[ntp:questions] Re: simple time server

Richard B. Gilbert rgilbert88 at comcast.net
Fri Aug 4 22:04:52 UTC 2006


Darren Dunham wrote:

> Richard B. Gilbert <rgilbert88 at comcast.net> wrote:
> 
>>>By constrast, a Windows clock keeps local
>>>time.  If you transport a Windows computer from Los Angeles to New
>>>York, you normally tell the kernel to change its clock by 3 hours.  If
>>>you transport a Unix system, you don't.  You just tell the various
>>>programs that report the kernel's time that you'd like to see it in
>>>EST now.
>>>
> 
> 
>>Maybe YOU reset the Windows clock that way.  Windows does have the 
>>facility to specify a time zone and at least some of us use that 
>>facility to set the correct time zone for the zone we happen to be in.
> 
> 
> I believe "specify a time zone" and "tell the kernel to change its
> clock" are equivalent on Windows.  Yes?
> 

Since Windows 2000 and Windows XP both have W32TIME (Microsoft's feeble 
attempt at implementing SNTP) Windows *can* run a UTC clock and display 
local time.  I would be the last to assert that everyone set up their 
Windows systems correctly but I know that I did at least three of them 
(two XP and one W2K) and it's just not that difficult!

Click on your windows clock (in Systray).  Mine has three tabs, the 
rightmost labeled "Internet" time.  The server defaults to 
time.windows.com but you can pick any other one.  My household, Windows 
systems included, synchronizes to my stratum 1 (GPS) server.  W32TIME 
appears to be correcting the clock every hour.  This does not give me 
microsecond accuracy but on my Windows systems 100ms is "close enough 
for government work".




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