Pls HELP! - Daylight saving Time problem on Linux RHEL4

edywas · 04-02-2009, 04:24 AM

Dear gents,

let me please describe as accurate as i can the problem i am facing:

1) I am having a RHEL4 Server - timezone is GMT+2
/etc/localtime is perfect and i checked the data inside as well
2) My Server is synchronized perfect with ntp as well
date and hwclock are working on second, just perfect
3) I have a JRE ( 6.12 ) latest version
no tzdata updated needed

So far all looks good.
In the last week-end we moved to summer time ( current date -1 HOUR ) all of the above are still perfect just that : here are the problems that are appearing now :

PROBLEM 1) when a file is created through a JAVA application the date is in older date ( when i look at the time on which was created the file it is in 1 Hour in advance )

I built a small Java program that runs the current date of the System and the program runs just fine and displays the correct daylight saving time. Very wierd then!

PROBLEM 2) If i create a file throguh WINSCP the date of the file is just fine and correct. But if i create a FOLDER through the same WINSCP the time is again 1 HOUR in advance. Same happens if i use "mkdir" command the time is 1 HOUR in advance ( implying that was not moved to the summer time yet )

I reboot the system - thought this will help clear some caches but is still the same.
All i am thinking now is that some applications ( maybe even services ) will not take the daylight saving time that is set inside the Server and i do not know why and how to fix this ?

Much appreciated a solution or ideas that will lead me to a fixture for problem described.

Thank you
BR
Arky

edywas · 04-03-2009, 03:26 AM

Following my previous post
i've checked a few more servers and i have a very wierd feeling here as what i described, happens exactly the same on all of my Servers - even on Servers with OS other than RHEL4 - for example CentOS 5.

Therefore i would very much appreciate if other people can run some checks on their Server and tell me if they experience the same :

The test is for all in DTS East Europe or all the others that in last week-end of march moved to sumer time:

while <<date>> and <<hwclock>> and <<zdump /etc/localtime | grep 2009>> are all perfect ( you can even check the $TZ to see is ok - not that it matters ) create a directory with <<mkdir>> and check the date of the creation: if is 1 HOUR in advance = you can join my CLUB

I feel i am in a nightmare here ... please help!

sleddog · 04-03-2009, 04:40 AM

I don't see this problem:

Code:

[root@server:~] cat /etc/redhat-release
CentOS release 5.3 (Final)
[root@server:~] date
Fri Apr  3 07:05:37 NDT 2009
[root@server:~] mkdir test
[root@server:~] ls -ld test
drwxr-xr-x 2 root root 4096 Apr  3 07:05 test

I get the same result on a CentOS 4 box.

bathory · 04-03-2009, 08:38 AM

It's also working here (with timezone GMT+2 as you):

Code:

[root@lab1 ~]# cat /etc/redhat-release 
Red Hat Enterprise Linux AS release 4 (Nahant Update 7)
[root@lab1 ~]# date
Fri Apr  3 16:35:16 EEST 2009
[root@lab1 ~]# hwclock 
Fri 03 Apr 2009 04:35:21 PM EEST  -0.529343 seconds
[root@lab1 ~]# mkdir test
[root@lab1 ~]# ls -ld test
drwxr-xr-x  2 root root 4096 Apr  3 16:35 test

Tested also on a couple of Slackware boxes with the same results.
I guess you have to (re)move /etc/adjtime

edywas · 04-06-2009, 06:32 AM

Thank you bathory and sleddog for your replies.

I hope you will forgive my stupidity in what i said before ( i made some mistakes ) but i've been in a real nightmare for the last days trying to solve this problem ( this is on ALL my Servers as i said ) - please bare with me once more.

So with your permission here are my problems ( i face this on ALL my Servers ) :

Is true ALL that you both said.
Even on ALL my Servers i receive the same - which is good but.
I presume you all use a SSH client ( like putty or similar ).

But here are my problems :
1) if i connect remotly with a client ( like WINScp or Windows Explorer or an FTP client like CuteFTP ) and i create folders and files through the remote clients - the dates of the folders and files gets messed.

Now, as long as the mess would be ONLY on the CLIENT, would be ok somehow ( maybe the client software has bugs ) but the mess get into the Linux Server as well.

1) Let's try a scenario ( i would very much appreciate if you can confirm this to me ) :

let's create an empty file through WinSCP client remotly.
If i look at the file creation time ( it looks fine ).
But if i go on the Server ( with putty ) and i do
ls -ld created file
i receive the date - 1 HOUR ( and not as it should )

I want to emphasize that if i use putty to create the file - all is okey.

2) 2-nd scenario also thorugh WinSCP ( but other clients will give crazy results as well ) is to create a folder - and check the date through WinSCP ( the date of the folder is date + 1 HOUR )
But if i check the date of the folder through putty - YES - it displays the correct date and not like in WinSCP.

I hope i am coherent this time ( i made some mistakes because i was geting confused myself before - and for this i appologize again )

Again scenario 1) it really hurts me - while in scenario 2) i could believe is a bug on client for which i can live with it just fine.

Looking forward for your replies - i will keep investigating ( for instance with CuteFTP as client i received delyas of 3 Hours.

I want to say that i am talking here ONLY ABOUT DST PROBLEMS ( these are the ONLY delays i am reffering here and not delays of time because of any other reasons ).
The file /etc/adjtime should have no connection to this.

Thanks a lot - will much appreciate your comments.
Arky

bathory · 04-06-2009, 07:52 AM

If have tested what you said and I can confirm the 2nd scenario. I.e. in winscp the creation time is +1h the current time, meanwhile on the server the time is correct!!!
Tested also with WS_FTP: the folder created was -3h!!! while the time on the server was correct again.

edywas · 04-06-2009, 09:41 AM

Hi bathory and thank you for reply.

As i said while we can live with scenario 2) ( the problem is on the CLIENT software only ) that is fine,

BUT Scenario 1) worries me a lot ( a file remotly created ) has a wrong date ( the error is DST time related , can be 1 hour in some clients software and yes 3 hours in others )

Now, am i being wrong when i say "i am very worried" ? - i still believe i should be very worried and see no reason yet not to be - as long as the date on the Server ( measured through putty ) seems wrong!

Look fwd for your comments.

Thank you
BR
Arky

bathory · 04-06-2009, 11:39 AM

It seems that is a windows problem according to this and this.
I'm not worried as I don't do any operations, like rsync, backup or whatever between linux/windows.

Regards

edywas · 04-07-2009, 03:17 AM

Thank you bathory,

giving your last post - we can go and close this thread.

I will say just that : i will keep being worried not because of back-up operations between Linux and Windows ( i don't do such things either ) but because backups operations or any other operations which are strongly related to the date of the files - i agree that it can be minimized though.

Thank you.
BR
Arky