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Preparing and Patching for
Daylight Saving Time (2007)
for IT Professionals

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Computing Services Information Document All

General Information

This web page contains information on preparing and patching systems for the 2007 change to Daylight Saving Time. In August 2005, Congress passed the Energy Policy Act of 2005, which included an extension of Daylight Saving Time (DST). Since 1966, most of the United States has observed Daylight Saving Time from 2:00 a.m. on the first Sunday of April to 2:00 a.m. on the last Sunday of October. As of 2007, Daylight Saving Time begins at 2:00 a.m. on the second Sunday in March and reverts to standard time on the first Sunday in November.
Operating systems and other software should be checked and patched or otherwise upgraded to account for this change.

The key to this change is awareness. This change can affect anything that may automatically account for DST, from computers to auto-adjusting clocks, VCR's, DVR's, and also including PDA's, PBX's (phone systems), firewalls (and other IT equipment) and other devices. IT support personnel should be sure that they are aware of this change and have plans in place to audit and correct any affected systems. It is important to contact the manufacturers and vendors of your systems, software and devices.

Getting Started

This web page provides additional information beyond some of the more common systems and software as found on the general "Preparing and Patching for Daylight Saving Time (2007)" page. Information has been gathered from various places and will be updated as new information and fixes are made available and brought to our attention.
WARNING: The following information has been gathered from across the web and, as such, may or may not be reliable. The "fixes" discussed may not have been tested and are not endorsed by Rutgers University. Rutgers University provides no warranty, express or implied, in regards to the information provided, or as to any use or non-use of same. Please use the following information at your own risk and make your own informed decision(s).

Affected Systems and Software

Microsoft

  • Microsoft (All)
    IT support staff should consult Microsoft's "Preparing for daylight saving time changes in 2007" web page and any related KB articles. The fix for Windows XP SP2 became a critical update release on February 7, 2007.
  • Java
    Be sure to check the general Java section, below, for pertinent information!

Linux

Be sure to check the general Java section, below, for pertinent information!
Similar to the C library issue in some systems, Linux users should be sure to check their versions of any other tools/software that may rely on its own DST data.
Linux users can check their systems for correct DST behavior with the following command: 
 zdump -c 2008 -v /etc/localtime | grep 2007

Correct results should show March/November rather than April/October.
  • Debian
    • v4.0 ("Etch")
      This recent release is not affected by this issue.
    • v3.1 ("Sarge")
      Run the following command: 
       dpkg -p libc6 | grep Version

      If your version of libc6 is lower than 2.3.2.ds1-22sarge3 then you will need to apt-get the latest version. The updated package was released on 04/19/2006. Most systems should have it, unless they're not online.

    Red Hat
    • Enterprise Linux v3 and v4 (AS/ES/WS)
      Red Hat provides a Knowledgebase article on this issue (update tzdata).
      NOTE: Red Hat provides tzdata updates via a Product Enhancement Advisory. Although this newer update does not mention the US changes directly, it outdates the previous release, adds v3 support and is cumulative.
    • Enterprise Linux v2.1 (AS/ES/WS)
      Red Hat provides a Knowledgebase article on this issue (update glibc and tzdata).

    SUSE (Novell)
    Other
    • Other/Older Versions
      If your Linux (distro/version) is not listed above, you should contact your vendor and/or support group for additional information and any fixes.
      On Linux in general, it may be possible (and you may need) to edit your relevant timezone files by downloading the latest copies, compiling them using the zic command and then copying the appropriate files into the /usr/share/zoneinfo/ and /usr/share/zoneinfo/[TIMEZONE] directories (where TIMEZONE is the geographically appropriate timezone location). You would then need to link the localtime file (/etc/localtime), if applicable to your system. Software the relies on this change will need to be restarted, so a reboot is recommended.
    • Evolution
      This integrated communications client (akin to Outlook), uses libical for its calendaring features. There is no fix, as of this writing.

Sun Solaris

Solaris users can check their systems for correct DST behavior with the following command: 
 /usr/sbin/zdump -v $TZ | grep 2007

Correct results should show March/November rather than April/October.
  • Solaris (aka, SunOS) v8 through v10
    Sun has issued relevant patches for Solaris v8 through v10.
  • Solaris (aka, SunOS) v2.5.1, v6 and v7
    Sun has not addressed this issue for older versions of Solaris/SunOS; however, there is apparently a combination of third-party and Sun patches available to address this issue:
    1. The DST issue for these older Solaris versions is said to be addressed by a patch provided by "Terix Computer Service" and which is provided to the public for free, after completing a simple registration form.
    2. The above does not address the issue for libC, which may be addressed with a separate patch from Sun for various versions of their developer tools.

    The following information for even older versions of Solaris/SunOS may also be of interest or of use...
  • Solaris (aka, SunOS) versions below v2.5.1
    If you are using an older version of Solaris (aka, SunOS), and upgrading is not an option, there is the possibility of using the timezone files across Solaris versions and also cloning the relevant Solaris 8 patches for use on older Solaris systems, as per the below: 
    	#!/bin/sh
	## shell script hack to force solaris DST zonefile updates
	## - use cat to preserve hard links between zonefiles
	## - only update pre-existing files
	## unpack Solaris 8 DST patch 109809-04 under /var/tmp/
	## then run this script on Solaris 2.6 / 7 systems
	## Keith Farrar 

	cd /var/tmp/109809-04/SUNWcsu/reloc/usr/share/lib/zoneinfo

	# for f in `find Mideast -type f -print`
	for f in `find * -type f -print`
	do
	if [ -f /usr/share/lib/zoneinfo/$f ]; then
	cat $f > /usr/share/lib/zoneinfo/$f
	ls -lg /usr/share/lib/zoneinfo/$f
	fi
	done
  • Java
    Be sure to check the general Java section, below, for pertinent information!

Apple Mac OS

  • Mac OS X Server Tiger (v10.4.x)
    Apple fully addressed this issue as of v10.4.6, but the latest 10.4.8 update is highly recommended.
  • Mac OS X Server Panther (v10.3.x)
    Apple released an update, aptly titled "Daylight Saving Time Update."
  • Mac OS X Server Jaguar (v10.2.x)
    Apple has not released any patch for this release. A third-party fix is available, but Apple has provided their own information on this issue.
  • Older Mac OS X Server
    Apple has released an information article on this issue. Upgrading to a supported version, preferably Tiger, is recommended. If upgrading is not an option, you might also consider examining the third-party patch above to see if it is of any use and share your results for posting here.
  • Java
    Apple has released an information article on this issue. Java is distributed on Mac OS X via Apple's "Software Update" mechanism. Users should make sure to check for and install any patches provided by "Software Update." Versions of Mac OS X prior to Panther/10.3, and Mac OS 9.x and below, do not have a patch for Java available as per Apple's information article. Users should be aware of this when using any time-sensitive programs and/or web sites that rely upon the use of Java software.
    Versions of Mac OS X prior to Panther/10.3, may be manually updated, as per instructions from the same author as the DST patch, above. If anyone is able to correct this (on v10.2.x or older), please report back your success and steps taken.
  • WebObjects:
    Apple has released an information article on this issue (see the last section).

IBM

IBM has provided information on their full product line in regards to this issue.

Novell

  • OES/NetWare
    Novell has provided a Cool Solutions page regarding this issue for v4.1.2 and above.
  • SUSE Linux
    See the Linux section, above.

Other

    Bluesocket
      Bluesocket is working on updates, as of this writing. These will be made available through their support web area. If you are unable to access this area, please contact Bluesocket for support information and options.

    Cisco
    Java
    • Sun
      v1.3.1, v1.4.2, v5 (aka, 1.5) and 6 (aka, v1.6) are all supported and should be upgraded, as per Sun's Developer Network Article.
      NOTE: If you are using Solaris/SunOS v2.5.1 or older, keep in mind that the oldest Java version with this fix is only supported back through Solaris/SunOS v6.
      NOTE: Official support for older/other Linux may likewise be limited (check Sun's documentation).
    • IBM
      v1.3.1, v1.4.2, v5 (aka, 1.5) are supported and should be upgraded, as per IBM's Flash (Alert), if applicable.
    • BEA
      v1.4.2 and later are supported and should be upgraded, as per BEA's eSupport Customer News, if applicable. Users of JRockit 7.0 SP6 (WebLogic v7.0 SP6 and earlier) should consider upgrading to v1.4.2 (WebLogic v7.0 SP7 or above).

    Juniper
    MySQL
      As per the MySQL v3.23, v4.0, v4.1, v5.0 and v5.1 documentation, MySQL only needs to be updated for systems that DO NOT use their own zoneinfo database (i.e., Windows or HP-UX). See the documentation link for your version of MySQL for more information on updated timezone tables.
      Systems that DO have their own zoneinfo database should be fine once the OS itself is patched (i.e., Linux, Free BSD, Solaris and Mac OS X).

    NetApp
      NetApp suggests downloading and installing the latest timezone files on NetApp systems, according to the instructions in their Knowledge Base (KB) article kb20094 (login required). NetApp has also posted an FAQ (login required) for this issue.
      If you are unable to access the NetApp Knowledgebase area, please contact NetApp for support information and options.

    Oracle
      Oracle has provided an information guide ("MetaLink" registration/login required) for its products.

    SonicWALL
      NOTE: Unfortunately, SonicWALL has decided to make all patches available ONLY to devices under a current support contract. Please contact SonicWALL for more information and to register any complaint(s).
    • Security Appliances (UTM/Firewall/VPN)
      Firmware v3.1.3.0 Standard and v3.2.3.0 Enhanced are available for all TZ50, TZ150, TZ170, Pro1260, Pro2040 and Pro3060 models. Those who have current support contracts or firmware download rights on their products can get them. These versions have fixes for this (and an IE7) issue and are available through the MySonicWALL web area. If you are unable to access this area, please contact SonicWALL for support information and options.
    • SSL-VPN
      Firmware version 2.0.0.1 or higher addresses this issue. Firmware upgrades are available through the MySonicWALL web area. If you are unable to access this area, please contact SonicWALL for support information and options.

    Symantec

Important Notes

For any software or systems not listed above, and not posted on the general DST 2007 page, you should contact the manufacturer/vendor for assistance. Please make sure to confirm this change for any other time-sensitive devices and software (including calendaring, financial management and other software) for patches, upgrades or replacements. Also, be sure to confirm any appointments, schedules or other reminders during March and again in the fall, to be sure that everything is working correctly.

Questions/Comments/Concerns

If you have any difficulty with any of the above, please contact help@camden.rutgers.edu for more information.

Additional information can be found by contacting your the manufacturer/vendor of your system/software and by searching the web.


Questions/comments regarding Camden Computing Services or this web site
can be directed to: help@camden.rutgers.edu.
Last updated: March 06, 2007, 10:39 EST.
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