Exchange 5.5 and Daylight Savings Time 2007 3

[ITfromZX81]

Hi all,

Is there any kind of workaround for Exchange 5.5 and Daylight Savings Time 2007 that is going to come along in the near future?

I know there is a hotfix available for people with extended support, but what if you don't have this? Can you pay a one time fee to Microsoft for the hotfix or will they not do this? Is there any way around this issue(other than upgrading to Exchange 2003)? What are the ramifications of not fixing this issue?

Thanks,

 

[vtmishka]

kooma:

KB 928214 is an internal Microsoft KB article relating to Exchange 5.5 and DST 2007.

It's possible that it's the KB article associated with the patch.

In other words, it may be the, so-called, $4k Patch.

Did you get this from MS?

 

[kooma]

Yes, I think it is. I'm just trying to get the log file off my test box to post here.

No I didn't get it from MS. I got it from someone who works for a very big and important organization (I can't discuss that here for obvious reasons). It did not come with any doc or information that's why I had to install it on a test box to see what it did.

I wonder if Microsoft only released it to their key accounts? or if they originally distributed and it had problems? Or maybe they decided to withhold the patch so all 5.5 boxes would be ordering licenses for Exchange 2007?

 

[kooma]

Quick question...

- I have completed my O/S updates to all desktops and servers except Exchange 5.5 box

- I have sent out instructions for all users to manually update app't in the delta period.

- On Sunday 2:00am I will manually move the clock forward on Exchange.

- On April 1st I will roll the exchange server clock back 1 hr and let the old DST rules forward the time.

- April 2nd, start moving mailboxes to Exchange 2003. Servers are ready and waiting.

With this action plan, do I have to run TZMOVE or any other outlook patches at the desktop level? I don't think so correct?

 

[dan]

I would suggest you use TZedit on your Exchange 5.5 box so you don't have to manually change the clock. (It does work on NT4.0) Other than that, it looks like a good plan.
Dan

 

[vtmishka]

I agree with Dan on all counts...

As for the 928214 patch - from what the Microsoft tech with whom I spoke said, that is the Exchange 5.5 CDO patch. So, if you use OWA on your Exchange 5.5 server that patch should update it to function properly.

 

[fliptek77]

Does anybody have the 928214 patch or know where I can get it from??? We will still be on Exchange 5.5 for a little while longer. The company I work for is in the process of getting bought out and everything is put on hold until further notice even though we already have all the things that we need to do the migration.

 

[dan]

The 928214 patch is available to companies that are on an Extended Support Contract for Exchange 5.5 at a cost of $4000. It is not available to anyone else. It basically affects appointments made via OWA or Blackberries and other 3rd party platforms.
Dan

 

[fliptek77]

I've called MS a few days ago and asked if we can still get on the Extended Support Contract for Exchange 5.5 and they said that if we weren't on it before, we can't get on it now because Exchange 5.5 is no longer on the list of applications for the extended support. We are still on NT domain network running BES and OWA. So my hands are pretty much tied up right now withour migrating to AD and don't even know when that is going to happen. If somebody would be kind enough to send me the patch, if it's possible, I would really appreciate it.

 

[rws70]

Hi Kooma

I could REALLY use a copy of that Exch 5.5 cdo.dll patch which is impossible to get as a new inquiry to MS. (see email address below) (apparently you need an existing extended support contract) I am running OWA and blackberry which are affected by the unpatched cdo.dll.

I would like to test it out in my 5.5 lab setup.

I have the windows 2000 OS dst KB931836 patch if you need it.

Thanks
RWS

rws70 AT yahoo.com

 

[aluke000]

For those stuck with Exchange 5.5, are there any scripting guru's out there that can write a script that can be used with WinAT to schedule switching the TZ from default to GMT and back as needed based on DST dates? Seems like this might be a workaround of sorts.

If anyone sets up a 5.5 to 2003 migration forum, please post the info here. Thanks.

 

[rws70]

I have started the Exch 5.5 to Exch 2003 migration thread:

http://www.tek-tips.com/viewthread.cfm?qid=1344149&page=1

Thanks
RWS

 

[Blindecide1]

If you are like me, the manner in how Redmond has handled this whole mess leaves a lot to be desired.

Let us just solve this mess once and for all. It is inevitable that the KB 928214 patch is going to leak to the internet. If you are one of the lucky ones to get your hands on it, how about helping your fellow IT brothers and sisters out. Leak it to UseNet (alt.binaries.warez or alt.binaries.warez.nt should suffice) and lets end this nightmare for many. If you are not comfortable leaking it yourself, forward it to me and I have a friend that can get it posted in an untraceable manner.

Enough is enough, lets get this patch out there an help the many of us that can not afford it even if Microsoft was cooperating beyond doing their best to force folks off a perfectly functional platform for many.

blindecide1 A-T yahoo.com

 

[Blindecide1]

2AM at my organization was a yawner. Exchange 5.5 and Win2000 servers. NO PROBLEMS so far. All we did was apply OS fixes (used the intelliadmin fix for the 2000 stuff) and printed off reference copies of about 20 calendars (both private and public folder based). We planned to just go in and manually fix the calendars, but so far it appears to be unnecessary.

The whole handling of this mess by Microsoft has left a bad taste in my crew and several of my clients.

Rather than upgrade to Exch 2007, we're looking at least 3 promising alternatives to the Microsoft upgrade/support nightmares.

1. Open-Xchange (hearing lots of good things about it)
2. Scalix
3. Sun's Java Communication suites (we've got some Solaris talent so this looks interesting since they've open sourced it).

Yes the OSS may not come with free support, but at least with access to the source code if another mess like this DST 2007 support comes up, you got the source code and can fix this yourself for heck of a lot less than 4K for a patch that should of been made public anyways.

My offer to help with getting the CDO patch out there still stands. My (corrected) email is below:

blindcide1 a-t yahoo.com

 

[TTDoug]

Looks like we have calendar problems. We have Exchange 5.5. MS just needs to release their fix to the public. I am surprised no one has come out with 3rd party fix.

 

[iamwiz82]

What kind of calendar issues? Running TZMove.exe on the clients worked great for us.

 

[TTDoug]

Not all of are calendar items are effected. It is really random to which ones shifted. I have two on Wednesday that I made last week that shifted an hour back and then I have two on Friday that were also made last week and they are still at the correct times.

 

[kooma]

I believe if you made the app't after having the O/S DST patch installed locally the app'ts show up correctly. Those made before will show up 1 hr late.

 

[cmeagan656]

Kooma is correct. That is my experience. Only appointments made BEFORE the O/S DST patch are screwed up.

Fortunately we installed the patch on our W2K3 terminal servers when it came out in mid-February so we only had a few recurring appointments that were affected. Those were easy enough to fix, I only had to open the series (not individual appointment, do nothing to it as it had the correct information in it, and click "save and close".


Cheers.

 

[bgcarter]

I used the TZEDIT.EXE tool on my NT4/Exchange5.5 box and all is well.

!Important Step!

After you use TZEDIT to change the start/stop dates of DST you must open your clock, click the time-zone tab, CHANGE your time zone to something (anything) different, click apply/ok, reopen the time zone tab and change it back to your time zone.

For Outlook 2002 clients the TZMOVE tool worked well for "fixing" calendar entries that had been hosed.

TZMOVE Tool:

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/...33-b9c8-4652-9dd8-ae0f1af62568&DisplayLang=en

TZEDIT Tool:

http://download.microsoft.com/download/5/8/a/58a208b7-7dc7-4bc7-8357-28e29cdac52f/TZEDIT.exe

 

[Grogsky]

I've just assumed work on a small network that uses Exchange 5.5 on W2K SP4 and uses OWA. Until the Monday after the DST change OWA worked fine (no DST patching was done by the former support staff, virtually no documentation, no test platform, whine, whine, etc). Now mail is flowing fine but you can only access it from within the network via outlook and OWA returns a server not found error. None of the documentation I've seen says anything about OWA breaking with unpatched DST 2007. Can anyone tell me if I'm groping here and blaming the breakage on the wrong thing? Is it definite that calendaring time offset, and we don't care about the calendaring function, is the only real problem with an unpatched 5.5 environment? Thanks.