Microsoft DST 2007 Issue
Problem
Due to federally mandated changes in Daylight Savings Time, Microsoft Windows operating systems and calendar applications may handle time inaccurately for the periods March 11, 2007 to April 1, 2007 and October 28, 2007 to November 4, 2007. In particular, time may be inaccurately displayed an hour ahead between March 11 and April 1 and an hour ahead between October 28 and November 4 on Windows computers and in Outlook and Outlook Web Access applications.
(Refer http://www.microsoft.com/windows/timezone/dst2007.mspx)
Solutions
Summary
Facilities will release server and client operating system and Exchange fixes and updates the evening of Sunday, February 4, to coincide with the release of Oracle Calendar fixes. Users may need to run an Outlook update tool if they create meetings, appointments, or reminders after this fix deployment and before their system has received the OS patch.
Detail
To address the DST changes, Microsoft has released several hotfixes and tools. The hotfixes address time zone changes on MS mainstream-supported server and client operating systems as well as Exchange servers and are relatively straightforward. The tools address a particular problem caused by the way Outlook versions earlier than Outlook 2007 handle timezone information for appointments, meetings, and reminders.
- Operating system fixes
- Windows XP SP2 and Server 2003: Microsoft released hotfixes for Windows XP SP2 and Server 2003 as 'optional' updates via Windows update during the December patch cycle (Refer KB928388). Microsoft intends to change this to 'critical' during January to coincide with the release of the Exchange fix and the Outlook/Exchange tools.
- Facilities will release the hotfixes for client and server hosts at the same time as the Exchange fix is applied to minimize possible discrepancies caused by out of sync clients.
- Windows XP pre-SP2, Windows 2000, Windows NT, Windows 9x: Microsoft has provided guidance on manually adjusting timezone information, either via registry edits or though use of a specific GUI tool (refer KB914387).
- Facilities will release the registry fix to domain member hosts. We can also provide an executable to apply the fix to non-domain computers, including Windows 9x.
- NOTE: It's proposed to patch all supported, domain machines via script and GPO prior to releasing the WSUS patch. Thus we can cover both uplevel and downlevel systems while also helping ensure that as many machines as possible are updated synchronously and that WSUS clients will continue to have all 'critical' updates installed.
- Windows XP SP2 and Server 2003: Microsoft released hotfixes for Windows XP SP2 and Server 2003 as 'optional' updates via Windows update during the December patch cycle (Refer KB928388). Microsoft intends to change this to 'critical' during January to coincide with the release of the Exchange fix and the Outlook/Exchange tools.
- Outlook/Exchange application fixes
- Outlook 2003 and earlier: Microsoft plans to release a tool in January to allow users to manually correct calendar events and reminders. The tool's functionality is a bit complex given a quirk with Outlook versions earlier than Outlook 2007: recurring meetings have timezone information embedded in them while reminders and single instance meetings do not. Thus the tool will automatically correct recurring meetings for which the user is the organizer, but it will provide the user the option of correcting single instance meetings and reminders as it has no way of determining timezone information for the records. The tool will also stamp single instance meetings and reminders with timezone information, so subsequent uses of the tool or timezone changes should have no problematic impact. (Refer KB931667)
- Facilities will provide the Outlook tool for users to apply at their discretion.
- Exchange: Microsft has released a hotfix for Exchange 2003 SP2 specifically addressing CDO changes impacting OWA (Refer KB926666). Microsoft plans to release a tool in January to allow Exchange administrators to batch update mailboxes on Exchange servers (Refer KB931667). The tool differs from the Outlook tool in that it automatically changes all event records: recurring events as well as single instance events and reminders will be changed and stamped.
- Facilities will apply the Exchange tool to all mailboxes immediately subsequent to the application of server OS and Exchange server fixes.
- Outlook 2003 and earlier: Microsoft plans to release a tool in January to allow users to manually correct calendar events and reminders. The tool's functionality is a bit complex given a quirk with Outlook versions earlier than Outlook 2007: recurring meetings have timezone information embedded in them while reminders and single instance meetings do not. Thus the tool will automatically correct recurring meetings for which the user is the organizer, but it will provide the user the option of correcting single instance meetings and reminders as it has no way of determining timezone information for the records. The tool will also stamp single instance meetings and reminders with timezone information, so subsequent uses of the tool or timezone changes should have no problematic impact. (Refer KB931667)