[ntp:questions] Re: NTP Public Services Project help - +1 hour setting

David Schwartz davids at webmaster.com
Thu Sep 8 12:51:17 UTC 2005


"MrBr" <mrbr.mail at gmail.com> wrote in message 
news:1126112925.049390.134780 at g14g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...

>I think I found a freeware solution.
> You have to use two programs:
> 1) AnalogX Atomic Time Sync - the program provides you with an exact
> time synchronization option + a time offset of your choice ( the
> program don't have a time server option )
> 2) Absolute Time Server - it's a freeware time server
>
> I think it solves the problem, the only thing I have to do now is to
> redirect all my servers time synchronization to this server and change
> the offset every time I need.

    Then your servers will have an incorrect notion of UTC. Since the 
servers use UTC internally for more things than they use local time for, 
this sounds like a loss overall. The worst part will be when UTC jumps 
backwards an hour -- that can actually break things.

    Imagine a program that sets a timer to fire every ten seconds and clean 
up stale objects so it doesn't run out of memory. To prevent it from blowing 
up every daylight savings time, it uses UTC instead of local time. Now you 
jump UTC forward an hour, so it goes without the clean up pass for 60 
minutes. Boom.

    This is only one example that occured to me immediately. There are 
hundreds of other ways this can blow up in your face. DON'T DO IT.

    DS





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