Maintaining Time Zones


Overview

Tasks
Included with Tivoli Service Desk

Overview

Time zones

Users from different sites in different time zones may access a single, central Tivoli Service Desk database. Users may also support contacts at locations in several different time zones.

The system administrator has these responsibilities relating to time zones:

  • Maintaining the list of available time zones within Tivoli Service Desk
  • Identifying the time zone of the database
  • Determining whether GMT or database time is the basis for time calculations
  • Indicating when Daylight Savings Time is in effect.

Time zones and locations

The system administrator associates each location with a time zone so that Tivoli Service Desk can calculate the time at the location of the contact. Tivoli Service Desk displays the time at the location of the contact when help desk analysts dispatch or register calls. See Maintaining Location Hierarchies.

Note: If it does not already exist in Tivoli Service Desk, the system administrator must set up the necessary time zone before adding a new location. See Adding a time zone, Editing a time zone, and Deleting a time zone.

Database time zone

The system administrator also indicates the time zone of the database. Database time is the foundation for time calculations in Tivoli Service Desk. See Indicating the database time zone.

Warning: The database time zone must be selected immediately after Tivoli Service Desk is installed and built and before any other actions are taken.

Daylight Savings Time

Twice a year the system administrator must check that the Daylight Savings Time Action check box is correctly set, regardless of whether or not the database is located in a time zone that observes Daylight Savings Time. See Indicating Daylight Savings Time status.

Time zone definitions

Tivoli Service Desk includes a list of many of the time zones of the world. The following table displays sample values that illustrate time zone definitions.

Time Zone GMT Difference (in hours)

DST Correction
(in minutes)

Description
Eastern Daylight -5 60 Eastern time is five hours behind GMT and during the summer months has a 60-minute daylight savings correction.
Eastern
Standard
(Indiana)
-5 0 Most of Indiana is five hours behind GMT all year long. There is no daylight savings correction.
Central
Daylight
-6 60 Central time is six hours behind GMT and during summer months has a 60-minute daylight savings correction.
Paris +1 60 Paris time is one hour ahead of GMT and during summer months has a 60-minute daylight savings correction.

Tasks

Indicating the database time zone

The system administrator sets the database time zone. The database time is the foundation for time calculations in Tivoli Service Desk.

Warning: The database time zone must be selected immediately after Tivoli Service Desk is installed and built and before any other actions are taken.

To indicate the time zone of your database:

  1. In the TSD System Configuration dialog box, choose the Time Zone tab.
  2. From the Time Zone List, select a time zone.
  3. Choose OK.
  4. In the Information message dialog box that informs you a new time zone has been selected, choose OK.

Note: Every user must quit and restart Tivoli Service Desk before a change in the selection of the database time zone is reflected in time calculations.

Indicating Daylight Savings Time status

Warning: The system administrator must correctly set the Daylight Savings Time Active check box at least twice a year regardless of whether or not the Tivoli Service Desk database is located in a time zone that observes Daylight Savings Time.

To indicate that Daylight Savings Time is now in effect:

  1. In the TSD System Configuration dialog box, choose the Time Zone tab.
  2. Select the Daylight Savings Time Active check box.
    Note: Anytime Daylight Savings Time is in effect, select the Daylight Savings Time Active check box even if your location does not observe Daylight Savings Time.
  3. Choose OK.

Overriding GMT processing

Tivoli Service Desk time processing functions assume all time data in the database are in GMT values. Tivoli Service Desk administrators at sites with an existing database that has time stored in local time values or at sites where all the users and contacts are in the same time zone, can override GMT processing. Database time then becomes the standard for storing time values.

To override GMT processing:

  1. In the TSD System Configuration dialog box, choose the Time Zone tab.
    Note: The time zone information that appears in the boxes below the Time Zone List should correspond to the database time zone. If not, see Indicating the database time zone.
  2. Select the Make Selected Time Base Time check box.
  3. Choose OK.
  4. In the Information message dialog box that informs you the selected time zone will become the new GMT Base and warns GMT processing will be overridden, choose OK.

Note: Every user must quit and restart Tivoli Service Desk before a change in the status of the GMT override is reflected in time calculations.

Sorting the Time Zone List

To change the order of entries in the Time Zone list:
  1. In the TSD System Configuration dialog box, choose the Time Zone tab.
  2. Under Order By, do one of the following:
    • To arrange the time zones alphabetically by name, select Time Zone.
    • To arrange the time zones by their difference from Greenwich Mean Time (GMT), select Hour Difference.
      Result: The Time Zone List is immediately sorted in accordance with your selection.

Adding a time zone

You can add any time zone that does not already appear in Tivoli Service Desk.

To add a time zone:

  1. In the TSD System Configuration dialog box, choose the Time Zone tab.
  2. Choose Clear.
  3. In the box below the Time Zone column, type the name of the time zone.
  4. In the box below the Difference column, type the number of hours difference between this time zone and Greenwich Mean Time (GMT).
    Note: Differences from GMT can be expressed in half-hour increments. Use two digits for hours and two digits for minutes in this format: hh:mm. For example, the Newfoundland time zone is GMT -3:30. To set up this time zone, type -03:30 in the box below the Difference column.
  5. Do one of the following:
    • If this time zone observes Daylight Savings Time (DST), in the box below the Correction column, type the number of minutes of the correction.
    • If not, go to the next step.
  6. Choose OK.
    Result: The new time zone appears under Time Zone List in the Time Zone tab of the Application dialog box.

Editing a time zone

You can adjust the settings on a selected time zone whenever necessary. You cannot change the name of a time zone if it is assigned to a location referenced on a call or problem.

To edit a time zone:

  1. In the TSD System Configuration dialog box, choose the Time Zone tab.
  2. Select a time zone.
  3. In the boxes below the Time Zone, Difference, and Correction columns, make any necessary changes. For more information, see Adding a Time Zone.
  4. Choose Replace.
    Result: The edited time zone information appears in the Time Zone List.
  5. Choose OK.

Deleting a time zone

You cannot delete a time zone that is assigned to a location referenced on a call or problem.

To delete a time zone:

  1. In the TSD System Configuration dialog box, choose the Time Zone tab.
  2. Select a time zone and choose Delete.
  3. In the Warning message dialog box, choose Yes.
  4. In the TSD System Configuration dialog box, choose OK.