timezone setting incorrect at least via email and does not update automatically (10 Comments)

Issue report by Mark Nipper

Product

FileMaker Server

Version

13.0.1

Operating system version

Windows Server 2012 Standard

Description of the issue

I just cleanly installed Filemaker Server 13 for the first time on a cleanly installed Windows Server 2012 Standard machine. When testing the email settings, I noticed that there is a rather fundamental bug in time and timezone handling.

Steps to reproduce the problem

The server was configured for the default timezone used by Windows Server 2012 upon installation which is PST (-0800). So I send the test email at 9:15:43 PST (local server time). The date header on the email shows:
---
Date: Fri, 6 Dec 2013 9:15:43 +0000

which is now a completely different time since 9:15:43 UTC is eight hours earlier than 9:15:43 PST.

So then I run into the next problem since I'm actually in CST (-0600). I change the timezone in Windows to be CST. I resend the test email. The header looks like:
---
Date: Fri, 6 Dec 2013 9:17:21 +0000

Wait, what? The time is "right" in that it has progressed from the previous time, but now my computer's local time shows the correct 11:17:21 CST and Filemaker just sent me the "old" PST time (still with the wrong timezone of course). So Filemaker is keeping a local clock internally for some reason apparently?

Expected result

The timezone used in the date header of emails should match the local servers timezone instead of always being set to UTC or be smart enough to adjust the time shown to the correct UTC time based on the machine's local timezone setting.

I would also expect Filemaker to pick up on the correct time anytime the timezone is changed under Windows instead of keeping what appears to be an internal, separate clock.

Actual result

I decided to restart the server after the last bit of weirdness which got me a date header with the newly set CST time, but still the incorrect UTC timezone (+0000).

Workaround

The workaround for now is to set the server itself to UTC. Then the date header generated by Filemaker is correct. But this doesn't really address the underlying problems.