Changes to NZ Daylight Savings and what it means for you

What is happening?

The NZ Government has changed the NZ Daylight Savings period so that it starts a week earlier and finishes two weeks later than previous years.

What does this mean for me?

Every server, desktop, laptop & PDA will need to be updated so that the Daylight Savings period for NZ is correct on the PC.

What will happen if I don’t update my computer?

Your servers, desktops & laptops will still operate fine but will not display the correct time during the period of the extension i.e. 30 Sept - 6 Oct 2007 & 23 Mar - 6 Apr 2008. This affects not only your system’s time but also affects any appointments you make in Outlook or other programs.

Is this just like the Y2K issue – just a storm in a teacup?

No. This is not a software bug but a change in NZ law which potentially affects computer systems in many different ways.

What is Microsoft doing about this?

Microsoft has released a number of update patches which address this issue. These patches are designed to correct the time zones on the servers and workstations to reflect the changes. There are certain steps that must be followed for the updates to be successful. Older servers & workstations that are no longer supported by Microsoft (i.e. Windows 2000, Windows 98 & earlier) will not have an update provided to fix this issue and will require manual alteration of the system files to correct the time zone.

How do I update my servers & workstations?

Kinetics will contact you to arrange for an engineer to apply these updates on your network. This will vary based on your network configuration and how many systems require patching. The updates will not cause much disruption to your network, however your servers may require a reboot after the patch is installed. These updates should be installed in quick succession (within 72 hours) to ensure that all affected systems are updated together and no appointments get created between update installs.

Does this problem only affect Microsoft products?

No. This problem may affect third-party software you are running e.g. databases, scheduling systems, backup systems etc and also hardware devices e.g. firewalls. Your Kinetics engineer will liaise with you to identify the affected hardware/software and contact vendors to organize patches or updates.