Re: Bug: Status/Summary of slashdot leap-second crash on new years 2008-2009

Chris Adams
2009-01-07T13:33:33Z

Once upon a time, David Newall <davidn@davidnewall.com> said:
> The remaining fly in the ointment, if indeed the NTP client doesn't
> already do what I've outlined, is that leap seconds aren't reckoned into
> NTP broadcasts. As intimated, this is correctable using leap second
> information from zoneinfo.

No it isn't; you are still wrong. Yet again, you are ignoring the
facts:

- zoneinfo is for offset from UTC, leap seconds are changes in UTC

- the standards say that time() returns seconds since the epoch in UTC
_except_ explicity NOT including leap seconds

- NTP already has a way to distribute leap second information to trusted
clients

> Even though this is manifestly not a kernel issue, I'll work up a patch
> for ntpdate (apparently what I use) and post her, which I'm sure will be
> useful for all other NTP clients.

ntpdate is obsolete.

> However it is now clear that no special kernel support is required for
> leap-seconds, and any such code that's been incorporated needs to be
> removed. Removed I say!

And you are wrong.
--
Chris Adams <cmadams@hiwaay.net>
Systems and Network Administrator - HiWAAY Internet Services
I don't speak for anybody but myself - that's enough trouble.