Database Management

Update DPA 2026.2 for British Columbia time-zone changes

Beginning November 1, 2026, most of British Columbia will remain on Pacific Daylight Time (UTC−07:00) instead of returning to UTC−08:00. This will explain steps to prepare the the current DPA release 2026.2 for this change.

First published date

10/13/2026 6:31 PM

Last published date

10/13/2026 6:31 PM

Overview

Beginning November 1, 2026, most of British Columbia will remain on Pacific Daylight Time (UTC−07:00) instead of returning to UTC−08:00. DPA 2026.2 includes Microsoft Build of OpenJDK 17.0.18, whose time-zone data predates the IANA 2026b rules for this change. To have DPA use the updated rules before upgrading to a DPA release that includes them, configure DPA 2026.2 to use Microsoft Build of OpenJDK 17.0.20.1.

This update changes the time-zone rules available to DPA’s Java runtime. It does not by itself change the DPA server’s operating-system time zone or update the operating system’s time-zone database.

This procedure has been validated for DPA 2026.2 only. It has not been tested with earlier DPA releases; do not assume it applies to those versions. Contact SolarWinds Support before changing the JDK on an earlier release.

Product section

Database Performance Analyzer

Cause

Time zone law change. 

Resolution

Before you begin

  • Confirm that the DPA server is running DPA 2026.2 and note whether it runs Windows or Linux.

  • Schedule a maintenance window. Back up the existing java_loc.txt file and record its current contents before changing it.

  • Download and install Microsoft Build of OpenJDK 17.0.20.1 for the server’s operating system and architecture. Use the Microsoft OpenJDK download page and follow your organization’s software installation requirements.

  • Ensure the DPA server’s operating-system time-zone data is also current. The Java runtime and the operating system maintain separate time-zone data.

Configure DPA to use the updated JDK

Use the customer-facing instructions for your DPA server’s operating system. These articles describe updating DPA’s java_loc.txt file and the required service or restart steps:

In java_loc.txt, specify the full path to the Java executable in the installed JDK. Follow the linked article for the platform-specific procedure; on Windows, this includes recreating the Ignite PI Server service, and on Linux, restarting DPA after updating the file.

Confirm the operating-system time-zone rules

The DPA server’s operating-system time-zone data must also include the British Columbia change.

Linux

Run these commands on the DPA server:

timedatectl list-timezones | grep -i Vancouver
ls -l /usr/share/zoneinfo/America/Vancouver
cat /etc/os-release
rpm -q tzdata

Confirm that America/Vancouver is listed, the zoneinfo file exists, and the installed tzdata package includes the 2026b rules or later. rpm -q tzdata applies to RPM-based distributions; use the equivalent package query for other distributions.

Windows

Install the current Windows updates that provide the British Columbia time-zone entry. If the DPA server is intended to use British Columbia local time, confirm that Windows offers and is configured for (UTC-07:00) Pacific Time (British Columbia). Do not change the DPA server’s time zone solely because a monitored database is in British Columbia; change it only if that is the intended time zone for the DPA server.

Validate the change

  1. Confirm DPA points to the updated Java executable:

    • On Windows, use IgnitePIw.exe in the DPA iwc\tomcat\bin directory and check the Java tab. The Java Virtual Machine path should match the updated JDK path in java_loc.txt.

    • On Linux, check that java_loc.txt contains the updated JDK’s full Java executable path.

  2. Run the Java version command against that same executable. It should report Microsoft OpenJDK 17.0.20.1 (or the later Java 17 build you installed):

    • Windows: "<JDK path>\bin\java.exe" -version

    • Linux: "<JDK path>/bin/java" -version

  3. From the same JDK installation, start jshell (<JDK path>\bin\jshell.exe on Windows or <JDK path>/bin/jshell on Linux) and evaluate:

     java.time.ZonedDateTime.of(2026, 11, 15, 12, 0, 0, 0, java.time.ZoneId.of("America/Vancouver"))

    The result should show November 15, 2026 at 12:00 with offset -07:00 (UTC−07:00). This matches the Jira lab validation: the bundled JDK 17.0.18 returned UTC−08:00 for the test date, while Microsoft OpenJDK 17.0.20.1 returned UTC−07:00.

  4. Start or confirm the DPA service is running. Verify that you can sign in to DPA and that startup logs do not report Java or JVM errors.

If the Java version, configured executable path, or time-zone test does not match the expected results, verify the contents of java_loc.txt, the installation path and permissions, and the operating-system time-zone updates. Do not remove the existing JDK until DPA has been confirmed to start successfully with the updated JDK.

Upcoming DPA release

The upcoming DPA release is planned to include a newer JDK with the updated time-zone data and is expected soon. Release timing and the exact bundled Java version can change; check the DPA release notes to confirm availability and the included JDK. Until that release is available, the custom JDK procedure above is the workaround for DPA 2026.2.