installing test-center solutions at locations throughout the ATC system due to local changes."

That's why I'm looking for some more info on the frame-relay network. How complicated is it? <:)=

-- Sysman (y2kboard@yahoo.com), July 15, 1999.


Would this testing be adequate for the many million credit card transactions made from overseas? What about POS compliance? Bank compliance?

-- George (jvilches@sminter.com.ar), July 15, 1999.

The real question is not about simulation but about reality: what happens to all these systems in January, 2000, real time? It's the hardware problems that will kill us.

-- cody (cody@y2ksurvive.com), July 15, 1999.

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