CSMS Message: 99-000048

**** ATTENTION - Y2K TESTING OPPORTUNITY ****
SPECIAL ATTENTION DIRECTED TO SOFTWARE VENDORS AND SELF-PROGRAMMERS

SHORTLY, THE CUSTOMS SERVICE WILL PUBLISH A FEDERAL REGISTER NOTICE
ANNOUNCING ITS PLAN TO CONDUCT A YEAR 2000 (Y2K) END-TO-END TEST WITH
OUR AUTOMATED BUSINESS PARTNERS. THIS TESTING OPPORTUNITY WOULD ALLOW
THE PROCESSING OF VARIOUS CUSTOMS TRANSACTIONS THROUGH THE CUSTOMS
Y2K RENOVATED SOFTWARE TO TEST OUR PROGRAMS' Y2K COMPLIANCE.

THE NOTICE INVITES COMMENTS CONCERNING ANY ASPECT OF THIS TEST,
INFORMS INTERESTED MEMBERS OF THE TRADE COMMUNITY OF THE ELIGIBILITY
REQUIREMENTS FOR VOLUNTARY PARTICIPATION IN THE TEST, AND DESCRIBES THE
BASIS ON WHICH CUSTOMS WILL SELECT PARTICIPANTS AND ESTABLISH TEST
REQUIREMENTS.

THE TEST WILL COMMENCE NO EARLIER THAN FEBRUARY 1, 1999 AND WILL RUN
APPROXIMATELY FOUR MONTHS. VARIOUS WEEKLY CYCLES OF PARTICIPATION
WILL BE IDENTIFIED IN ORDER TO SUPPORT THE PROCESSES.
ANY AUTOMATED TRADE PARTICIPANT INTERESTED IN PARTICIPATING IN THE TEST
SHOULD CONTACT THEIR CUSTOMS CLIENT REPRESENTATIVE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.

SPECIFIC RESTRICTIONS AND REQUIREMENTS HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED AND THE
TRADE WILL BE REQUIRED TO ABIDE BY THESE IN ORDER TO PARTICIPATE
IN THE TEST.

ALTHOUGH THE AUTOMATED INTERFACE FORMATS FOR THE
VARIOUS AUTOMATED INTERFACES; I.E, ABI, AMS, ETC., HAVE
NOT BEEN MODIFIED, CUSTOMS DESIRES TO INVOLVE ITS TRADING PARTNERS
IN THE TESTING ENABLING THEM TO TRANSMIT TEST DATA TO THE CUSTOMS
COMPUTER SYSTEM.

DUE TO THE SUPPORT EFFORT NEEDED AND THE LIMITED RESOURCES AVAILABLE
TO CUSTOMS, PARTICIPATION FOR EACH TEST CYCLE WILL BE LIMITED.
IN ADDITION, IT IS THE GOAL OF CUSTOMS TO TEST ALL SOFTWARE VENDORS
AND SELF-PROGRAMMERS CURRENTLY SUPPORTING THE ELECTRONIC INTERFACES.
CLIENTS USING APPROVED SOFTWARE PACKAGES MAY WISH TO ENCOURAGE
THEIR VENDORS TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS TEST.

PARTICIPANTS WISHING TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS TEST WILL BE REQUIRED TO:

1) ADVANCE THEIR COMPUTER SYSTEMS INTERNAL CLOCK TO CONFORM TO THE
ADJUSTED SYSTEMS DATE IN THE CUSTOMS Y2K TEST ENVIRONMENT (LPAR)

2) UTILIZE PREESTABLISHED TEST DATA, WHICH WILL ACCOMMODATE FUTURE DATE
VALIDATIONS. THESE DATES MUST BE MODIFIED ACCORDINGLY FOR EACH
DAY OF THE TEST. TEST DATA MUST BE SEGREGATED FROM THE PRODUCTION DATA.

3) TESTING CLIENTS WHO CURRENTLY UTILIZE THE "DIAL-UP" CONNECTIVITY
PROTOCOL, WILL UTILIZE THE SAME PROCESS AND THE SAME PHONE NUMBER
TO CONNECT TO OUR SYSTEM.

4) PARTICIPANTS CONNECTING WITH CUSTOMS VIA DEDICATED LINES WILL
REQUIRE SPECIAL HANDLING, DUE TO THE "DISCONNECTING" OF THEIR INTERFACE
FROM PRODUCTION TO THE LPAR (CUSTOMS LOGICAL PARTITION - Y2K).
CLIENTS UTILIZING VANS, AND OTHER SIMILAR MEDIUMS, WILL ALSO
REQUIRE SPECIAL HANDLING AND SUPPORT BY OUR COMMUNICATIONS STAFF.

5) MODIFIED LOGON AND JCL STATEMENTS WILL BE REQUIRED, AS WILL THE
SECURING OF A NEW REMOTE AND SPECIAL PASSWORD.

THE ABOVE REQUIREMENTS APPLY TO MOST OF OUR CUSTOMERS. AIR AMS
CLIENTS UTILIZING SITA OR AIR INC WILL BE GIVENADDITIONAL
INFORMATION AT THE TIME OF THEIR PARTICIPATION IN THE TEST.
CLIENTS UTILIZING AIR INC WILL NOT BE ABLE TO COMMENCE TESTING
PRIOR TO APRIL, 1999, AS A SEPARATE COMMUNICATION NETWORK IS REQUIRED.

CLIENTS WISHING TO PARTICIPATE SHOULD CONTACT THEIR CLIENT REPRESENTATIVE
AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. AGAIN, WE STRONGLY ENCOURAGE ALL SOFTWARE
VENDORS AND SELF-PROGRAMMERS TO PARTAKE IN THIS EFFORT.

Referenced By

CSMS #99-000460