Y2K+7.3-11: Are You Prepared for the March 11, 2007 Time Change?
By Ron Lander, CPP, CMAS
A little over seven years ago, the chatter in the Information Technology (IT) community was all about the Y2K “bug”. Well, we survived, for the most part, thanks to the countless books, magazine articles, lectures about preparing and checking systems for this potential hiccup in technology.
Now, thanks to The Energy Policy Act of 2005, Daylight Saving Time has been extended and adjusted for at least the next two years and has the potential of causing problems and inconvenience, and possible legal exposure in many facets of our day to day lifestyle.
There’s no concern about repeating the worse case scenarios of Y2K, but users who have date and time applications could be affected unless they have prepared for March 11, 2007.
Prior to The Energy Policy Act of 2005, most of North America observed Daylight Saving Time from 2:00 a.m. on the first Sunday of April to 2:00 a.m. on the last Sunday of October. Due to the vertical alignment of the time zones, Canada has also altered their time adjustment, but Mexico’s rules will remain the same.
Beginning this year, most of the North America will begin Daylight Saving Time at 2:00 a.m. on the second Sunday in March (11th) and revert to standard time on the first Sunday in November (4th). This will give us an additional month of “daylight” time.
There’s another caveat! The new law was created as an effort to reduce the cost of energy. The savings from extending time, which was originally planned for two months, and amended to one month, was about 1/2 of 1%. We can assume the savings from a one-month extension would be roughly half of that, .25%. Others believe that the savings could be between 1 and 3%. However, there are some in the IT community that feel that the energy and money expended in programmers will be more, while some officials feel that the extra daylight time will cause Americans to stay on the streets an additional hour, running errands, etc. and will washout the energy savings, but give the economy a little “bump”. The Secretary of Energy will report the impact of this change to Congress, and Congress retains the right to resume the 2006 Daylight Saving Time schedule once the Department of Energy study is complete, therefore possibly starting another round of re-programming! A good analysis of the Act can be found at: www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Energy_Policy_Act_of_2005.
Daylight Saving Time is NOT observed in Hawaii, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and Arizona. The Navajo Nation utilizes the Daylight Saving Time policy, even in Arizona, due to its large size and location in three states. On the other hand, the Hopi Nation, whose territory is surrounded by the Navajo Nation, has chosen not to use DST.
A Little Bit of History
Implementation of Daylight Saving Time has been laden with controversy since Benjamin Franklin first created the idea. Even today, regions and countries routinely change their approaches to Daylight Saving Time.
The United States implemented DST during both World War I and World War II.
Each year since 1966 when the Uniform Time Act was introduced, most of the country has observed Daylight Saving Time. A 1986 amendment meant that those States that recognize Daylight Saving Time move clocks forward an hour at 2.00 am on the first Sunday of April to the last Sunday in October.
Terrorists in Israel learned about the DST time rules the hard way in 1999 when a bomb they had smuggled from the West Bank (in a different time zone) exploded one hour early, killing them and not the busload of passengers they had planned to kill.
Daylight Saving Time is usually hailed by Fire Departments to get the message to consumers to change the smoke alarm batteries at home. Although 90 percent of homes have smoke alarms, about one third are estimated to have missing or flat batteries. Hopefully, the Fire Departments and battery suppliers will be geared-up to handle the change.
DST is unpopular among people working in the agriculture industry and parents of school children who have to wait in the dark for their bus for three extra weeks, because they must rise with the sun regardless of what the clock says.
Security/Fire Alarm Systems
Security and Fire Alarm Systems are vital tools for both businesses and residences and pose the highest risk of exposure to users and Integrators. Their Control Panels have onboard memory that logs openings, closings, trouble signals and alarms. All alarm control panels have a Realtime Clock Chip that was most likely installed without the new rules. During the three week period between the new and traditional DST dates, these “timestamps” will most likely be off by an hour. Also, they will be off again during the additional one week at the end of the DST period (Oct. 29-Nov. 4). This “timestamp” is sometimes used in legal matters concerning whether or not a user really turned the alarm on for the night. Also, Central Stations that process alarm signals are often positioned to receive a “timer test” during a certain window and will be calling the user if the window is not fulfilled. In this new millennium, most Central Stations are automated with custom systems that will most likely have incorporated the change. If they aren’t automated, they will have personnel on site at 2:00 am on March 11.
In addition to the internal issues, if the keypad has a clock display, it will obviously be incorrect during these periods. Many modern alarm systems can be re-programmed remotely.
If you are an end user, call your alarm company to find out what they are doing about this issue. They will have to either send a technician out or they can reprogram the system remotely. Either way, since this is a service call that is not the fault of the alarm company, you will likely be charged for the service call.
If you are an Integrator, contact your respective manufacturer as soon as possible. I have found that many technology developers have not released their plans as of this writing.
Access Control Systems
Access Control Systems (ACS) can also be a problem for users. ACS derive their time data from one of three sources: From the firmware on a stand-alone system, from the Windows® based computer connected to the ACS, or via a radio signal on a web-hosted system connected to a local cell phone tower. Steve VanTill, CEO of Brivo, Inc. stated, "This is nothing more than a simple data transfer which occurs between Brivo's hosted applications and control panels, just like any other data transfer that is part of daily operations. Our ability to perform this type of maintenance seamlessly on behalf of our dealers and their customers is another example of the architectural strength of Brivo's web-hosted access control system." If you have an ACS that is connected to a Windows® computer, you must ensure that your clock is updated. If you have a stand-alone system, contact your service provider for information on updating the clock.
ACS is likely to be the major culprit in this time change situation. If the clock does not change correctly, employees can find themselves locked outside parking lots, buildings and elevators. Conversely, these facilities will remain open an extra hour at the end of the work day! Burglars who know of this “glitch” can potentially walk through business parks trying doors until they find one unlocked.
Make sure you check with your service provider to determine the correct course of action.
If you utilize a storage facility to store your inventory and your crew(s) goes there in the morning before starting their day, contact the management and see how they are handling this matter. In most cases, their ACS gets the time from a Windows® computer. However, if they don’t install the patch (see below), your crew will be stuck at the front gate for the first hour.
Video Surveillance Systems
Video Surveillance leaves another liability hole. If nothing is done, your video recorder (Video Cassette Recorder (VCR) and Digital Video Recorder[DVR]) will be incorrect by an hour for three weeks now and for a week before November 4, 2007. If you have a Windows® or Linux® based system, follow the direction of the Computer section below.
If you have a personal video recorder attached to your television, like TIVO®, DirecTV PVR or cable set-top boxes, the systems get their time from the satellite or cable signal. If you have a stand-alone unit, you will probably have to adjust the time manually.
For video surveillance systems, Ray Bernard, PSP, CHS-III of Ray Bernard Consulting stated there would still be a problem even if you adjusted the time according to the rule. This is because the later change in the year (November 4) adds an hour (see Hour interchange below), so if your Video System accurately reflected the time change and embedded that in the video image, you would have one hour of video during which you can't tell what time it is.
One solution Ray mentioned is to append the time zone initials to the time stamp. This way the two hours period, you would have (for example) 1:00 PDT and then 1:00 PST at the point of the time change. If you don't do that, there isn't a way to differentiate between two different video clips with the same time stamp.
We don't know how many video systems would allow that kind of time stamp, but where the time stamp resides in a multitude of VCRs or DVRs, how could they security office on duty change the time stamp at the correct instant? This is a situation where Network Video Recorders (NVRs) have an advantage -- providing that they contain the capability for including the time zone in the video time stamp.
Many DVRs do support Simple Network Time Protocol (SNTP), like the Honeywell DRV, but I have not encountered a single installation (out of dozens) that actually implemented SNTP for their DVRs, Bernard said.
Some network cameras support one or the other of the protocols, such as the Axis 205 camera (NTP), and the KOBI K-32CL (SNTP).
Network Time Protocols
One way to address this with networked field devices is to utilize the Network Time Protocol (NTP) or Simple Network Time Protocol (SNTP) to synchronize all devices. Many field devices (like access control panels, panel-less IP readers, HVAC and lighting control panels) obtain their time information from a central system server.
The Scientific Working Group on Imaging Technology of the International Association for Identification has a 2004 recommendations paper (attached) citing these two protocols. These recommendations are echoed by the FBI Laboratory publication, Forensic Science Communications, January 2007 – Volume 9 – Number 1, at this link: http://www.fbi.gov/hq/lab/fsc/current/descript.htm.
Security Industry Association (SIA) has done some standards work that includes recommendations relating to use of NTP for video time stamping. I provided a link to this PDF because it's 5MB:
http://www.siaonline.org/standards/dv/minutes_dv_20040929.pdf
Building Management Systems
Building Management Systems will also have to be addressed. If you have lighting on a timer system, the timer must be changed to accommodate the workers who will arrive in the dark around 7:00 am. If your elevators are on timers, they must also be adjusted. Your landscape watering system may also have to be adjusted so your personnel are not walking through the parking lot in the dark, dodging sprinklers. For example, a few years ago in California, an SUV packed with teenagers struck the median of a street and flipped over, killing a teen and injuring several others. The young driver, fighting charges of felony vehicular manslaughter, claimed that the street was dangerously wet and unsafe due to a lawn sprinkler system. The landscaper who was responsible for the computerized sprinklers testified that the sprinklers were set to come on more than fifteen minutes after the fatal accident. The outcome hinged on whether the sprinklers' timer had been adjusted for a recent Daylight Saving Time change, for without the DST adjustment, the sprinklers had close to 45 minutes to make the road slick.
Desktop and Laptop Computer Systems (including PC-based DVRs)
All of the mainstream computer operating systems have reported that they are prepared for the new rules. ALL Computer users will have to go to the respective website, however, and download the time change patch to make it work. To verify, go to their website and look for information on the time change. If it is not readily available, type “Daylight Saving Time” in their search engine. All of the server programs should make the appropriate changes, too, as long as System Administrators should check for patches and verify that time changes appropriately the first thing in the morning of March 11.
All Windows operating systems must be patched for 2007. Microsoft has issued patches for it at: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/914387
The newly released Windows Vista® Operating System already has the new DST rules, but I don’t think it is worth the money and time expended to load, if this is the only reason you bought it!
UNIX, Linux and Apple Computers
UNIX, Linux and MACINTOSH OS X systems basically use the zoneinfo utility which allows a single time zone to have multiple DST rules to handle changes from year to year. As soon as a rule change is announced, it can be added to the system. All the library routines which calculate times access this database, so software that queries whether a particular date will have DST in effect (for the time zone of the process) will get the correct answers, as long as the time zone rule is correct for the year in question.
JAVA Applications
If you run JAVA Applications, the Runtime Environment (JRE) stores time rules for the entire world. However, older versions will not have the old rules that will be superseded by the new rules. Therefore, the time will be off during the two new time periods. JAVA releases since version 1.3 use a similar database to Unix, so rules for multiple years (not just the current year) can be represented. This database is integrated into the JRE and is separate from the underlying operating system's time zone database, so the JRE must also be updated when DST rules change. It is located in the lib/zi directory. Users who use auction sites and fantasy sports sites, for example, should verify if the times changes properly on March 11.
Many software programs that are resident on your computer will also need an upgrade to make the new rules work. If the program draws the time from your system clock, there will be no problem, as long as it changes properly. However, some programs require the user to enter the time zone as part of the initial setup. The program then uses an algorithm to calculate the time. If you have a time-sensitive program on your computer, check with the service provider to make sure everything converts properly.
Be careful that you don’t “double dip”. If you use an outside method to change your time and don’t disable your computer’s clock, you may end up with a double time change on the first Sunday of April.
Many desktop and laptop users are using Windows XP®, which has an atomic clock sync feature built in and included as part of their operating system. If you have Windows XP ® and wish to check your synchronization settings, look for the clock at the bottom right and double click on the time to bring up your time settings. You can adjust your local time and date by hand on the first tab, you can adjust your time zone location on the second, and on the third, labeled Internet Time, you can view your current atomic clock sync settings, according to their website. If your computer is a member of a domain, your computer clock is probably synchronized automatically by a network time server.
Atomic Clock
This is a good opportunity to convert to an atomic clock for all of your computers. Many organizations, like the “World Time Server” will provide periodic time checks with an atomic clock, in lieu of the computer’s clock. While the WorldTimeServer.com can help users look up accurate times around the world, many users keep their local computer clock accurate, too. Atomic Clock Synchronization is the best way to make this happen, according to their website. A shareware program that also coordinates computer time with an atomic clock can be downloaded at www.atomtime.com/.
Personal Data Assistants (PDAs)
BlackBerry®
Since nearly 6 million Americans use a BlackBerry®, I thought I would provide some key information from their website at www.blackberry.com/select/dst2007/. It is important to note that “synching” with your computer will NOT solve the time problem:
When the DST dates change in March 2007, BlackBerry® devices will not update their clocks for the affected time zones if no patches for impacted BlackBerry® software and third party software (e.g. for Microsoft® Windows see www.microsoft.com/windows/timezone/dst2007.mspx) are applied. As a result, your BlackBerry® device might not display correct time zone information for certain time periods during the year.
Appointments and their reminders might appear 1 hour late on your BlackBerry® device if the appointments start in one of the following windows in any year:
In addition to the display time on the BlackBerry® device not transitioning correctly when the new DST start and end dates occur, there is an impact to the calendar features on the BlackBerry® device.
The way a calendar appointment is affected depends on whether it was created using an old DST table (i.e. no patch applied) with historical DST information or using a new DST table (i.e. after patch is applied) with the updated 2007 DST information.
Scenarios
Scenario #1: Any single instance or recurring appointments that were created using the new DST table, start in the specified windows, and display using an old DST table, appear 1 hour early.
- Example 1
An appointment that starts on 15 March 2007, and was created on a computer that has been updated with the 2007 DST information (including any server updates required to support the new 2007 DST table). The computer is wirelessly synchronized to a BlackBerry® device that has not been updated with the new 2007 DST table.
Result: This appointment will appear correctly on the computer and 1 hour early on the BlackBerry® device.
- Example 2
An appointment that starts on 20 March 2007, and was created on a BlackBerry® device that has been updated with the 2007 DST information. The BlackBerry® device is wirelessly synchronized to a computer that has not been updated with the new 2007 DST table (including any server updates required to support the new 2007 DST table).
Result: This appointment will appear correctly on the BlackBerry® device and 1 hour early on the computer.
Scenario #2: Any single instance or recurring appointments that were created using the old DST table and start in the specified windows, and display using the new DST table, appear 1 hour late.
- Example 1
An appointment that starts on 23 March 2007, and was created on a computer that has not been updated with the 2007 DST information. The computer is wirelessly synchronized to a BlackBerry® device that has been updated with the new 2007 DST table.
Result: This appointment will appear correctly on the computer and 1 hour late on the BlackBerry® device.
- Example 2
An appointment that starts on 19 March 2007, and was created on a BlackBerry® device that has not been updated with the 2007 DST information. The BlackBerry® device is wirelessly synchronized to a computer that has been updated with the new 2007 DST table (including any server updates required to support the new 2007 DST table).
Result: This appointment will appear correctly on the BlackBerry® device and 1 hour late on the computer.
There is a good likelihood that users of other PDAs will be faced with the same issues.
It is suggested that PALM® users change the date on both the real DST date AND the old date! The company plans to have a patch available by sometime in February, 2007.
Contact your service provider for specific information as soon as possible.
Cell Phones
Many cell phones receive their time from the cell towers. However, if you use the calendar function on your phone, you may have to adjust the internal clock. Many cell phone carriers have not pushed the Windows Mobile patches out to their customers. Here is a page about the mobile phone patches: www.edgeblog.net/2007/daylight-saving-time-windows-mobile-fix/. If you have any questions, contact your service provider.
GPS Units
Most GPS units get their time by user input from the satellite. When you change the clock in your car, you will also have to also change the time on the GPS Unit. You must also DELETE the “Daylight Savings Time” capability on the unit or you will have another “double dip”. Some GPS units get the time from the satellite, so make sure the time change was not invoked on the unit before you make any changes. Future map updates will have the new DST protocols, but confirm that with your provider.
Crime Prevention and the Police
Many Police Departments now have automated citation systems. If an officer stops and cites a violator at 2:30 am on March 11, the printer will eject a ticket with 1:30 am on it, if the time change is not incorporated in the remote unit. The violator can then bring 12 witnesses to court attesting that the “violator” was with them at 1:30 am. Beyond this issue, other automated remote functions can be affected, like Breath Analysis units, Laptop computers, and Dispatch Systems. If the base unit has been reprogrammed and one of the officers did not get the change, it could cause a software crash.
On the positive side, a study by the U.S. Law Enforcement Assistance Administration (LEAA) found that crime was consistently less during periods of extra daylight than during comparable standard time periods. Data showed violent crime down 10 to 13 percent. For most crimes where darkness is a factor, such as street attacks, there are many more incidents after dusk than before dawn, so light in the evening is most welcome.
Law Enforcement and other organizations that have 24-hour operations must also be prepared to conduct their DST shift change three weeks early.
Telephone Systems
Stand-alone digital telephone systems with a time display will need to be changed at the first opportunity after March 11. Networked telephone systems with a Key Service Unit (KSU) that serves as the central control for the systems are usually only capable of being reprogrammed by your in-house telephone equipment contractor. Contact them about the procedure for making changes in light of this new situation.
Sunrise, Sunset
For planning purposes, the sun will begin to rise between 7:00 am and 7:10 am on March 11. It will begin to set between 6:50 pm and 7:00 pm in the evening. On November 3, the last night of Daylight Saving Time this year, the sun will start to set at around 6:00pm. Pedestrian deaths of Children are four times higher on Halloween than for any other night. At least this new law will mean that some children's lives will be saved because trick or treaters will have an hour more of light.
Frankly, most alarm companies don’t have the time and personnel to service the approximate 23% of the households and 90% of the businesses nationwide that have alarms, access control systems and video surveillance systems. The Energy Act was enacted with 18 months to prepare software companies, security providers and the general public for this change, which would be transparent if we didn’t utilize so much electronics.
If you have concerns about a particular technology product, go to the company’s website and see if there is a section that references the time change. If not, navigate to their search engine or knowledge base. Type in “DST”, Daylight Saving Time” (not Savings) and begin the search. If there is no mention of the time change, go to their “Contact Us” block and send an email to their “Support” unit. Don’t stand around waiting for an answer. I am still waiting for responses from 75% of my inquiries.
As a rule of thumb, if you have an electronic device and you had to setup the time (and time zone) when you originally purchased it, there is a strong likelihood there will be a problem on March 11.
March 11 will not be the end of the world. Some workers will be an hour late. Under the present rules, about 25% had the “I missed the time change” excuse. It is estimated that closer to 50% will have this excuse on March 12. Lastly, don’t forget to SPRING your own clocks and the coffee maker FORWARD the night of March 10.
Just like seven years ago when we dealt with Y2K, the bottom line is preparation. If you, your family and your company are prepared, the change will be virtually seamless.
About the Author:
Ron Lander, CPP, CMAS is a security expert, author, and lecturer. He is Board Certified in Security Management and as a Master Anti-Terrorism Specialist. He is retired as a Sergeant from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, after 23 years. Ron was actively involved in preparing the security community for the Y2K changes in 1998 and 1999. He has over thirty-years of experience in physical and IT security.. He can be contacted at rlander@ultra-safe.comor via phone at 800-334-6670.
