Sun Microsystems today released a Year 2000 compliance tool to help its customers assess the readiness of their computer systems. Free for download from Sun's Year 2000 Web site, SunScan 2000 is a validation tool that helps users identify Sun products running within an installation for Y2K compliance. The tool supports systems running Solaris 2.3 and higher. "The tool reports back to the user a list of patches that will make the system compatible," said Anna Weldon, senior manager of marketing for the Year 2000 at Sun. SunScan 2000 identifies Sun's hardware, operating environment, and middleware deployed in an enterprise by comparing the system against the lists of Sun products that have been tested for Year 2000 compliance. After the tool runs on the system in test mode, it reports back by listing patches needed to make the system Year 2000 compliant. The new tool is designed for both system administrators and users and is available immediately on the Sun Y2K Web site.