Exchange Time Zone Update Tool

Hello everyone,

Basically, for the DST updates, an outlook update much be applied either on the server or client workstations.

Below are the options on the Microsoft Site:

The IT administrator has one of four alternatives (pros and cons of each alternative are described below):


Run the Exchange Time Zone Update tool against all affected users, servers, or both.

Push out the Outlook Time Zone Update tool to the clients and let the users update their own mailboxes.

Run the Exchange Time Zone Update tool against all affected users, servers, or both, but only modify recurring appointments. Then ask users to rebook single instance appointments that fall into the extended DST period or ask them to run the Outlook Time Zone Update tool.

Run neither the Exchange Time Zone Update tool nor the Outlook Time Zone Update tool. Ask users to examine their calendars and rebook as necessary.

IT administrators are strongly advised to refer to the Exchange Time Zone Update tool (930879) and consider all potential effects on their IT environments and user base of those alternatives before running the Exchange Time

Link: http://support.microsoft.com/gp/dst_topissues#a2


Does anyone know how long it would take to go with option one (Exchange Time Zone Update Tool) with an environment of about 250 users/mailboxes?

Thanks

ddzc--

It depends.  Honestly.  The standard IT answer :)

It depends on how fast the "client" is that you use when applying the updates.

It depends on how big your info store(s) are.

It depends on how many of your 250 users have appointments during the interesting time.

It depends on how many appointments are affected during that interesting time.

The Microsoft KB930879 article http://support.microsoft.com/kb/930879 gives good "estimates" based upon their test environment.

Search for the phrase "Run time may be long" and you'll see a chart.

In my experience, only 144 users out of 400 had interesting calendar entries.  It took roughly an hour for the update to run.

Client: Dual P3 1Ghz, 2gig ram
Server: Dual XEON 2.8Ghz, 2gig ram
32+ Gig mailstore

Thanks a lot.  That chart Microsoft supplied was really good.

I just want to triple check though, if I run the exchange time zone update, the outlook timezone updates won't need to be run on the workstations, correct?

Again, it depends.

If all of your users are on exchange, and not PST driven, then no.

However, there are caviats with calendars in "public folders" and with "resource calendars"

I promise you, the documentation is long and full of jargon, but all the answers you seek are there.

Take the time to read them.

Before you put any update, especially global updates, in production - read about them, test them, etc.  Only use tek-tips.com for what it's worth - we're a bunch of professionals who help each other out, and steer each other with answers, but you need to take control of your job.

Make sense?  Just because "hunterdw on tek-tips.com" says so, isn't a good answer.  My environment and experience level is different than yours, ya know?

Sorry to preach.

--DW

To speed the process, MS has a virtual machine image you can deploy to run several instances of the update tool from one machine. It's obviously large, but I intend to use it. I will run 4 instances against my servers. Luckily I have a spare server to use that is new and high-end, so the process should be quicker than their chart.

DW is wise in his post that all the info is there. Remember that you will be applying many patches:

Server OS
Client OS
Exchange (926666 article)
Update the Exchange calendars
Update PST calendars and public folders

Read all carefully, and start preparing now. It's going to take a while to digest all that material.

Good luck,
Dan

Does anyone have a direct link to the Exchange Time Zone Update tool?  I'm checking out some of the links and i'm seeing a calendar update tool, and outlook update tool, I don't actually see the time zone update tool for Exchange unless i'm looking at it wrong.

Thx

You're looking at it wrong :)  The documents are very complete if you go to the microsoft.com site.

I pulled these straight from the links at http://support.microsoft.com/gp/cp_dst

First upgrade your OS.  You can find those links yourself.

Then, Upgrade Exchange CDOs with the following updates

Exchange 2003 SP1 tool - KB931978 and also KB930879
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/931978/en-us

Exchange 2003 SP2 tool - KB926666
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/926666/en-us

Then, to actually use the Time Zone Update Tool follow KB930879 directions.
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/930879/en-us

--DW

I understand that Windows needs to be updated (931836) and I understand all the way up to the 926666 update.  Then there is an Exchange Time Zone Update tool that needs to be run.  I read through the entire article and the only update I see that is relative is the Exchange Calendar update Tool but this cannot be run on exchange, it only runs for outlook http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=A9336886-4B28-4010-9416-36D38429438D&displaylang=en

Where is the Exchange Time Zone update tool located in this article?  I understand the order this needs to be done:
(1) Apply updates to Windows
(2) Apply updated to Windows workstations.
(3) Apply the Exchange Server DST Update.
(4) Run the Exchange Time Zone Update tool.

* I'm looking for option 4.

You're reading it wrong again.

That IS the tool.  The Exchange Calendar Update tool, USES the Outlook tool when it "does it's thing.

Read this link.  
http://www.tek-tips.com/viewthread.cfm?qid=1335044&page=1

I didn't use SP2 (926666), I used SP1 (931978)

But the tool itself is the same (930879).

You are right, you cannot run the tool on exchange server... you must use ANOTHER machine (client or server) as an "agent" which connects to exchange to update all the mailboxes.  The document KB930879 explains all of this http://support.microsoft.com/kb/930879/en-us
Search for the text "Verify the system requirements" and you'll see that.

Hunter,

Thanks for your links and the info.  You really gave a good extensive explanation on how you did this process in your environment. This should give me a good guide on what I need to do.

Thanks!

Be warned, I installed the update and now my public folder store won't mount.

See :http://support.microsoft.com/kb/932599

if version of store.exe is old then you will experience problems. No fix that MS recommend has worked. They are "working on a hotfix"

Do you have Exchange SP2?  Did you run this update on the same server as Exchange or different server?  I'm just curious the process you took to run the calendar update tool because I will be doing this next week.

TIA

Microsoft have posted hot fix for this:

The hotfix ignores the well know SID's and lets you mount the store.

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=2A835A09-8E57-4027-A488-1E61C4B43A10&displaylang=en

We are testing this now for Exchange 2003 SP2.  We have seen conflicting information on when to run the Exchange SP2 926666 hotfix.  

The 2/13/2007 version of KB 930879 5.0 says to install it before running the Exchange Calendar Update Tool.

The 2/21/2007 version 10.4 of KB 930879 specifically says to wait until after you run the Exchange Calendar Update Tool.

Most posts I've seen say to run it before.  Anyone out there have the real world answer to this?

Thanks!

I came across this video link that may help anyone who is doing this update.  Download it and play.  Its about 23 minutes long.

http://msexchangeteam.com/videos/9/tools/entry435535.aspx

I started to run the exchange tool and then saw the caveat that "the Exchange tool does not update Public Folder calendars. For information about how to update a Public Folder calendar, see the Outlook tool documentation." I have read the Outlook tool (TZmove.exe) documentation and found no reference to public folder calendars. Any idea how to correct public folder calendars?

Can this update be done while users have their outlook profile opened?

tia

yes

Microsoft's strategy for the KB926666 patch depends on whether your organization uses calendaring on OWA heavily. If it does, you should install the KB926666 patch AFTER running the Exchange Calendar Update Tool. Otherwise you can run it prior to the rebasing process.

I've tried to distill the process into something that makes sense for small/midsize companies:

http://www.shackelfordconsulting.com/2007/03/using-exchange-calendar-update-tool-for.html

For the Public Folder Calendar plan of attack, watch this video:

http://msexchangeteam.com/videos/9/tools/entry435540.aspx

ShackDaddy
Shackelford Consulting