Daylight Savings Time Updates, Spring 2007

Windows | Mac OS | PDAs and SmartPhones

Beginning in the spring of 2007, the start dates and end dates for daylight saving time (DST) will change to comply with the Energy Policy Act of 2005. DST in the United States and Canada will start three weeks earlier (2:00 A.M. on the second Sunday in March), and will end one week later (2:00 A.M. on the first Sunday in November).

• Most computers need an update to allow the time to be reset automatically on the correct dates, BUT
• the update will happen automatically on most computers ... you only need to worry about it if you have turned off automatic updates on your computer, or if your computer is too old for automatic updates.

What happens if you don't get this update? The time on your computer's clock will be off by one hour for about three weeks in the spring and again in the fall, between the old and new dates of the time change. This could give you trouble with access to time-sensitive services.

Other networked devices, such as smartphones and PDAs, may also need updates to accommodate this date change. Look for instructions from the manufacturer of your device.

Updates for Mac OS X

Using the Software Update feature provided with Mac OS X, users of 10.3 and 10.4 systems can install the appropriate update for their system.

http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=305056

Apple has also provided instructions for users of Mac OS X 10.0 through 10.2, and Mac OS 9.2 and earlier systems, to help them get around the lack of automatic handling of the new Daylight Saving Time rules.

Updates for Microsoft Windows

• More info: Microsoft's web page Preparing for daylight saving time changes in 2007 covers the various operating systems and the update needed to support the changes.

Computers running Windows Vista

No update needed. Vista systems are already prepared for the new Daylight Savings Time dates.

Computers running Windows XP

Automatic Updates (recommended): If your computer is set up to use Windows Automatic Update, you do not need to take any action. The Daylight Savings Time update will be automatically downloaded and installed before March 11.

• More info: Use updating services from Microsoft to keep your computer current

Manual Updates (if you prefer): You can either

• Run Windows Update manually and select the DST patch from the 'Other' software updates list, or
• Download the patch from Microsoft and apply it.

Checking for updates: To see if your computer already has the update:

1. Open Internet Explorer and go to Windows Update
2. In the left column, select Review your update history
3. In the Update column, look for Update for Windows XP (KB928388)

Computers running Windows 2000

Windows 2000 is no longer supported by Microsoft or Cornell, but a patch is available through Microsoft's Extended Hotfix support, otherwise they provide a program TZEDIT.exe that you can use to modify the settings. They also include instructions for making the changes to networked computers.

1. Download and run the program to unpack the files into the default location: C:\Program Files\TZEdit\TZEdit.exe
   
   Click OK.
2. Launch the program: *Start->Run*: C:\Program Files\TZEdit\TZEdit.exe
   /(We could re-package the files so that they would download, extract and launch from a temporary location)
3. Scroll down to the GMT-05:00 Eastern Time (US&Canada) entry and click Edit.
   
4. In the "Edit Time Zone" window,
   Verify: Time Zone Name: (GMT-05:00) Eastern Time (US & Canada)
   Verify: Abbreviation: Eastern Standard Time
   Verify: Offset from GMT: -5:00
   Set Start Day: Second Sunday of March at 2:00:00 AM
   Set Last Day: First Sunday of November at 2:00:00 AM
   
   
5. Click OK to save the changes.

   You need to perform the following steps to ensure that the time zone changes are applied:

6. From the Start menu, select Settings, then Control Panel
7. Double click the Date/Time icon
8. Click the Time Zone tab
9. Select a different time zone and click Apply
10. Select GMT-05:00 Eastern Time (US&Canada) and click Apply

Updates for PDAs and SmartPhones

Devices accessing the Campus Calendar Server via any of the following avenues should be upgraded as soon as possible:

SyncML, Consilient2, NotifyLink, and Oracle Calendar Desktop Sync.

BlackBerry
http://www.blackberry.com/DST2007/patch/index2.shtml

Palm OS Over-the-Air Updater

1. Using the web browser on your Palm http://palmone.r3h.net/downloads.palm.com/DSTUpdater.prc
2. After you click the download link, you'll be asked where to save the file. Select Save To: Applications. Then select Save. When asked if you want to accept "DSTUpdater.prc" into Applications, select Yes.
3. Once you've downloaded the software over-the-air, go to Applications.
4. Tap on the application named DSTUpdater.
5. Tap OK on the screen that appears.
6. Your Palm device is now updated with the new DST rules.

Check the Palm website for more information or to install the DST updater using the Palm Desktop. http://www.palm.com/us/support/downloads/dst_palmos.html

Windows Mobile
Users of Windows Mobile devices should visit the Microsoft website for information and directions for installing the DST updater for their devices. http://www.microsoft.com/windowsmobile/daylightsaving/default.mspx

Verizon Wireless has provided the following additional information for Cornell customers:

VZW is proactively providing tools and resources for Advanced Device users, who will be impacted by this change. This change will impact advanced devices (PDAs/Smartphones) because they maintain their own calendars. Manufacturers are working on patches and fixes in anticipation of the earlier start date, but not all will have a solution by the March 11, 2007 deadline.

Refer to the Verizon Wireless Daylight Saving Time webpage for the latest information and links to update devices.

In summary, here is the impact by device platform:

• BlackBerry: Fix available from http://www.blackberry.com/dst2007/
• Palm OS: Fix available from http://www.palm.com/us/support/downloads/dst.html
• Windows Mobile: Fix available from http://www.microsoft.com/windowsmobile/daylightsaving for impacted Windows Mobile 2003 and Windows Mobile 5.0 devices.

  NOTE: The Microsoft DST fix for Windows mobile devices is a registry edit and will not survive a device hard reset. We encourage customers to take advantage of any available maintenance release updates from the device manufacturer to permanently correct their devices DST timing.

Oracle Calendar Note

Daylight saving time starts on March 11, 2007.

If you created a repeating event between March 11 and April 1, 2007, you may have incorrect start times for these events and for events that fall between October 28 and November 4, 2007. You may find that events on your calendar appear to start one hour later during the date ranges listed above. If so, please correct the start times.

When correcting the start time of an event that has a resource such as a conference room in the list of attendees, you may receive an error message indicating that you cannot schedule this meeting because of a conflict. This will happen if another event using the same resource has been scheduled in the time frame you originally reserved. (The other event's start time may be incorrect also, or a new event may have been scheduled since CIT performed the daylight saving time patch in November 2006.) If you cannot solve this problem, please send e-mail to calendar-backline@cornell.edu for assistance.

Note for Java Developers

From http://java.sun.com/developer/technicalArticles/Intl/USDST/:

The Java Runtime Environment (JRE) stores rules about DST observance all around the globe. Older JREs will have outdated rules that will be superseded by the Energy Policy Act of 2005. As a result, applications running on an older JRE may report incorrect time from March 11, 2007 through April 2, 2007 and from October 29, 2007 through November 4, 2007.

Other things (languages, databases, server software, cell phones, PDAs...) also have required DST patches. The Sun site quoted above only concerns the Sun JREs.