DST 2007: Clarification on using /ONLYCREATEDPREPATCH option

by Bharat Suneja

Update on the previous post titled “DST 2007: Hotfix for Outlook Calendar Update Tool“, and the patched Outlook Calendar Update Tool (KB 933146) from PSS.

KB 933146 states:
We recommend that you do not use the /ONLYCREATEDPREPATCH command-line option with the Exchange Calendar Update Tool (MsExTmz.exe). The /ONLYCREATEDPREPATCH command-line option uses the local operating system as the basis for its logic. Therefore, all calendars would be rebased using the information from the computer where the Exchange Calendar Update Tool was run and probably would not apply to the user mailboxes that are being rebased.

However, you can use the /ONLYCREATEDPREPATCH option when rebasing items using the Exchange Calendar Update Tool (MsExTmz.exe).

An email clarification from PSS : When doing the above, you should ensure the computer that you’re running the tool from has the Feb. 2007 Cumulative Time Zone Update (KB 931836) applied, or explicitly specify a UTC time. The tool will rebase Calendar items occurring in the affected extended DST period that were created before KB 931836 was applied to the computer (that you’re running the tool from), or before the UTC time specified (if using it with the UTC time option).

Take aways from the above clarification:

– If using the former option (not specifying a UTC time), be aware that the tool will check the local computer’s time zone and when the DST 2007 time zone update (KB 931836) was applied to that computer, not on the computer of the user whose mailbox is being processed.

– When using this option, depending on when the time zone update was applied to user workstations, all items may or may not get rebased correctly.

For instance,
i) If the time zone update was applied to a user workstation before you rebase Calendar items using MsExTmz.exe, and the user created new items after the time zone update was applied – those items will get rebased as well. Wrongly so in this case.
ii) If the user workstation does not have the time zone update, only items created before the time that the admin’s computer got the time zone update will get rebased – leaving all appointments created after that time untouched.
iii) If specifying the UTC time with the option, appointments created before the time specified will get rebased, irrespective of whether they were created using the old time zone rules or the updated DST 2007 rules.

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