Media Coverages
Database Automation Can Minimize Impact Daylight Savings Time Change
March 8, 2007 -- Describing it as "the mini Y2K for the database," GridApp Systems, a provider of database automation software and solutions, is using the federal government's mandated change to daylight savings time to focus attention on the need to automate database patching. As a result of the Energy Policy Act of 2005, daylight savings time will now start earlier than previous years - on March 11, 2007 - and end later - on November 4 - requiring every physical server and database to be patched to accommodate the change. "This really highlights the problem with not having automatic patching because now you have to go around manually and get updated," Matthew Zito, chief scientist for GridApp, told 5 Minute Briefing.
The challenge facing many IT shops is how to efficiently and effectively manage the patch process across databases supporting mission-critical applications. A number of the leading database vendors have already issued patches for either the physical server or the database itself, according to GridApp. "It is particularly bad for folks in the database space, because it is not just that you have to patch up the database, which is problematic enough, but you have to patch every database client as well," said Zito. And once this year's problem is addressed, "There is nothing that says that next year it won't change again and we will have to go through all of this again," Zito said. "Most organizations still don't have a concerted way to make mass change and Clarity really focuses on enabling organizations to affect change globally very, very easily within their database environment." For more information, go here.