Tim wrote:
> I'm wondering though, if the server is running the xntpd daemons (ours synchs with time.nist.gov), if the patch is even necessary. Surely the atomic clock will be pulsing out the correct time and be adjusted for the daylight savings time change.
Yes the patch is necessary. Like all sane operating systems, HP-UX keeps only one time: GMT. There is NO daylight saving, no timezones, just one universal time, also known as UTC or Zulu time. Your xntpd is keeping the system clock synced to GMT.
Timezones are 100% political and have virtually nothing to do with astronomy. They are aligned along state, provincial or country borders, can be changed at the whim of politicians are a royal pain to track . See:
http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/ However, several flavors of Unix have adopted the tztab method of handling these crazy delineations. What the tztab file does is to allow a virtually infinite number of timezones. Why I even created my own timezone called BLH and it is 4 hours and 42 minutes East of GMT. That way, I am always 18 minutes ahead of Eastern time so I won't be late for meetings ;-)
Seriously, your machine is capable of providing *EVERY* timezone in the world for any user. You do this by setting the variable TZ to the user's personal timezone (in .profile) so users in Australia, Egypt, Finland, New York and Anchorage Alaska can all see their local time when they login. And timestamps on their files are shown in their local time.
tztab should rightfully be patched every few months to keep up to date on world timezone changes. We get excited because this is the first timezone change in several years for all the U.S. But with the help of the above website, you can maintain your own tztab without any patches...
Bill Hassell, sysadmin
