Oracle Database Discussions

Hello all. I'm apologizing in advance for posting yet another DST question, but I've looked through the notes quoted in other DST threads ("DST Again", 2358776) and I'm more confused as a result. I'd like to get the forum's opinion before I open a ticket with Oracle.

I have three 2-node clusters, each running 11.2.0.2 standard edition. Two of the three have the January 2012 PSU installed, and the third (production) has the October 2011 PSU installed.

We're on US/Central time. Our developers have coded an app to query the database's tz_offset to compare with the client computers offset in order to enforce certain behaviors in the client app based on time of day. Since we sprung forward, the tz_offset as reported by our databases (all three of them) is -6 when it should now be -5. Strangely, just one of our developer's machines (using OracleSQL Developer) reports it correctly, but everyone else (including the client machines out on the interwebs) are reporting -6 still. I'm chalking this up to an anomaly at this time since I have nothing else to go on.

If I'm understanding correctly after having read through the notes referenced in the aforementioned thread, the tz_offset query doesn't use the system's time zone, but instead uses Oracle's DST files. I assumed then that my Oracle DST files were out of date and needed to be patched, but note 412160.1 seems to imply that I don't need it since I'm on 11.2.0.2 (unless I'm misinterpreting that...)

"Oracle RDBMS 11.2.0.2 includes ALL RDBMS DST patches from DSTv1 up to DSTv14 so there is no need to install a RDBMS DSTv14 patch (or lower) for Oracle RDBMS 11.2.0.2"

Here's the output from select * from v$timezone_file:

FILENAME VERSION
-------------------- ----------------------
timezlrg_2.dat 2

Here's the output from "opatch lsinventory" on one of the most current cluster nodes:

#########################################
Oracle Interim Patch Installer version 11.2.0.1.9
Copyright (c) 2011, Oracle Corporation. All rights reserved.


Oracle Home : /opt/oracle/11.2/db
Central Inventory : /opt/oraInventory
from : /opt/oracle/11.2/db/oraInst.loc
OPatch version : 11.2.0.1.9
OUI version : 11.2.0.2.0
Log file location : /opt/oracle/11.2/db/cfgtoollogs/opatch/opatch2012-03-28_12-40-45PM.log

Lsinventory Output file location : /opt/oracle/11.2/db/cfgtoollogs/opatch/lsinv/lsinventory2012-03-28_12-40-45PM.txt

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Installed Top-level Products (1):

Oracle Database 11g 11.2.0.2.0
There are 1 products installed in this Oracle Home.


Interim patches (2) :

Patch 13343424 : applied on Wed Feb 29 10:10:10 CST 2012
Unique Patch ID: 14539021
Patch Description: "Database Patch Set Update : 11.2.0.2.5 (13343424)"
Created on 2 Jan 2012, 02:51:51 hrs PST8PDT
Bugs fixed:
10084145, 10219583, 12685431, 12400751, 10040531, 10264680, 11674485
9436324, 13343244, 13343424, 11076894, 10127360, 9788588, 9881076
10630870, 11815753, 12345717, 12370722, 10132870, 12586491, 10329146
10097711, 8685446, 10422126, 10314582, 9842573, 10363186, 10285394
11827088, 10228151, 10151017, 10356513, 10040921, 11785390, 10245086
11830776, 10205230, 12586495, 10411618, 10324294, 9443361, 10209232
12419321, 12830339, 10073683, 10094201, 11894889, 10165083, 11061775
10013431, 9748749, 10248523, 10217802, 10622001, 9285259, 11800959
10623249, 12586486, 12586490, 10048701, 12655433, 12397410, 12917230
12670165, 12586492, 11069199, 11651810, 10052141, 10636231, 11841309
12827726, 11853815, 10278372, 9715581, 10126094, 12846268, 10302581
9414040, 10052956, 9591812, 10373381, 11690639, 10230571, 10388660
10229886, 12417369, 10018789, 10110863, 10102506, 10077191, 10284570
10031806, 12546006, 6892311, 9956713, 12586493, 9744252, 9707965
11800854, 10367188, 11067567, 11689702, 10332589, 12371955, 10299224
10180307, 10200404, 9905049, 10170431, 10621169, 12586496, 11723722
12635537, 11733179, 11707699, 10281887, 10079168, 9651350, 11666137
10159846, 9564886, 10039731, 10264696, 10239480, 9735282, 10035737
10158965, 10238786, 10022980, 11664046, 9970255, 10053725, 10055063
10269503, 12586487, 10324526, 12586494, 12531263, 10384285, 12326246
10233732, 10425676, 9819805, 9771278, 10190642, 9869401, 9966609
12620422, 10157402, 12797765, 10419984, 11785938, 11694127, 12586488
9943960, 11724984, 10368698, 11842991, 10080579, 11889177, 12423475
10021022, 10417716, 12828071, 10142788, 6523037, 12340939, 10061015
11670161, 10040035, 11866952, 11830778, 10635701, 10427260, 10227288
10358019, 10417216, 9382956, 11664719, 9683047, 9873405, 10082277
10193846, 11699057, 11893621, 11858315, 13386082, 10137324, 11788856
10155605, 10158493, 9746210, 10019218, 10218814, 11890804, 12419331
11674898, 9572787, 10378005, 10310299, 9539440, 10312847, 10219576
10129643, 11057263, 9829397, 9578670, 10258337, 12366627, 12431716
9078442, 10187168, 10222719, 11818335, 10051315, 9727147, 10142909
11695333, 11065646, 12846269, 13468884, 9672816, 12639234, 12569482
10332111, 9847634, 10399808, 12543639, 10284838, 10200390, 11695285
11800170, 10157249, 10113990, 10278773, 10229719, 8223165, 10094823
9375300, 10356782, 9735237, 11724916, 11707302, 12639177, 10285022
10326338, 12586489, 10648873, 10237773, 11830777, 12589039, 10396041
10317487, 9770451, 12408350, 9795214, 10204358, 9953542, 9724970, 12950644

Patch 13653086 : applied on Wed Feb 29 10:06:33 CST 2012
Unique Patch ID: 14539021
Patch Description: "Grid Infrastructure Patch Set Update 11.2.0.2.5 (includes DB PSU 11.2.0.2.5) #2"
Created on 2 Feb 2012, 02:02:41 hrs PST8PDT
Bugs fixed:
13653086, 10157506, 10178670, 10425672, 12311357, 12419353, 12827731
13343447, 9959110, 10272615, 10314123, 10014392, 10089120, 10057296
11692271, 9864003, 11775080, 9916145, 12695202, 12593451, 10044622
11705438, 10365625, 12767231, 9935308, 12399977, 11882456, 12421404
12862012, 11744343, 12340700, 10056713, 10637741, 9939306, 9795321
9902536, 10007185, 10376847, 10038791, 11741224, 12823479, 11655840
10048487, 10322157, 11768599, 10260251, 10052721, 10028235, 10027079
12412303, 10357258, 11871469, 10045436, 10231906, 12722095, 10622973
9891341, 10072474, 10036834, 10029900, 9974223, 10161846, 10016083
12597463, 9918485, 11781515, 10040647, 13332363, 12651595, 12345151
11925641, 10069541, 10029119, 10233159, 12332919, 9812956, 10036193
10015210, 12424479, 12340501, 10621175, 9686152, 12556028, 11877079
8906163, 10111010, 12366642, 11777648, 10115514, 10104377, 10057680
10280665, 10078086, 9944948, 10146768, 10052529, 10011084, 10012319
10073075, 10233811, 12720728, 10299006, 12426375, 10248739, 10236074
10128191, 11071429, 10019726, 9975837, 10253630, 12615394, 10420872
9949676, 11936945, 11820787, 10637483, 13396479, 12677816, 10157622
11698552, 10385838, 10053985, 12718811, 10229297, 10425674, 9812970
11828633, 12359585, 11899801, 10083789, 12728585, 9876201, 10073372
9963327, 10428946, 11077756, 10375649, 9336825, 11682409, 10062301
12767563, 12546712, 10018215, 10105195, 10419987, 13355549, 10071992
11807012, 10634513, 9926027, 10103954, 12743755, 12406573, 10028343
11768055, 11866171, 10065216, 9907089, 9897335, 10190153, 11744313
10175855, 12600343, 12422324, 10284828, 10028637, 10361177, 12800501
9979706, 12950415, 10324594, 10015460, 11818524, 9971646, 11782423
11654726, 9978765, 10398810, 11904778, 10397652, 9915329, 10107380
10110969, 10305361, 10331452, 10083009, 10631693, 10008467, 10048027
10040109, 9944978, 10370797, 10033106, 12700217, 11840629, 10042143
9978195, 10284693, 12639016, 10638381, 11839004, 9679401, 11663339
10075643, 10057719, 11834289, 9458055, 10205290, 10124517, 12680491
13334158, 11069614, 10165314, 9593552, 10168006, 13635562



Rac system comprising of multiple nodes
Local node = devdb1
Remote node = devdb2

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

OPatch succeeded.
#######################################

If anyone can let me know whether the problem really lies with Oracle's DST files, or whether I'm barking up the wrong tree I'd really appreciate it.

Thanks,

Dan