What caused the need to change the Daylight Saving Time rules for our hardware and software products?
In the U.S., the Energy Policy Act of 2005 changed the rules for Daylight Saving Time (DST). These new rules went into effect in March 2007. Canada and Bermuda made similar changes to their DST rules to be consistent with the U.S. time changes. DST rules affect date and time processing functions in computers and applications. If not set properly, the time could be incorrect by one hour for four weeks each year. Since DST rules have been relatively stable in these countries for many years, people have come to rely upon automated adjustments in time in connection with their information technology. In order to support the new DST schedule, updates to affected hardware and software are being offered by manufacturers on currently supported product. Products that are outside their support window will need DST functions turned off, and manual time adjustments to show the proper time/date, however there is no guarantee that all the features of the system will function properly.

What are the new dates for the Daylight Saving Time schedule in the U.S., Canada and Bermuda?
Starting in 2007, Daylight Saving Time for the U.S., Canada and Bermuda will be extended by four weeks, starting three weeks earlier on the second Sunday in March and ending one week later on the first Sunday in November. In 2008, DST will end on Sunday, November2, 2008 and begin again on March 8, 2009.

Will I be charged for adjustments or upgrades to my system?
Yes. This change was mandated by the Federal Government and therefore is not covered by your maintenance agreement, however if your system is still within its initial 12 month warranty, you will not be charged for the change if performed between 8 AM and 5 PM, Monday through Friday.

Is this an Operating System only issue?
No, Daylight Saving Time rules changes can affect all kinds of computers, hardware, applications and electronic devices that have built-in DST rules for date and time processing. This is not a vendor specific issue.

What is affected by the DST changes?
Computers and applications in the U.S., Canada and Bermuda with date and time processing functions are affected. Computers and applications in other countries that are not implementing the DST changes can also be impacted if they support users, transactions or applications in the countries that are changing DST. Computers and applications that interact with the U.S., Canada or Bermuda on a time sensitive basis should be updated.

Can the DST change be made by simply updating the system clock?
This is not recommended. If the former DST rules still are defined in your system, a simple change of the clock will not change the DST rules that are used in time and date calculations. Changing system time doesn't change the defined timezones.

My system time is kept up to date by an external time service. Do I need to do anything?
External time services normally only update your system clock and do not change DST rules kept in other parts of your computer or applications. The DST rules need to be changed in all of the places where the rules may be currently kept.

What will happen if I am not able to complete the DST changes on all of the computers and applications across my enterprise prior to November 2, 2008?
Computers and applications that use local time may be off by one hour for the three weeks in March and one week in November. For example, transaction receipts and other time-sensitive data may have incorrect times for the affected period. Each enterprise must assess whether they have applications that are time-sensitive with an appropriate level of attention given to any critical work performed.

How will I determine if I need to apply changes to my systems, and the software that runs on them?
Please download the listing of products, and the actions to take. If you need help identifying your products, please request assistance, and we will contact you shortly.