Daylight Savings Time Affects IT systems and applications

Written by: InfinIT Consulting
Date Published: March 9, 2007

Issue:

Beginning this year daylight savings time (DST) will be lengthened in the US.  Daylight savings time will start on March 11, 2007 (2:00 AM) and will end on November 4, 2007, four weeks longer than we are used to. 

We have all succumb to the pains of daylight savings time, with the dark mornings and early evenings, but for businesses and IT staffs, this year has become increasingly painful with unexpected problems for many computer systems and applications. 

Unless your systems are patched with certain updates, the time zone settings will be incorrect during this four-week time difference. 

Now the first question you may be asking is, do I have to update my computer?  Review the chart below to answer that question for Microsoft products.

List of products affected by daylight saving time

Reason

Congress extended daylight-saving time by three weeks in the spring and one week in the fall as part of a broad energy savings bill passed in 2005. The changes go into effect this year on Sunday, March 11, 2007 (2:00 AM). Time-sensitive applications, mobile devices, and hardware systems may be effected if built and configured for the previous daylight savings time modes.

Resolution

What do I do now?  How do I fix this problem?  For most Microsoft products that contain mainstream support, the patches are provided free of charge.  Products in extended support require an Extended Hotfix Support Agreement; otherwise there will be a $4000 charge for all the DST updates. 

Below you will find the links to the available hotfixes as well as instructions for updating your systems for the most common scenarios.  If you have Windows Update Services in your current network environment it will help to alleviate the time involved updating all systems.

Make sure to synchronize for update rollups to get these patches and approve them for install.

For more advanced issues don’t hesitate to contact InfinIT Consulting to assist at sales@infinitconsulting.com.

Windows Server 2003, Standard Edition (32-bit x86)

• KB 931836 February 2007 cumulative time zone update for Microsoft Windows operating systems
• Download Update for Windows Server 2003, Standard Edition (32-bit x86)

Windows Server 2003, Standard x64 Edition

• KB 931836 February 2007 cumulative time zone update for Microsoft Windows operating systems
• Download Update for Windows Server 2003, Standard x64 Edition

Windows Server 2003 R2 Standard x64 Edition

• KB 931836 February 2007 cumulative time zone update for Microsoft Windows operating systems
• Download Update for Windows Server 2003 R2 Standard x64 Edition

Windows Server 2003 R2 Standard Edition (32-bit x86)

• KB 931836 February 2007 cumulative time zone update for Microsoft Windows operating systems
• Download Update for Windows Server 2003 R2 Standard Edition (32-bit x86)

Windows Small Business Server 2003 Standard Edition

• Download Update for Windows Small Business Server 2003 Standard Edition
• KB 931836 February 2007 cumulative time zone update for Microsoft Windows operating systems
• KB 926666 Update for daylight saving time changes in 2007 for Exchange 2003 Service Pack 2
• KB 931667 How to address the daylight saving time changes in 2007 by using the Time Zone Data Update Tool for Microsoft Office Outlook
• KB 914387 How to configure daylight saving time for the United States in 2007

Windows Small Business Server 2003 Premium Edition

• Download Update for Windows Server 2003 Premium Edition
• KB 931836 February 2007 cumulative time zone update for Microsoft Windows operating systems
• KB 926666 Update for daylight saving time changes in 2007 for Exchange 2003 Service Pack 2
• KB 931667 How to address the daylight saving time changes in 2007 by using the Time Zone Data Update Tool for Microsoft Office Outlook
• KB 914387 How to configure daylight saving time for the United States in 2007

Windows Small Business Server 2003 R2 Standard Edition

• Download Update for Windows Small Business Server 2003 R2 Standard Edition
• KB 931836 February 2007 cumulative time zone update for Microsoft Windows operating systems
• KB 926666 Update for daylight saving time changes in 2007 for Exchange 2003 Service Pack 2
• KB 931667 How to address the daylight saving time changes in 2007 by using the Time Zone Data Update Tool for Microsoft Office Outlook
• KB 914387 How to configure daylight saving time for the United States in 2007

Windows Small Business Server 2003 R2 Premium Edition

• Download Update for Windows Small Business Server 2003 R2 Premium Edition
• KB 931836 February 2007 cumulative time zone update for Microsoft Windows operating systems
• KB 926666 Update for daylight saving time changes in 2007 for Exchange 2003 Service Pack 2
• KB 931667 How to address the daylight saving time changes in 2007 by using the Time Zone Data Update Tool for Microsoft Office Outlook
• KB 914387 How to configure daylight saving time for the United States in 2007

Windows 2000 Professional Edition with Service Pack 4

• KB 914387 Update instructions for Windows 2000 Professional Edition with Service Pack 4
• Support EHSA Purchase Option for Windows 2000 Professional Edition with Service Pack 4

Windows 2000 Server with Service Pack 4

• KB 914387 Update instructions for Windows 2000 Server with Service Pack 4
• Support EHSA Purchase Option for Windows 2000 Professional Edition with Service Pack 4

Windows 2000 Advanced Server with Service Pack 4

• KB 914387 Update instructions for Windows 2000 Professional Edition with Service Pack 4
• Support EHSA Purchase Option for Windows 2000 Professional Edition with Service Pack 4

Exchange Server 2003 Enterprise Edition with Service Pack 2

• KB 926666 Update for Daylight Saving Time changes in 2007 for Exchange Server
• KB 930879 How to address daylight saving time by using the Exchange Calendar Update Tool
• Download Update for Exchange Server 2003 Enterprise Edition with Service Pack 2

Exchange Server 2003 Standard Edition with Service Pack 2

• KB 926666 Update for Daylight Saving Time changes in 2007 for Exchange Server
• KB 930879 How to address daylight saving time by using the Exchange Calendar Update Tool
• Download Update for Exchange Server 2003 Standard Edition with Service Pack 2

Windows SharePoint Services 2.0

• KB 924881 Update for Daylight Saving Time changes in 2007 for Windows SharePoint Services
• Download Update for Windows SharePoint Services 2.0

Windows XP Professional with Service Pack 2

• KB 931836 February 2007 cumulative time zone update for Microsoft Windows operating systems
• Download Update for Windows XP Professional with Service Pack 2

Windows XP Professional x64 Edition with Service Pack 2

• KB 931836 February 2007 cumulative time zone update for Microsoft Windows operating systems
• Download Update for Windows XP Professional x64 Edition with Service Pack 2

Windows XP Professional

• KB 914387 Update instructions for Windows XP Professional
•  Install Service Pack 2 (recommended)

Microsoft Office Outlook 2007

If you have installed Microsoft Outlook 2007, you do not have to use the Time Zone Data Update Tool. However, we recommend that you run the tool because it includes many improvements over the tool that is included with Outlook 2007.

Microsoft Office Outlook 2003

• KB 931667 Update for Daylight Saving Time changes in 2007 for Microsoft Office Outlook
• Download Update for Microsoft Office Outlook 2003

Microsoft Office Outlook 2002 Standard Edition

• KB 931667 Update for Daylight Saving Time changes in 2007 for Microsoft Office Outlook
• Download Update for Microsoft Office Outlook 2002 Standard Edition

Microsoft Office Outlook 2000 Standard Edition

• KB 931667 Update for Daylight Saving Time changes in 2007 for Microsoft Office Outlook
• Download Update for Microsoft Office Outlook 2000 Standard Edition

Microsoft Entourage 2004 for Mac

To update Entourage 2004, download and run the update application.

For most line of business applications as well as non-microsoft products you will want to check with the application or software provider.