  PATHWORKS and Y2K, X Windows? 
 The Question is:
 
A client of mine currently has a MicroVAX 3100-90 running OpenVMS 5.5-2 and
Pathworks 4.1, a Decstation 500 running Ultrix and numerous PCs running
Windows 3.1.  The MicroVAX and Ultrix connect via DECNet.  The MicroVAX
connects to a number of industrial
controllers via DECNet.  The PCs connect to the MicroVAX (and Ultrix?) using
pathworks 4.1 for DOS over DECNet.  And the PCs use ExCeed (X-windows
emulation) over DECNet to the MicroVAX.
 
The system as it stands now is not Y2K compliant and since my client is in
the pharmaceutical industry he is reluctant to make any modifications to the
system.  In addition, the MicroVAX has a number of third party applications
that have no upgrade path t
o higher versions of VMS.
 
I know there are Y2K kits for the VAX and Ultrix so they should be
patchable.
 
The PC hardware is known to be none compliant (and getting very unreliable)
so it must be replaced.
 
Most of the applications on the PC are none compliant but they do have
upgrade paths to Windows NT4.0.
 
My question is:
 
If I dont touch the VMS or Ultrix versions or Pathworks on the MicroVAX.
Can I upgrade the PCs to NT4.0 with Pathworks 32 and still connect to the
MicroVAX and Ultrix machines for file and print services?
 
If I upgrade to Patchworks 32, I can probably us its X-windows emulation
instead of upgrading ExCeed!
 
 
 The Answer is:
 
  The PATHWORKS 32 release current as of March 1999 is V7.1a.
  It is Year 2000 ready -- see the Y2K pages for details on this,
  and for other Y2K information.  Using V7.1a, you should (still)
  be able to connect to the OpenVMS and ULTRIX system for file and
  print services utilizing DECnet.
 
  The Wizard would recommend careful consideration of licensing
  issues.  If you have a license server in your environment, you
  should consider loading the appropriate licenses for use of
  PATHWORKS 32 on the desktop system, and for accessing file/print
  services on OpenVMS.  For additional details, see:
 
    http://www.openvms.digital.com/pathworks/
 
  For the PATHWORKS Server on OpenVMS to be Year 2000 ready, you
  will need to be running PATHWORKS V5.0F1 for OpenVMS (LAN Manager)
  (as well as V5.0F ECO1 and ECO2).  Again, please see the above URL.
 
  PATHWORKS 32 V7.1a includes eXcursion, an X Windows server
  for Windows 95, Windows 98, and NT 4.0 systems.  eXcursion
  can use DECnet or TCP/IP as the network transport.
 
 
 
