Need help to maintain system time in france with NTP

[berlioz]

Hello,

My actual configuration :
Alphaserver DS25
OpenVMS 7.3.2
DTSS in use and will make changes to/from daylight saving time
Local Time Zone = WET -- DAYLIGHT TIME
time differential factor = 1:00
time zone rule = WET0WET DST-1, M3.4.0/01,M10.5.0/02

First : is the the right configuration for FRANCE ?

Second : i have added to my local network a NTP server (radio synchronisation), and i just want to maintain system time trought that equipment.
I have started NTP (with tcpip$config) and modified tcpip$ntp.conf (added : server 10.21.32.1) but it doesn't work : ntp daemon tried to set up time with no respect to daylight saving time.

How can i do this ?

[Volker Halle]

Berlioz,

the correct timezone for France is CET or MET. And you are currently on DST (daylight savings time), so the time differential factor should be 02:00

NTP internally always works with UTP (i.e. GMT). You cannot run DTSS server and NTP on the same node at the same time. If you run NTP (and not DTSS) to synchronize the time, you should let OpenVMS do the daylight savings changes (system parameter AUTO_DLIGHT_SAV=1).

If you want to, you can run NTP as a time provider for DTSS server - google for DTSS$NTP_PROVIDER

Volker.

[berlioz]

volker,

i've just disable DTSS (net$logicals.com file with net$disable_dtss true).

How can i set AUTO_DLIGHT_SAV to 1 : is this a special procedure or .COM file for this parameter ?)

[Volker Halle]

AUTO_DLIGHT_SAV is a SYSGEN parameter. The default value is 0. It is not a dynamic parameter, so you have to reboot to actiavte it.

Add it to MODPARAMS.DAT, then run AUTOGEN and reboot.

To check, whether and when the next daylight savings time change will happen:

$ ANAL/SYS
SDA> SET PROC JOB_CONTROL
SDA> SHOW PROC/TQE

The last TQE (Timer Queue Element) shown will be for the DST change event.

Volker.

[Hoff]

As of OpenVMS V7.3, the pieces of DTSS that are needed to deal with the daylight savings time and such have been integrated into base OpenVMS -- this stuff was moved from DECnet-Plus into the base OpenVMS system, where everything now uses and expects it.

France is CET, sometimes also called MET Middle European Time. MET is also used for Middle Eastern Time (and used for this in some of the standard timezone definition files), hence the use of CET for Europe. http://forums1.itrc.hp.com/service/forums/questionanswer.do?threadId=1112496
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_European_Time

There is no need to run DTSS to get the automatic daylight savings time switch-over set the AUTO_DLIGHT_SAV system parameter, and off you go.

As Volker says, you cannot have multiple time providers active; there can be only one. (Or none, if you're using the local system time and local clock.) Here, using NTP will be the appropriate approach. You can combine this with DECnet-Plus using the provider tool, but -- for one node, or for any site not otherwise making heavy use of DTSS -- it would seem more reasonable to shut off DTSS and use NTP.

With DECnet-Plus V7.3 and later, you can use the NET$DISABLE_DTSS logical name to disable the DTSS startup. For other mechanisms, see the "Why does the SET TIME command fail? Help managing DTSS?" article of the OpenVMS FAQ. http://www.hoffmanlabs.com/vmsfaq/

There exists a substantial pile of material on times and timezones on OpenVMS available via the timekeeping tag at http://64.223.189.234/taxonomy/term/57
This includes some of the "fun" around the 2007 North American DST rules changes, and around decoding the TZ rules.

Stephen Hoffman
HoffmanLabs LLC

[berlioz]

I've just set AUTO_DLIGHT_SAV to 1

My actual configuration is : (utc$time_setup show)

>AUTO_DLIGHT_SAV is set to "1"
>OpenVMS will automatically change to/from Daylight Saving Time.
>The logical name SYS$TIMEZONE_RULE is not defined
>The logical name SYS$TIMEZONE_NAME is not defined
>The logical name SYS$TIMEZONE_DAYLIGHT_SAVING is not defined
> LOCAL_TIME_ZONE = CET -- STANDARD TIME
> LOCAL SYSTEM TIME = 12-JUN-2007 09:53:50.09 ()
> TIME DIFFERENTIAL FACTOR = 2:00
> TIME ZONE RULE =

But at startup i've the following message :

SYS$TIMEZONE_RULE logical not defined, Dalylight Saving Time clock adjustements are not possible

Is there something false in my configuration ?

[berlioz]

any idea ?

[Hoff]

Invoke the timezone configuration tool (@SYS$MANAGER:UTC$TIME_SETUP.COM), and do also ensure you are current on all TZ, DST and UPDATE ECOs for V7.3-2.

[Volker Halle]

Berlioz,

if NET$DISABLE_DTSS is correctly defined (in SYLOGICALS.COM), then VMS$BASEENVIRON-050_VMS.COM should be calling TDF$UTC_STARTUP.COM during startup.

TDF$UTC_STARTUP.COM should set up the timezone logicals - if SYS$TIMEZONE_RULE is not already defined. See the last line in that procedure for the parameters used.

There have been problems and patches in this area of the code in various versions of OpenVMS (TDF and TZ facility).

Volker.