Daylight Savings Time - Fix for Windows 2000 Servers

Managed Dedicated Server BLOG | FastServers.Net ^ | March 5, 2007 8:47 AM | Brandon Ewing

[ThomasThomas]

They didn’t have daylight savings time last year or the year before?

[Boundless]

I ran into this last year, too, and downloaded
and configured tzedit then.

It’s still set to CST, start time 2:00AM 2nd Sunday Mar.

It didn’t work last night.
__________
Windows: Mr.Bill’s fragile collage of DOS patches.

[Justa]

It’s just a reg hack. You can write a .reg yourself and share with friends. We did it in a timezone where MS set the timezone dates to the US dates, not local!

[Justa]

"But I still had to use this fix on all my server2000 machines."

Add the .exe or a .bat for the .reg to the Default Domain Controller GPO Startup/Script. That way you can set the dates months out and forget it.

[Beagle8U]

“how has it come to pass that this generally imcompetant operating system controls the world?”

I watched a program on TV last night that covered exactly your question. I think it was called “Browser Wars” or the history of the Internet.

It was a very interesting program.

[Pablo64]

Thanks for the info. I had also forgotten that we messed with the starting time for DST this year, so you’re right, pre-programmed changes will likely mess up people again.

[MarkL]

Add the .exe or a .bat for the .reg to the Default Domain Controller GPO Startup/Script. That way you can set the dates months out and forget it.

Ack! Don't do that! Simply use TZEDIT to change the start and end dates for DST on the servers. Then, if Congress decides to monkey with it again, simply use TZEDIT again. You don't need to worry about any other sort of fix (unless you told Windows NOT to change local time for DST during the installation).

Mark

[MarkL]

Thanks for the info. I had also forgotten that we messed with the starting time for DST this year, so you’re right, pre-programmed changes will likely mess up people again.

Congress changed them both! If you only changed the start date back then, then you'd need to change the end date now. Or do I have it backwards. I can never remember. Anyway, if Congress decides to monkey with it again, just use TZEDIT again.

Mark

[mysterio]

I have a better fix. Repeal DST.

[Pablo64]

Thankfully, it appears that my Mac has figured out how to handle it even with Congress monkeying around with it.

[Bloody Sam Roberts]

wouldn’t it just be easier to manually change the time on each machine?

Yes. Easy to do...but not all at the same time. Many other 3rd party applications depend on the time on the server to be correct...or at least synchronous. A difference of an hour can cause problems for automated backup and recovery software for instance. If the Admin waited until next day to change the time, the problems have already manifested themselves.

[MarkL]

Probably built into an auto-loaded patch, but it would definitely be built into Leopard 10.5, since it shipped after Congress made the change.

Mark

[Richard Kimball]

I run all Macs at home, and they updated automatically with no problem. I have Panther and Tiger on the machines. Apparently the fix was included in the automatic updates for older systems.

They run Windows at my college, so I don't know what I'll find on Monday. On PCs, I've generally found the clocks to be about as accurate as the ones they used to put in 1960s cars.

[Justa]

Ok, now imagine having to manage 50 DCs and remoting into each one for this fix. Setting it in a .reg then calling that with a batch file to a Startup Script on the server GPO takes 10 minutes to setup and is automated thereafter. It’s set yearly for the DST dates. I’ve done it all kinds of ways, including an .exe and remoting in. The solution I presented is the most efficient for large numbers of servers and remote servers.

[MarkL]

Ok, now imagine having to manage 50 DCs and remoting into each one for this fix. Setting it in a .reg then calling that with a batch file to a Startup Script on the server GPO takes 10 minutes to setup and is automated thereafter. It’s set yearly for the DST dates. I’ve done it all kinds of ways, including an .exe and remoting in. The solution I presented is the most efficient for large numbers of servers and remote servers.

Actually, we do it the same way... I thought that you were one with just a few servers or workstations. Your network is quite a bit larger than ours. We've only got about 230 servers, and about 200 workstations at our HQ, and about 2700 workstations at remote stores.

Mark