=;The OpenVMS Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)D

The OpenVMS Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)



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4.4.1.2 US Daylight Time Changes Starting 1-Mar-2007?



FThe United States Federal Government is presently expecting to change Eits DST rules starting in March, 2007. (The change-over date and the Eplanned change itself has not come to pass as of this writing, hence the phrasing used.)

HAs amended, US daylight time will be increased to be effective from the Csecond Sunday in March through the first Sunday of November. Other Hcountries, US local political geographies and businesses may or may not 4follow suite and implement these changes, obviously.

HFor further regulatory details, see the US Uniform Time Act of 1966 (15 <U.S.C 260a(a)), as amended by the Energy Policy Act of 2005.

HFor details on how to create, customize or to download new rules and to bupdate your local timezone rules, please see Section 4.4.1.1.N

4.4.2 Timezones and Time-related Logical Names?



EVarious logical names are used to manage time and timezones, and you ?should avoid direct modification of these logical names as the Himplementations are subtle and quick to change. As discussed in section kSection 4.4.3, you will want to use the following command procedure to #maintain the time and the timezone:



EIf you want to venture into uncharted territories and modify the TDF Fused within older releases of TCP/IP Services---within releases prior BV5.0---you can attempt to use the following undocumented commands:

 

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1SET TIME/DIFF=[positive or negative TDF integer] GENERATE TIME 




/to reset the value of the logical name UCX$TDF.

#Prior to OpenVMS V7.3, the command:

 

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*$ SETTZ :== $SYS$SYSTEM:DTSS$SET_TIMEZONE $ SETTZ MODIFY 




Hcan be used to modify the settings of the SYS$TIMEZONE_DAYLIGHT_SAVING, FSYS$TIMEZONE_DIFFERENTIAL, and SYS$TIMEZONE_NAME system logical names based on the SYS$TIMEZONE_RULE.

DThe following are other TDF-related logical names used/available on GOpenVMS systems, with typical daylight time and standard time settings &for the US Eastern Time (ET) timezone.

 

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$daylight_time: ,$ DEFINE/SYSTEM/EXECUTIVE MAIL$TIMEZONE EDT 5$ DEFINE/SYSTEM/EXECUTIVE NOTES$TIMEZONE "-0400 EDT" H$ DEFINE/SYSTEM/EXECUTIVE LISP$DAYLIGHT_SAVING_TIME_P true  ! Not 'EDT' 9$ DEFINE/SYSTEM/EXECUTIVE LISP$TIME_ZONE 05   ! Constant $ $standard_time: ,$ DEFINE/SYSTEM/EXECUTIVE MAIL$TIMEZONE EST 5$ DEFINE/SYSTEM/EXECUTIVE NOTES$TIMEZONE "-0500 EST" H$ DEFINE/SYSTEM/EXECUTIVE LISP$DAYLIGHT_SAVING_TIME_P false ! Not 'EST' 9$ DEFINE/SYSTEM/EXECUTIVE LISP$TIME_ZONE 05   ! Constant $ 6$ DEFINE/SYSTEM/EXECUTIVE UCX$NFS_TIME_DIFFERENTIAL - C    'f$integer(f$element(0," ",f$logical("notes$timezone"))/-100)' 




AFor information on modifying these timezone logical names and on Umanaging the timezone rules, see Section 4.4.1.O

4.4.3 How to troubleshoot TDF problems on OpenVMS?



EThis is an OpenVMS Alpha system prior to V7.0 and the startup is not invoking the procedure:

 

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SYS$MANAGER:UTC$TIME_SETUP.COM 




GThis is an OpenVMS system prior to V6.0, where there is no OpenVMS TDF nor UTC available.

BThe version of the application does not use the OpenVMS TDF. This Fincludes TCP/IP Services prior to V5.0, applications using HP C built =on or targeting OpenVMS prior to V7.0, and systems using the ADECnet-Plus DTSS mechanisms prior to the release associated with @OpenVMS V7.3. (DCE DTS TDF management details to be determined.)

@If you should find either of the following two timezone-related 0database files located in SYS$SPECIFIC:[SYSEXE]:



FThese two files are in an erroneous location and must be recreated in the correct directory:

 

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SYS$COMMON:[SYSEXE] 




If the DCL command:

 

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)$ DIRECTORY SYS$SYSTEM:SYS$TIMEZONE*.DAT 




Eshows these files in SYS$SPECIFIC:[SYSEXE], then delete them and use 0SYS$MANAGER:UTC$TIME_SETUP.COM to recreate them.

/On OpenVMS versions prior to V7.3, if the file:

 

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#$ SYS$STARTUP:DTSS$UTC_STARTUP.COM 




7is present on your system, then you may need to invoke:

 

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-$ @SYS$UPDATE:DTSS$INSTALL_TIMEZONE_RULE.COM 




>to recreate the timezone files correctly. Invoke this command @immediately after [re]executing SYS$MANAGER:UTC$TIME_SETUP.COM.)

DIf SYS$UPDATE:DTSS$INSTALL_TIMEZONE_RULE.COM is not present on your <system, then you may need to execute the following commands:

 

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*$ DELETE SYS$STARTUP:DTSS$UTC_STARTUP.COM *$ DEASSIGN/SYSTEM/EXEC SYS$TIMEZONE_RULE. 




CIf your system time is being reported as being off by one hour (or fwhatever the local DST change), please see sections Section 4.7, jSection 4.4 and Section 10.22.1.t

4.5 Why does the SET TIME command fail? Help managing DTSS?



EIf you try to set the system time with the SET TIME command, and see one of the following messages:

 

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$%SET-E-NOTSET, error modifying time 1-SYSTEM-F-IVSSRQ, invalid system service request  $%SET-E-NOTSET, error modifying time ,-SYSTEM-E-TIMENOTSET, time service enabled; 2  enter a time service command to update the time 




DThis occurs if the time on the local system is controlled by a time Dservice software, for example the distributed time service software B(DTSS) provided as part of the DECnet-Plus installation. The DTSS Bsoftware communicates with one or more time servers to obtain the >current time. It entirely controls the local system time (for ;DECnet-Plus, there is a process named DTSS$CLERK for this);Atherefore, the usage of the SET TIME command (and the underlying $$SETTIM system service) is disabled.

GThe first message is displayed on systems running DECnet-Plus V6.1 and Eearlier. On systems with newer DECnet-Plus software, the second (and #more informative) message is given.

EYou shouldn't have to change the time manually - you should be doing Cthis through the time server - but if you insist... you'll have to shutdown DTSS:

 

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$ RUN SYS$SYSTEM:NCL 
DISABLE DTSS DELETE DTSS 




FThis will shutdown DTSS$CLERK. You may then change the system time as )usual. To restart the DTSS software, type

 

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$ @SYS$STARTUP:DTSS$STARTUP 




DYou will need a number of privileges to issue this command, and you Amust also be granted the NET$MANAGE identifer to shutdown and to restart DTSS.

HIf you wish to "permanently" disable DTSS on a system running DDECnet-Plus, the above NCL sequence must be performed each time the Gsystem is bootstrapped. (On DECnet-Plus V7.3 and later, you can define !the logical name NET$DISABLE_DTSSG to disable the DTSS startup. This logical name must be defined in the " command procedure SYLOGICALS.COM,H as this logical name must be present and defined sufficiently early in ; the OpenVMS system bootstrap sequence for it to function.)

DIf DTSS is running and no time servers are configured, you can (and 6will) see the following messages at regular intervals:

 

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9%%%%%%%%%%%  OPCOM   2-SEP-1999 19:41:20.29  %%%%%%%%%%% #Message from user SYSTEM on UNHEDI ?Event: Too Few Servers Detected from: Node LOCAL:.mynode DTSS, .        at: 1999-09-02-19:41:20.296-04:00Iinf         Number Detected=0,         Number Required=1 8        eventUid   5FA70F4F-616E-11D3-A80E-08002BBEDB0F 8        entityUid  DE9E97DE-6135-11D3-8004-AA000400BD1B 8        streamUid  D6513A46-6135-11D3-8003-AA000400BD1B 




HYou can either configure the appropriate number of time servers, or you Hcan disable DTSS, or you can ignore it and (if OPCOM is set to write to %the log via via the logical names in ESYLOGICALS.COM/SYLOGICALS.TEMPLATE) clean out OPERATOR.LOG regularly.

:You can also simply disable the display of these messages:

 

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$ run sys$system:ncl 6block event dispatcher outbound stream local_stream -     global filter - -    ((Node, DTSS), Too Few Servers Detected) 




EIf you wish to disable the automatic TDF adjustment for the daylight Ftime switch-over (on OpenVMS versions prior to V7.3), you can use the command:

 

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$ run sys$system:ncl &set dtss automatic TDF change = false 




For alternatively, you can set the local timezone to one that does not 0include the automatic daylight time change-over.

=OpenVMS V7.3 and later simplify time and timezone management.w

4.6 Setting time on AlphaServer ES47, ES80, GS1280 console?



BTo set the base system time on an member of the AlphaServer ES47, FAlphaServer ES80 or AlphaServer GS1280 series system family, you must Eaccess the Platform Management Utility (PMU). The PMU is implemented Dwithin this family of related AlphaServer systems, and is part of a Clayer providing services beyond those of the traditional Alpha SRM Fconsole layer, and within a layer architecturally implemented beneath ?the SRM console. In particular, the PMU and related management 7components are used to provide services across multipleG vPars or nPars partitions. In particular, the SRM obtains and manages H the local system time on these systems as a delta time offset from the B underlying base system time. Neither the SRM console nor OpenVMS H directly accesses nor alters the underlying base system time nor other - information maintained within the PMU layer.

GThe PMU uses the System Management components, centrally including the EBackplane Manager (MBM) module found in each drawer, user interface, HPCI and CPU management components, and the interconnections among these Cprovided by the private system management LAN. When the system has @power applied and the main breakers are on, the MBMs are active.

GThe PMU offers a command line interface for a serial communications or Htelnet connection and allows command and control of the MBM, and of the =server. The PMU and the MBM system management components are $responsible for the following tasks:



CYou can use the MBM commands SHOW TIME and SET TIME to view and to Fmanipulate the base system time. The delta time value for the primary DMBM will be indicated, and it is this value in conjunction with the Ebase time that is used to generate the time available to OpenVMS via Hthe SRM console. If you issue a SET TIME=time command from OpenVMS, the Hdelta time will change, but not the MBM base system time. If you change Gthe MBM base system time, the calculated time available to OpenVMS via Gthe SRM console(s) will change. (Resetting the base time thus involves >changing the base system time, and then issuing SET TIME=time Hcommand(s) to each of the OpenVMS vPars or nPars environments to adjust Fthe respective delta time values.) Rebooting, resetting or issuing an (MBM SET TIME will reset the system time.

CTypically, you will want to establish the MBM time value once, and Hprobably setting it to UTC or such, and you will then want to boot each /partition conversationally, setting the SETTIMEDsystem parameter to force the entry of the time within each booting Hsystem environment. Once the MBM time value has been set once, you will Htypically not want to alter it again. You will typically want to manage 6and modify only the time values within each partition.

EThe time and data values stored in the primary MBM and replicated in Hthe zero or more secondary MBMs that might be present within the system are coordinated.

?To enter the PMU from the SRM console, and to exit back to SRM:

 

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)MBM - (PMU, Platform Management Utility)  )  From SRM P00> enter {Esc} {Esc} MBM 6  CTRL/[ CTRL/[ MBM           (MBM must be uppercase) 2  MBM> connect                (to exit to SRM) 




CThe [CTRL/][ is the escape character. Use the cited key Bsequences to enter the PMU. You can also access the PMU through a Bmodem, or from a terminal or terminal emulator or terminal server Econnected to the server management LAN. Having the server management GLAN bridged to an untrusted LAN can be unwise, however, and with risks Eanalogous to those of configuring a traditional VAX or Alpha console =serial line to an open terminal server or to a dial-in modem.

DSee the AlphaServer GS1280 documentation for additional information.w

4.7 UTC vs GMT vs vs UT1/UT1/UT2 TDF? What are these acronyms?



FThe results of an international compromise---though some would say an Cinternational attempt to increase confusion---UTC is refered to as F"Coordinated Universal Time" (though not as CUT) in English Hand as "Temps Universel Coordinné" (though not as TUC) Din French. (No particular information exists to explain why UTC was Achosen over the equally nonsensical TCU, according to Ulysses T. =Clockmeister, one of the diplomats that helped establish the international compromise.)

DUniversal Time UT0 is solar time, UT1 is solar time corrected for a Cwobble in the Earth's orbit, and UT2 is UT1 corrected for seasonal Arotational variations in rotation due to the Earth's solar orbit.

HGMT---Greenwich Mean Time---is UT1. GMT is the time at the classic site @of the since-disbanded Royal Greenwich Observatory; at the most 6widely-known tourist attraction of Greenwich, England.

FUTC is based on an average across multiple atomic clocks, and is kept Awithin 0.9 seconds of GMT, through the insertion (or removal) of Aseconds. In other words, UTC matches GMT plus or minus up to 0.9 seconds, but UTC is not GMT.

FTDF is the Timezone Differential Factor, the interval of time between Hthe local time and UTC. Areas that celebrate daylight saving time (DST) Awill see periodic changes to the TDF value, when the switch-over Gbetween daylight time and standard time occurs. The switch-over itself His entirely left to local governmental folks, and can and has varied by Gpolitical entity and politics, and the switch-over has varied over the years even at the same location.

FIf your local OpenVMS system time is off by one hour (or whatever the Elocal DST change) for some or all applications, you probably need to @reset your local TDF. (For related details, please see sections kSection 4.4 and Section 10.22.1.)

BFurther discussions of history and politics, the Royal Observers' Eoutbuildings, and the compromise that left the English with the Time CStandard (the Prime Meridian) and the French with the standards forHDistance and Weight (the Metric System) are left to other sources. Some 2of these other sources include the following URLs:

m

4.8 Using w32time or an SNTP as a time provider?



CNo standards-compliant NTP or SNTP server is reportedly capable of :synchronizing with the Microsoft Windows w32time services.

HFurther, NTP clients are not generally capable of synchronizing with an SNTP server.

?Open Source (Free) NTP servers (qv: OpenNTP) are available for AMicrosoft Windows platforms, and TCP/IP Services and third-party Gpackages all provide NTP servers for OpenVMS, and NTP and SNTP clients "can synchronize with these srvers.




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