Advance work paid off: Campus switch to DST was pretty smooth
Based on anecdotal results, the early switch to Daylight Saving Time was fairly uneventful on campus this week.
"All is well. Things went beautifully," said Morna Mellor, director of the Data Center and Client Services in Information and Educational Technology. Thanks mostly to saturation TV coverage of the potential for computer problems, she added, "the biggest complaint I had was 'enough already, don't tell me one more time about DST!' "
IT Express also reported no problems Monday. "No, we really didn't have any issues yesterday," said Mike Waid, a programmer and senior consultant to IT Express, on Tuesday. "For the most part it was a non-issue for us here on the help desk."
Most of the United States turned clocks ahead one hour at 2 a.m. Sunday, three weeks earlier than last year. Congress ordered the change to save energy, but the transition also threatened to derail the way computers, applications and other electronic devices report the correct time. Many older applications were programmed to make the change to DST in April.
IET created a DST Web site to post information, advice and news. The site is part of a remediation plan that IET began to carry out in January, when major vendors started releasing patches and updates. Diligent work from tech support employees throughout the campus, and general press attention to the change overall, helped head off potential problems.
The DST site includes links to patches and vendor updates. Campus users with continuing questions about DST can contact IT Express online or by phone at 754-4357.
"All is well. Things went beautifully," said Morna Mellor, director of the Data Center and Client Services in Information and Educational Technology. Thanks mostly to saturation TV coverage of the potential for computer problems, she added, "the biggest complaint I had was 'enough already, don't tell me one more time about DST!' "
IT Express also reported no problems Monday. "No, we really didn't have any issues yesterday," said Mike Waid, a programmer and senior consultant to IT Express, on Tuesday. "For the most part it was a non-issue for us here on the help desk."
Most of the United States turned clocks ahead one hour at 2 a.m. Sunday, three weeks earlier than last year. Congress ordered the change to save energy, but the transition also threatened to derail the way computers, applications and other electronic devices report the correct time. Many older applications were programmed to make the change to DST in April.
IET created a DST Web site to post information, advice and news. The site is part of a remediation plan that IET began to carry out in January, when major vendors started releasing patches and updates. Diligent work from tech support employees throughout the campus, and general press attention to the change overall, helped head off potential problems.
The DST site includes links to patches and vendor updates. Campus users with continuing questions about DST can contact IT Express online or by phone at 754-4357.