Java Timezone And TZTAB

[AZayed]

Dear Sys Admins,
Good day,

I have a critical issue with our HP-UX systems. Recently we created a new timezone for Syria called "EET-2EEST" in our tztab. Now the system function well but I have an issue with the JAVA. We are using java 1.5 on HP-UX 11.23

As I read java will try to get the right TZ value and compare it with it's internal tzmappings file. The issue is this new TZ not in this file + Asia/Damascus is a not a timezone in our tztab file. So, the java will return to GMT.

How can I recompile /opt/java1.5/jre/lib/tzmappings file to contain the new created timezone ?

I have already used tzupdater tool but I didn't see it useful in my case.

Thanks a lot.

[James R. Ferguson]

Hi:

Google suggests that this might help:

http://www.jdocs.com/javase/7.b12/java/util/TimeZone.html

Regards!

...JRF...

[Dennis Handly]

>we created a new timezone for Syria called "EET-2EEST" in our tztab. I have an issue with the JAVA. Asia/Damascus

Have you talked to HP about adding this to Java and tztab(4)?

I'm not sure if this would have all of the timezone data?
http://java.sun.com/javase/tzupdater_README.html

[AZayed]

Hi JRF, Thanks for reply. I will check this tomorrow. I don't have any knowledge with Java.

Dear Dennis, I didn't talked with HP, but I have this idea in my mind. However, I'm trying to be creative. Also, I have already read this article.

Thanks

[TTr]

Did anything change in Syria this year?

My java 1.5 on my hp-ux 11.11 has Asia/Damascus entry in the time zone library

/opt/java1.5/jre/lib/zi/Asia/Damascus

> How can I recompile /opt/java1.5/jre/lib/tzmappings file to contain the new created timezone ?

You don't. Java does not use tztab, it has it own internal time zone library.

What exactly is the problem? Some applications supply their own java environment and they will not use /opt/java1.5/

[AZayed]

Hi TTr,

The issue is we don't have a rule for DST change. Every year the government decide this before 2 weeks. So, HP / SUN and Microsoft don't provide a patch for Syria Timezone. For our UNIX based system we are updating the files manually.

For SUN we are using zic command. For HP-UX we are using tztab.

Now, we have one application based on JAVA has an issue with the new timezone "EET-2EEST" because JAVA don't have this timezone in it's internal database. I checked tzupdater for HP-UX they don't provide update for Syria but the SUN website contain a patch for java to solve this issue.

But this issue will continue to happen over and over because we don't have a standard rule. That's why we created a new timezone. And we hope to do the same for the Java.

I would like to figure out how I can add this line to tzmappings file and compile it :

EET-2EEST Asia/Damascus

Thanks a lot.

[TTr]

Understood. I am not aware of any tools that would allow you to edit an existing timezone definition in java or create a new definition to replace an existing one. Other than going through the official channels and report it so that it might be included in the next fix, your only option is to get access to the Java source code and see if you can do something there.
The tzmappings is only a lookup table between old and new timezone names for java. It will not do what you want.

[Dennis Handly]

>Every year the government decide this before 2 weeks. So, HP / SUN and Microsoft don't provide a patch for Syria Timezone.

Do you have an official government document giving the details of the exact date/time for the change? You need this if you want HP to update tztab(4).

I assume you've used Clay's dst.pl to check your tztab(4) changes?

>we have one application based on JAVA has an issue with the new timezone "EET-2EEST" because JAVA don't have this timezone in its internal database.

Why would you use "EET-2EEST" instead of Asia/Damascus?

>but the SUN website contain a patch for java to solve this issue.

Does that work?

>TTr: I am not aware of any tools that would allow you to edit an existing timezone definition in java or create a new definition to replace an existing one.

Hmm, I would expect java to have such a tool. Perhaps the are keeping it hidden so customers know that the result is "official"?

[AZayed]

Hi Dennis,
Hope you doing well.

I didn't hear of "Clay's dst.pl" but I would give it a try.

However, I don't want to use Asia/Damascus TZ because it's not accurate. We used zic command to update asia file under Solaris but for HP-UX we ended-up with creating this new TZ to be controlled by us.

[Dennis Handly · Accepted solution]

>I didn't hear of "Clay's dst.pl" but I would give it a try.

See his attachment here:
http://forums.itrc.hp.com/service/forums/questionanswer.do?threadId=1165833

>I don't want to use Asia/Damascus TZ because it's not accurate.

That's why you need to contact HP so it is.

[AZayed]

Hi Dennis,
Hope you doing well.

I hope to find out if you have any information to help me out with this issue.

Thanks a lot.

[Dennis Handly]

>AZayed: I hope to find out if you have any information to help me out with this issue.

Again, you need to contact HP to get this Java timezone added.

[AZayed]

Hi Dennis,
I'm going to call HP for this.

Thanks