[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".
More information about the questions
mailing list