Microsoft KB Archive/248240

= BUG: Using SourceSafe in Multiple Time Zones =

Article ID: 248240

Article Last Modified on 10/15/2002

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APPLIES TO


 * Microsoft Visual SourceSafe 5.0 Standard Edition
 * Microsoft Visual SourceSafe 6.0 Standard Edition

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This article was previously published under Q248240



SYMPTOMS
When using Visual SourceSafe in a development environment where users are accessing the same database from multiple time zones, Visual SourceSafe does not handle the conversion from one time zone to another properly.



CAUSE
Visual SourceSafe takes the timestamp off the client computer and uses that when doing any Visual SourceSafe functions. This time is not converted into anything global, like Universal Time Coordinate (UTC). This means that people in different time zones, working at the same time, look to Visual SourceSafe as if they are working at different times.



Synchronize the Times
Synchronize the dates and system clocks for all Visual SourceSafe client computers with the Visual SourceSafe server. This prevents check-in and check-out operations from appearing to happen out of sequence and effects any labels that are applied. Synchronizing dates and system clocks is particularly important when users from different time zones access the same database.

You can set up a Windows NT Server to act as a Domain Time Source server for users to synchronize their local date and time with the network. For additional information, see the Knowledge Base article "How to Set Up and Synchronize with Domain Time Source Servers" listed below.

SourceOffSite
There is a third-party utility that allows the timestamp from the server to be used for all Visual SourceSafe activity. This allows users to keep their system clocks in the proper time zone and Visual SourceSafe functions properly. See the "SourceOffSite" link below for more information from their Web site.



STATUS
Microsoft has confirmed that this is a bug in the Microsoft products that are listed at the beginning of this article.

