DST 2007

[Firmenich support]

Hi Guys,

We have one OpenVMS Alpha 7.1 System in our environment.And for the same i want to know whether any DST change patches are available for this version and what is the impact on this version.

[Karl Rohwedder]

Have you read the story at www.openvms.org:

http://www.openvms.org/stories.php?story=07/02/08/6646402

regards Kalle

[Hoff]

Hello,

If this OpenVMS Alpha V7.1 system is located in Switzerland as your registration implies, you probably don't need the TZ fixes -- unless you're doing conversions into and out of the US or Canadian TZs. And if you're doing TZ conversions in general, you might want to look at making periodic updates for your site definitions regardless of the US and Canadian changes, as these TZ changes are fairly common world-wide. (This is all brand-new to many folks in the US, but Australia is quite practiced at these changes, for instance, with multiple DST changes over the past decade or so. DST and TZ changes are common.) The default DST and TZ definitions in most any OpenVMS release are regularly stale, as the definitions change surprisingly often -- each release has the then-current DST and TZ rules, but this is the first time they've been updated by ECO that I can recall. (The master DST and TZ rules list is referenced below.)

There is no ECO for OpenVMS Alpha V7.1.

I do expect there are TZ changes. I don't know if they will affect your site. (Facts not in evidence and all.)

HP is not likely releasing an update for V7.1, as it is not a Prior Version Support (PVS) nor a Current Version Support (CVS) release. There is a self-help roll-your own that's been referenced, though that's only for OpenVMS itself and not for the other pieces that can be affected.

The fastest solid fix is an upgrade to V7.3-2, where there is a DST ECO. You'll also get other current ECOs for OpenVMS Alpha, and I'd not expect anything to be perturbed by this upgrade.

For OpenVMS DST in general, start here:
http://h71000.www7.hp.com/dst.html

For background and related, read here:
http://forums1.itrc.hp.com/service/forums/questionanswer.do?threadId=1097157
http://forums1.itrc.hp.com/service/forums/questionanswer.do?threadId=1096296
http://forums1.itrc.hp.com/service/forums/questionanswer.do?threadId=1092084

You can read about the time and timekeeping (and pointers to the ECO area, and the Off By One Hour behavior, PVS and CVS, etc) here:
http://www.hoffmanlabs.com/vmsfaq/

In particular, the time and timekeeping chapter in the FAQ has details on how to roll your own DST fixes using zic. The chapter as a pointer to the master TZ rules list at (strangely enough) the US NIH organization. (You'd think the US NIST or UN might have this list, but I digress.)

For Java (for both DST and security fixes), read here:
http://h18012.www1.hp.com/java/alpha/DST-US.html

The ECOs for various releases are here:
ftp://ftp.itrc.hp.com/

There are Oracle DST fixes around, as well.
Oracle Metalink articles 359145.1, 329361.1, 397281.1, 359362.1, and 356201.1. There are some details here: http://blogs.oracle.com/otn/stories/storyReader$367

If you want to know with some degree of certainty if any of the rule changes will affect your operation, do test it. Look particularly for the off-by-one-hour bug discussed in the FAQ (which might crop up between the window from the old and new DST definitions).

Also look at the other recent discussions here in ITRC. Some of which are discussed above. (And yes, I reused a little text.)

Stephen Hoffman
HoffmanLabs

[Ian Miller.]

a futher pointer - HP's DST changes page for all their products

http://www.hp.com/go/dst