Hi Poul-Henning,

On 2015-05-31 03:33 PM, Poul-Henning Kamp wrote:
--------
In message <556b5d76.6000...@edlmax.com>, Brooks Harris writes:

Most Windows boxes don't run NTP.
I don't think that's true. As far as I know, Windows, either personal or
Server versions, synchronize using NTP, and did so with SNTP until Win
2000, then NTPV3, then NTPV4. I glean this from accumulated knowledge -
its difficult to find authoritative information from Microsoft about it.
So that depends what you mean by "NTP".

If you mean that your packets look like NTP packets, then yes, it does
run NTP.
OK.
But I mean "use the NTP clock model".
Right. OK, well, its not made clear exactly what it does with its counting over the Leap Second (like NTP "freeze" or POSIX "reset") or how its applied to local timescales. .

On my personal laptop running Win 7, I don't have Active Directory, and
the W32Time service is *not* started. But it will synchronize via the
usual desktop "Internet Time" mechanisms. It uses either
"time.nist.gov", "time.windows.com", etc. These are NTP servers.
But what happens when the leap-second hits ?

Most likely, at some random time after the leapsecond, your clock
steps a second.
Right, for normal personal computers. Severs may be more tightly synched.

Windows of any version is fundamentally following NTP.
Not even close.
Well, what I mean its it relies on NTP for its time in some way or other. I didn't mean it *is* NTP, so I'll retract the comment in that form.

That's why Meinberg still maintains their NTPD client.
Right. The discussion didn't start out about accuracy, but about the counting rules.

You should find Martins presentation from FOSDEM about this.

But that doesn't answer the first question about how the Leap Second is
applied to local time by Azure and/or Windows.
Because that is the only sane thing for them to do, given the (broken)
timekeeping in the software they run.
Well, broken in what way for what purpose? An awful lot of people use it.. Its time is not "precise" and/or "accurate" without some help from somewhere, but its good enough to have become the largest platform. I could write a three volume tome on "Why I Hate Windows". But its the environment, like it or not.

The fundamental question about leapseconds is not about where Rob can
find the sun at noon, but about teaching an awful lot of rather crap
programmers how to cope with a infrequent and intractable complexity
on short notice.
I don't think its fair to insult all the programmers. Timekeeping is a specialty, and a controversial specialty. Most programmers are trying to use system timekeeping services on various platforms and applications that are not well documented, and often flawed. The fact there are bugs is no surprise and until a concerted effort is made to improve the underlying standards and implementations it will be a trash..

It seems like Daniels scheduling on this one may show us which is more
important.
Sorry, lost track of what that comment refers to..

-Brooks

_______________________________________________
LEAPSECS mailing list
LEAPSECS@leapsecond.com
https://pairlist6.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/leapsecs

Reply via email to