ELM Bulletin - February 28, 2007
Daylight Saving Time And Your Computer
In 2007 the beginning and ending dates for Daylight Saving Time (DST) are being changed to give a total of four additional weeks on DST. Some analysts believe that this change will have a greater impact on business than the Y2K issue of 2000. In this month's ELM Bulletin we tell you what the problem is and what you can do about it.
THE PROBLEM – Starting in 2007, Daylight Saving Time for most of North America will begin on the second Sunday in March and will end on the first Sunday in November. In other words our clocks will lose an hour on March 11th (instead of April 1st) and gain an hour on November 4th (instead of October 28th). This is a significant change from previous years in that DST will begin three weeks earlier and end one week later than usual.
On the previous DST schedule our computers automatically made this adjustment at the scheduled times. Now, unless the computer has been fully patched, many computers and servers will not correctly take the new DST schedule into account. When North America switches to DST on March 11th many computers will not recognize DST until April 1st; these computers will also switch back to EST on October 28th, one week before the rest of North America does on November 28th.
The impact of this is that for three weeks in March and one week in November many computers will be an hour ahead of every other computer in the world. This will affect all scheduled events and time critical applications such as time-card recording or banking transactions.
THE SOLUTION – Some options to help you resolve the problem have been listed below, please contact us if you would like our assistance in applying these options:
Option 1: Update Your Computer/Server– If your computers and/or servers have the most recent updates and security patches installed you should already be prepared for the new DST schedule. If your system is not up-to-date you can visit the websites listed here for further information:
- DST Information for PC users: http://support.microsoft.com/gp/cp_dst
- DST Information for Mac users*: http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=305056
* Please note that all other information in this ELM Bulletin applies to Windows based PCs only
Our thanks to MW, an ELM Bulletin reader, for forwarding the above links
General DST information: http://tf.nist.gov/general/history.htm
You can take the following steps to ensure that Microsoft updates and security patches are automatically installed on your computer(s):
- Right click on My Computer (either in the Start Menu or on the Desktop)
- Select Properties
- Select the Automatic Updates tab
- Ensure that Automatic (recommended) is selected
- Choose the update frequency you desire, default is Every day
- Choose the time to download and install the updates, default is 3:00 AM, choose a time when the computer will be running
- Click on OK
Your computer is now configured to automatically download and install critical updates and security patches.
Option 2: Change The Time Manually – If you cannot spare the time to update your computer you can also change the time manually when DST begins and ends. To change the time on most Windows based PCs take the following steps:
- Double click the clock in the System Tray on the lower right of most Windows desktops
- Click on the hour (should be the current time) in the field below the clock in the Date and Time Properties dialog box that appears
- Either enter the correct hour for DST or click on the buttons to the right of the time field to raise or lower the hour accordingly
- Click on OK
While you are in the Date and Time Properties dialog ensure that your computer will automatically adjust the clock for DST. To do this you can:
- Click on the Time Zone tab in the Date and Time Properties dialog
- Select the correct time zone from the drop down list
- If DST is applicable in the selected time zone a check box labeled Automatically adjust clock for daylight saving changes will be displayed at the bottom of the dialog, ensure that it has been checked
- Click on OK
Your computer is now configured to automatically adjust its clock when DST begins and ends.
Additional Concerns– Once DST has been properly accounted for you your computer there are several other areas that require attention. The list below is not exhaustive but will serve as a starting point:
1 – Time And Attendance Systems – Many firms track employee time with automated systems of swipe cards or sign-in systems. Although ELM does not support such systems we do support the computers that receive data from them and recommend that you both ensure that the computer handles DST appropriately and that the organization supporting your time and attendance system ensure that it also handles DST properly.
2 – Alarm Systems – Although not as critical since they are typically managed from a central location, it would be a good idea to confirm with your security service that your alarm system has been updated with the new DST schedule.
As always, please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions about this or any other issue.
Past issues of the ELM Bulletin are available from our website, feel free to forward them to anyone you wish.
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Peter Rhebergen Telephone |
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