Knowledge Base

How to manually update the DST period for a time zone definition in Windows SharePoint Services by modifying the Timezone.xml file

Article ID: 888253

Article Last Modified on 9/7/2007

APPLIES TO

Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services 3.0
Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services 2.0

INTRODUCTION

This article describes how to manually update the daylight saving time (DST) period for a time zone definition in Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 and in Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services 2.0 by modifying the Timezone.xml file. Windows SharePoint Services uses the Timezone.xml file to store time zone information. The Timezone.xml file includes the start date and time for daylight saving time and for standard time for a specific time zone.

MORE INFORMATION

The time zone definition files in your environment will not contain the current definitions for the beginning and end of DST for some locales if the following conditions are true:

If a change to a DST period for a time zone is required and you have not applied the latest Windows SharePoint Services software update to update the time zone definition file (Timezone.xml).
A corresponding time zone definition update is not available for your locale.

You may also have to modify the Timezone.xml file in scenarios when the time zone that you want to use for your Windows SharePoint Services Web site does not have static daylight saving time dates and times. For example, consider the following scenario. You configure your Windows SharePoint Services Web site to use the (GMT+02:00) Jerusalem time zone. However, the start date and time and the end date and time for daylight saving time in that time zone is different each year. The Timezone.xml file does not specify the start date and time for daylight saving time or for standard time for the (GMT+02:00) Jerusalem time zone. Therefore, you have to specify the start date and time for standard time and for daylight saving time in the Timezone.xml file. When you do this, the time is correctly adjusted in Windows SharePoint Services Web sites that are configured to use that time zone when daylight saving time occurs.

To work around these issues, you can manually change the Timezone.xml file to be compliant with a new DST period.

Important We recommend that you apply the latest Windows SharePoint Services software update to resolve any issues with the Timezone.xml file. Follow these steps only if you cannot apply the latest Windows SharePoint Services software update.

After you modify the Timezone.xml file to include the date and the time for standard time and for daylight saving time, you must restart Internet Information Services (IIS). To modify the Timezone.xml file, follow these steps:

Modify the Timezone.xml file to include the correct date and time for standard time and for daylight saving time. To do this, follow these steps:
1. Start Notepad, and then open the Timezone.xml file.
  
  The Timezone.xml file is located in the following folder:
  
  Windows SharePoint Services 3.0
  
  Drive:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\Web Server Extensions\12\Config
  
  Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services 2.0
  
  Drive:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\Web Server Extensions\60\Config
2. The contents of the Timezone.xml file should resemble the following example:
```
<TimeZone ID="17" Name="(GMT+12:00) Auckland, Wellington" Hidden="FALSE">
<Bias>-720</Bias>
<StandardTime>
                <Bias>0</Bias>
                <Date>
                    <Month>3</Month>
                    <Day>3</Day>
                    <Hour>2</Hour>
                </Date>
            </StandardTime>
            <DaylightTime>
                <Bias>-60</Bias>
                <Date>
                    <Month>10</Month>
                    <Day>1</Day>
                    <Hour>2</Hour>
                </Date>
            </DaylightTime>
    </TimeZone>
```
  The following syntax is used for child elements of the Date element. The Date element specifies when standard time starts and when daylight saving time starts:
  - <Month>n</Month> represents the nth month when standard time or daylight saving time starts, where n is a number.
  - <Day>n</Day> represents the nth week of the month when standard time or daylight saving time starts, where n is a number that represents the transition day. If the transition day occurs on a Sunday, the value "1" indicates the first Sunday of the month. The value "2" indicates the second Sunday of the month, and so on. The value "5" indicates the last Sunday of the month.
  - <Hour>n</Hour> represents the hour when standard time or daylight saving time starts, where n is a number that represents the time.
3. Locate the time zone that you want to modify.
4. In the Timezone.xml file, create a <History> tag for the time zone in question, and then copy and paste the existing time zone content into it. You must specify the Year and Name attributes in the <History> tag where Year is the last year this DST period was in effect and Name is arbitrary.
5. Modify or insert the StandardTime element to specify the correct date and time for standard time, and then modify or insert the DaylightTime element to specify the correct date and time for daylight saving time.
  
  For the current time zone, change the Month and Day fields from <Month>3</Month> and <Day>3</Day> to <Month>4</Month> and <Day>1</Day>. Additionally, change <Month>10</Month> and <Day>1</Day> to <Month>9</Month> and <Day>5</Day>.
6. For example, change the Timezone.xml file content for "TimeZone ID 17" to the following content:
```
<TimeZone ID="17" Name="(GMT+12:00) Auckland, Wellington" Hidden="FALSE">
        <Bias>-720</Bias>
        <StandardTime>
            <Bias>0</Bias>
            <Date>
                <Month>4</Month>
                <Day>1</Day>
                <Hour>2</Hour>
            </Date>
        </StandardTime>
        <DaylightTime>
            <Bias>-60</Bias>
            <Date>
                <Month>9</Month>
                <Day>5</Day>
                <Hour>2</Hour>
            </Date>
        </DaylightTime>
        <History Year="2006" Name="nz2007">
            <Bias>-720</Bias>
            <StandardTime>
                <Bias>0</Bias>
                <Date>
                    <Month>3</Month>
                    <Day>3</Day>
                    <Hour>2</Hour>
                </Date>
            </StandardTime>
            <DaylightTime>
                <Bias>-60</Bias>
                <Date>
                    <Month>10</Month>
                    <Day>1</Day>
                    <Hour>2</Hour>
                </Date>
            </DaylightTime>
        </History>  
</TimeZone>
```
7. Click Save on the File menu to save your changes.
8. Repeat steps c through g for all affected TimeZone ID values.
Note If you install a Windows SharePoint Services software update that includes a version of the Timezone.xml file, your modified version of the Timezone.xml file will be overwritten by the Windows SharePoint Services software update. To prevent your version of the Timezone.xml file from being overwritten, we recommend that you back up the Timezone.xml file. By doing this, you can restore your modified version of the Timezone.xml file to the server.
Restart IIS. To do this, click Start, click Run, type iisreset in the Open box, and then click OK.

Important If you decide to use the stsadm.exe –o tzmove command after you manually modify the Timezone.xml file, make sure that you carefully follow the manual modification instructions that are described in the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

939809 Description of the update that addresses the issue in Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 in which items that use the Date and Time fields are off by one hour

REFERENCES

For more information about time zones in Windows SharePoint Services, see the "Regional and Language Settings" topic in the "Reference" section of the Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services Administrator's Guide. To obtain the Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services Administrator's Guide, visit the following Microsoft Web site:

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=a637eff6-8224-4b19-a6a4-3e33fa13d230&displaylang=en

For more information about the TimeZone element in the Timezone.xml file, visit the following Microsoft Web site:

http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms459863.aspx

For more information about the StandardTime element in the Timezone.xml file, visit the following Microsoft Web site:

http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms414936.aspx

For more information about the DaylightTime element in the Timezone.xml file, visit the following Microsoft Web site:

http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms425850.aspx

Additional query words: kbnoOfficeAlertID wss3 wss3.0 wss timezone dst

Keywords: kbhowto kbinfo kbconfig KB888253

Microsoft KB Archive/888253

Contents

How to manually update the DST period for a time zone definition in Windows SharePoint Services by modifying the Timezone.xml file

INTRODUCTION

MORE INFORMATION

REFERENCES