Technical Notes

Attachmate software products included in the "Applies To" list do not need to be updated to accommodate the enacted changes in the Daylight Saving Time (DST) start and end dates. However, you are advised to update operating systems and Java technology to versions that accommodate the DST changes.

In this note:

Note: For NetIQ products, see https://www.netiq.com/f/downloads/download.asp?id=2CEAE7C9-B0A5-4C54-8C12-6EB8A3C97D69 (PDF).

Explanatory Statement

In the US, Canada, Australia, and other countries, DST start and end dates have changed. In the US (as a result of the U.S. Energy Policy Act of 2005), beginning in 2007, DST will start on the second Sunday in March and end on the first Sunday in November. In 2007, DST will start on March 11 and end on November 4.

Attachmate software products rely on the operating system for their date and time functionality. If the underlying operating system has the required DST patches and updates, then the operation, performance, and functionality of Attachmate software products included in the list above will not be impacted by DST changes, provided that both these conditions exist:

• The Attachmate product is used with accurate date data in accordance with its documentation and the recommendations and exceptions set forth in the Attachmate Technical Notes.
• All other software, firmware, and hardware products properly exchange date data with the Attachmate product.

This Explanatory Statement refers to the Attachmate products as delivered by Attachmate and does not apply to user customizable features, third-party products, or add-on features accompanying or integrated into the Attachmate products.

Java Advisory

Because Java stores date and time rules for DST, these rules may need to be updated to accommodate DST changes.

Many Attachmate products rely on Java technology, for example:

The version of the installed Java technology determines whether you need to upgrade—and if an upgrade is necessary, which option to use to update the time zone data.

Finding Your Version(s) of JDK/JRE

Multiple versions of Java may be installed.

To find the versions of JDK/JRE:

1. On Windows, search for java.exe. Note the directory, which may look like these examples:

2. At the command prompt, cd to the directory and run java -version.

To find the version of your Java plug-in (used by Java applets that run within a web browser):

1. In the Windows Control Panel, open Java (or Java Plug-in).
2. Click About (tab or button, depending on version).

For further information on determining the Java plug-in version on other operating systems, see the "Determining Which Virtual Machine" section of Technical Note 1674.

Updating the Java Time Zone Data

The following Java platform versions already include updated DST rules:

Further updates are needed if any of these conditions exist:

• Your installed Java (JDK/JRE) platform is earlier than the versions listed above, then you need to update or upgrade to a newer version.
  • If the version is 1.4 or later, you can update your installed Java time zone data by Using Sun's Java Time Zone Updater Tool. For example, this is appropriate for JDK 1.4.2_02 that ships with Synapta Services Builder products and Management & Control Services.

• If the Java platform version is earlier than 1.4, you can update time zone data by Upgrading to a Newer Java Platform Version.
• You have Java application code that uses deprecated three-letter identifiers EST, MST, or HST for Eastern, Mountain, and Hawaiian time zones, see Sun Alert 102836 for Java, http://java.sun.com/developer/technicalArticles/Intl/alert.html.

Using Sun's Java Time Zone Updater Tool

Follow these steps to update your installed Java time zone data (JDK/JRE version 1.4 or later). If you are using Reflection for the Web version 8.x or higher, follow the steps in that section.

1. Download the JDK US DST Timezone Updater Tool from http://java.sun.com/javase/downloads/index.jsp. (Scroll to find JDK US DST Timezone Update Tool – 1.1.0.)

2. Extract the downloaded archive file to a convenient temporary directory.
3. Open a command window and navigate to tzupdater in the temporary directory.
4. Enter the following command to run to updater tool:

5. To test whether the update was successful, enter the command:

Reflection for the Web version 8.x or higher

If you installed the JDK that ships with Reflection for the Web, you may need to update the JDK on all machines that run the Reflection Management Server and Reflection Security Proxy (if installed).

If you install Reflection for the Web version 9.5 with the automated Windows or Linux installers, the DST-updated JDKs are already included. Installers for other platforms may not contain DST-ready JDKs, so test them as described below.

Note: If Reflection was installed with an automated installer, the Java updater tool is recommended because upgrading to a higher version of the JDK may cause the automated uninstaller to not work after that.

Follow these steps to update the JDK.

1. Download the JDK US DST Timezone Update Tool from http://java.sun.com/javase/downloads/index.jsp. (Scroll to find JDK US DST Timezone Update Tool – 1.1.0.)

2. Extract the downloaded archive file to a convenient temporary directory on all Reflection servers and all security proxy servers (if on different machines).
3. Stop the services for Reflection Server and Reflection Security Proxy Server before you update the JDK. (You'll restart them after the update is complete.)
4. Open a command window and navigate to the tzupdater (in the temporary directory).
5. In the command, include the path to the java\bin folder of the JDK. This is different from the Sun Java plug-in (jvm) on the machine.

6. Run the updater tool with the test switch:

7. To update, run the tool with the update switch (and verbose switch if you want to view the details of the process):

8. To verify that the JDK has been updated, run with the test and verbose switch again:

9. Restart the services for Reflection Server and Reflection Security Proxy Server.
10. The JVMs (Java Plug-in) on all client machines using Reflection for the Web must be updated or upgraded to a DST ready version also.

Upgrading to a Newer Java Platform Version

To obtain a newer Java platform, go to http://java.sun.com/downloads/.

Recent versions of the Java Plug-in on Windows have an automated update feature that can be accessed within Control Panel.

Scripts, Macros, or Other Programming Code

Many Attachmate products (such as EXTRA!, Reflection, and Verastream) provide the ability to create or modify code, scripts, or macros. If you developed any custom code, scripts, or macros with DST rules for date and time processing, you are advised to make the appropriate changes.

In Verastream Integration Broker, an updated zoneinfo.tar file (in the pardir directory) is applicable when reading and writing date/time values in XML documents. This file is included in version 9.9 (see also Technical Note 10071). For version 9.8 and earlier, download an updated zoneinfo.tar file.

Impact

If the operating system or Java runtime environment has not been updated to handle the DST changes, then the effect of using Attachmate products will vary depending on what functionality is being used.

Contact Attachmate Technical Support if you wish to discuss the potential impact on your site.

Additional Resources

Refer to the following web sites for specific information on updating your operating systems, Java, and related environments.

Microsoft

HP e3000

IBM products (including AIX 5.3)

Java

Java for HP-UX

Red Hat Enterprise Linux

Sun Solaris

Notice

This technical note is provided for informational purposes only and may be updated if additional information becomes available.