Steve Masover, IST–AS
Editor's note: Some details have been updated since this article was first published on February 9, 2007.
Desktops, servers, programming languages/platforms, and individual applications may be affected by changes in the dates when the U.S. changes from standard to Daylight Saving Time (DST) and back again. Gartner Inc. issued a statement on February 1, stating that "disruptions at an IT infrastructure and application level are likely" and "will have significant implications for organizations around the world". Calendaring, billing, security, and travel applications are among the categories of software that could be affected by the DST changes.
IST recommends that all desktop support, server and database administration, and application administration staff investigate systems and technologies for which they are responsible, and apply appropriate upgrades or patches. It is also recommended that responsible staff check with external service providers to confirm appropriate modifications have been made to assure that campus services are not impacted.
This brief article and the accompanying references are meant to help IT support, DBAs, and system administrators by providing links to detailed information for some of the most widely used technologies on the Berkeley campus.
It's worth noting that user desktops, as well as handheld computing devices, phones, and embedded devices such as automatic door lock systems, may be affected by the DST changes. While critical failures are not anticipated — and panic is strongly discouraged — campus IT staff who provide technical support and expertise to less technically aware users may be able to mitigate confusion and inconvenience by making colleagues aware of the impact that DST changes may have on their date-aware devices at work and at home.
The Energy Policy Act of 2005 changed the dates for Daylight Saving Time in the U.S. Beginning in 2007, DST will begin the second Sunday in March and end the first Sunday in November: March 11, and November 4, in 2007.
Different layers of computer applications implement DST in different ways. There may be required patching at the OS, database, programming language, or application level to ensure correct representation of current time during the expanded portion of DST as well as correct date calculations that cross the new DST boundaries.
Servers, software, and applications managed by IST will be patched and upgraded to handle the new DST rules. IST staff are communicating with affected users and application administrators affected by upgrades and patches.
Patches and upgrades will be made to all affected operating systems, database platforms, and Java Runtime Environments (JREs) that are managed by IST in the campus data center. These include Windows, AIX, Linux, Solaris, and the mainframe operating systems; Oracle, MySQL, PostgreSQL, and MS SQL Server databases; and Java SDKs and JREs running on multiple platforms and bundled with database and other servers. If you are concerned about an IST-managed OS, database, application server, or other software that you believe may have been overlooked, please contact your system's support staff in IST–Infrastructure Services.
Upgrades performed by IST are expected to be complete at least two weeks before DST begins on March 11, 2007.
The table below identifies some of the affected operating systems, servers, programming languages/platforms, databases, and mobile devices. Brief notes and links to further information are provided about how to patch in order to avoid problems due to this year's DST changes.
This list is not complete! If something you use or administer is not on this list, please do not assume that it's not affected! Instead, please consult your vendor's website or support staff to determine whether upgrades or patches are necessary.
| Software | Notes | More information |
|---|---|---|
Desktops: |
||
Linux — Novell SUSE |
Service packs or updates available for multiple products/versions. |
|
Linux — Red Hat |
Red Hat Desktop v.3 and v.4 require a tzdata update. The update referred to in Advisory RHEA-2006:0622-3 contains necessary updates even though the U.S. rule changes effective in 2007 are not mentioned directly (the update is cumulative). |
|
Mac OS X |
Apple is providing software updates for Mac OS X 10.3 and 10.4 based on worldwide time zone information available as of January 8, 2007. To make sure that your clock maintains the proper time, simply install the updates that are shown for your computer in Software Update. You should install these updates even if your computer is used in a time zone that is not affected. |
|
Windows |
Update available for Windows XP SP2; for Windows 2000, an update is available under Extended Hotfix Support. No update needed for Vista. For earlier (unsupported) Windows desktop OS's, manual update methods are described in MS Knowledge Base article 914387: How to configure daylight saving time for the United States in 2007. |
|
Servers: |
||
AIX |
There are specific point patches for AIX that address the DST issue. Those customers wishing to minimize the impact to their systems can install the APAR specific to their version. See below for updates required to Java JREs running on AIX. |
|
Linux — Novell SUSE |
Service packs or updates available for multiple products/versions. |
|
Linux — Red Hat |
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 2.1 users must update glibc. Red Hat Enterprise Linux 3 and 4 must update the tzdata package. |
|
Solaris |
Issues can occur in versions 2.5.3, 2.6, 7, 8, 9, and 10. |
|
WebSphere |
Patch required. |
|
Windows Server 2003, Windows Server SP1, Exchange Server |
Updates available for versions in Mainstream Support. Exchange Server 2007 requires no update. |
|
Databases: |
||
MS SQL Server |
Patches must be applied for SQL Server Notification Services. |
|
MySQL |
Load MySQL time zone tables from a patched operating system that contains a zoneinfo database, or from files downloaded from MySQL.com (if running MySQL on Windows or HP-UX). |
|
Oracle |
Affects Oracle Server — Enterprise Edition — Versions 8.1 to 10.2. A database patch and a JVM (Java Virtual Machine) may need to be applied. Documentation at the provided URL links to more detailed documents available to Oracle licensees with MetaLink access. |
|
PostgreSQL |
Pre-8.0 PostgreSQL versions use the OS timezone database. PostgreSQL releases (v. 7.3 through 8.2) made available after January 8, 2007, have updated timezone databases. |
|
Sybase |
Sybase Servers recognize date and time portions values provided by the operating system. Applications running on older Java Runtime Environments JREs require patching. |
|
Languages / application platforms: |
||
Cold Fusion |
ColdFusion MX 6.1 Updater 1 and ColdFusion MX 7.0.2 have been certified for JVM 1.4.2_11, which incorporates the new Daylight Savings time rules. MX 6.1 users will need to review Tech Note KB article 400232: ColdFusion MX 6.1 Updater 1: Hot fix for NullPointer Exceptions after upgrading to 1.4.2_06 JDK/JRE or higher. |
|
Java (Sun) |
The Java Runtime Environment (JRE) stores rules about DST observance. Older JREs contain outdated rules; applications running on an older JRE may report incorrect time from March 11 through April 2, and October 29 through November 4, 2007. The following versions contain rules that comply with the new U.S. DST dates:
In addition, for version 1.4 or later, you can alternately use the tzupdatertool to modify time zone data within an existing JRE. Note that Sun's instructions (linked at right) are for Sun JREs (which generally run on Solaris, Linux, and Windows operating systems). See below for links related to IBM- or Apple-flavored JREs. |
|
Java (IBM) |
The IBM Time Zone Update Utility for Java (JTZU) updates the time zone information in IBM supplied releases and service refreshes of the Java SDK and JRE. |
|
Java (Apple) |
For Mac OS X 10.4 and Mac OS X Server 10.4, install Java for Mac OS X 10.4, Release 5. For Mac OS X 10.3 and Mac OS X Server 10.3, install Java for Mac OS X 10.3, Update 5. |
|
Python |
pytz (world timezone definitions for Python) is compiled into Python. This may or may not result in exposure to problems due to DST changes, depending on whether and how pytz classes are utilized in an application. |
|
Mobile devices: |
||
BlackBerry |
BlackBerry smartphones will not update their clocks for affected time zones if software patches are not applied. |
|
Palm |
Palm devices, both smartphones and handhelds, need to be updated so that they reflect the correct time when the new DST changes take effect. Without the Daylight Saving Time Updates, calendar events and email messages will indicate an hour off the actual time in locations that observe DST. |
Windows Mobile (2003 and 5.0) |
Microsoft is providing an update tool for Windows Mobile devices. You will also need to update Microsoft Windows (see above) and Microsoft Outlook on each PC where you synchronize your mobile devices. |
Many thanks to IST staff who contributed research and references to this article, including Quin Bligh, Steve Downey, Karen Kato, Jeff Makaiwi, Paul Rivers, Aron Roberts, and Lam Voong.
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