Non-Y2K Compliant OS/VS COBOL and COBOL II To Go Away
DHHS has mandated that all applications must be Y2K compliant by December 31, 1998. Since OS/VS COBOL and COBOL II are not year 2000 (Y2K) compliant, applications using them must be converted to COBOL/MVS. For users who have not been able to complete conversion by the DHHS deadline, the earlier versions of COBOL will be allowed to continue running temporarily. However these non-Y2K versions (OS/VS COBOL and COBOL II) will be removed at the NIH Computer Center on June 30, 1999.
• OS/VS COBOL
This version follows the COBOL 1974 standards. Conversion from OS/VS COBOL to COBOL/MVS is much more difficult due to major differences in the standards.
• COBOL II
This version also follows the 1985 COBOL standards but does not include the addendum. Since COBOL II and COBOL/MVS follow the same standards, conversion is very easy—usually just a matter of recompiling the program using the COBOL/MVS compiler.
• COBOL/MVS
The latest—and only Y2K compliant COBOL compiler from IBM—has been in operation at the NIH Computer Center for a number of years. This product follows the 1985 COBOL standards and has been enhanced to include the addendum to the 1985 standards.
Tools and Support Are Available
In 1993 the NIH Computer Center assisted OS/VS COBOL customers with their conversion to COBOL/MVS by providing conversion tools and support. IBM’s COBOL CICS Conversion Aid—or "CCCA" (pronounced "Triple C A")—and Report-Writer Pre Compiler were the conversion tools used at that time. Both products are still available to assist our Computer Center customers with conversion.
Two More Steps Will Still Be Needed
Once your older COBOL applications have been converted to COBOL/MVS, you will still need to make your program Y2K compliant. If you are still at this early stage, you need to look at the "CIT Year 2000 Services" webpage at http://silk.nih.gov/silk/year2000. From this webpage, you can register your COBOL application for the CIT conversion service that prepares your COBOL application for testing on our Y2K testing facility. Once your application has been registered for—and successfully completed—Y2K testing, you can breathe easily when January 1, 2000 arrives.