We wanted to provide important Daylight Saving Time information to all folks using the Blackberry handheld devices:

As most of you may be aware, the Daylight Saving Time (DST) beginning and end dates have been changed for 2007. In compliance with the Energy Act signed into law in August of 2005, DST will begin earlier on March 11th and extends to Nov. 4th. This adjustment adds three weeks to the beginning of DST - in March - and adds one week to the end – in late October/early November. The time added to the historical DST is referred to as the "extended DST period"

One challenge with the DST adjustment occurring at a different point this year than in the past is the coordination of time-dependent computer systems and devices–enabling all of them to understand this change. Significant precautions have been taken to maintain the infrastructure’s functionality during the extended DST time and beyond. Updated software fixes, or patches, have been applied at many layers and on many components throughout the technological infrastructure to ensure a smooth transition to the new DST rules.

One component, the Blackberry handheld, was determined to require a patch to adjust itself to recognize the extended DST period. To address this challenge, we will use a simplified approach:

A software patch will be delivered directly to your Blackberry beginning tomorrow afternoon, Tuesday March 6. From your handheld unit, you will be notified once the patch has been installed and a subsequent restart will be required. Your Blackberry must be reset before the changes take effect (March 11), with a reset taking approximately 5 to 20 minutes to complete. Once the reset is complete, the device can be used as normal. Please anticipate automatically receiving the patch, which automatically updates your handheld, beginning tomorrow afternoon, March 6.  We will run some checks to verify the patch was installed successfully on your handheld, but you can do the same in the Options screen of your unit.  A menu list item called ‘2007 DST Patch’ will be at the top of the list.  If you already have the patch manually downloaded and installed, the system will recognize this fact

If you have any questions or issues regarding this update, please contact your technical support department or adhelp@ucdavis.edu.

Note: The automatic downloading of the patch is dependant on the carrier network coverage and device’s on/off status. If, when the update is broadcast to your Blackberry, either or both of these two requirements are not met, the patch will automatically download at the next time your Blackberry is on and connected to your carrier’s network.

With Regards,

Paul Singh
IET - Data Center & Client Services
University of California, Davis
pasingh@ucdavis.edu
(530) 752-8809