Windows Vista: Time Servers, Synchronisation and Time Zone Advice
Posted on June 28, 2008
This article explores some
of the useful but little known about time features on windows Vista
It
can be really annoying. You have just got off the plane, booted up your lap top
and set the clock to local time. Yet all your appointments suddenly move, not
just the ones on that side of the ocean either, when you return home and reset
the clock the appointments refuse to go back.
This
problem occurs because of the way a computer handles time. In general computers
ignore time zones and base their time on UTC (Coordinated Universal Time) the international
time standard.
Time
can cause havoc with computers, not just with lap tops either. Computers all
over the world need to be telling the same time particularly if they have to
perform time sensitive transactions or need to keep their networks secure.
Most computer networks use NTP servers (Network Time
Protocol) to keep synchronized.NTP time servers use an UTC timing reference
either from the Internet or from a radio or GPS transmission. A UTC timing
reference originally comes from an atomic clock and is as accurate as humanely
possible.
When travelling abroad it is good advice NOT to adjust the
system clock as your computer (and its associated programs such as Outlook)
stores all time in UTC form and only offsets for a particular time zone (So in
France the time is UTC+1 while in the US (EST) it becomes UTC-6.
However there are several features on Windows Vista that can
make keeping track of the time a lot easier for travelers.
To keep track of the time zone you are travelling to,
windows Vista can display more than one clock in the task bar (up to three).
To enable multiple clocks to be displayed simply double
click on the time display in the system tray (bottom-right corner), click the’ change
date and time settings tab’ to bring up a date and time dialog box, click
Additional Clocks tab, tick the check-box of Show this clock, select the
time-zone of the clock , enter the display name and click OK button.
Next time your mouse pointer goes over the system tray your
new clock should be displayed besides the original (which should be larger).
The clocks can also be placed on the Windows sidebar
although this can use precious processing power.
Another useful application in Windows Vista is being able to
synchronise the system clock with a UTC time source.
Vista already comes equipped with a NTP service called Windows
Time Service (w32tm.exe) which can
synchronise to a UTC time source over the Internet. To do this merely double
click on the clock in the system tray and await the Internet Time tab. Click it
an enter the name of the UTC server you wish to connect to (such as
windows.time or nist.gov).
Vista can handle daylight
savings time too. If the system clock (the main one not additional ones) is set
to adjust for daylight saving then the computer should automatically do it. However
it must be noted that some countries in the same time zone do not practice
daylight saving hours so the correct time should always be double checked.
About the author
Richard N Williams is a technical author and a
specialist in the telecommunications and network time synchronisation industry
helping to develop dedicated time server products. Please visit us for
more information about a GPS NTP server or other Network
time server
Tags: atomic clock, bottom right corner, coordinated universal time, general computers, international time, lap top, lap tops, network time protocol, ntp servers, sensitive transactions, servers network, settings tab, system clock, task bar, time dialog, time features, time servers, time settings, time zones, timing reference
Related Posts
- Synchronise Time on Your PC using NTP Servers
- Cable Modem Tweaks - Boost Your Connection Free
- Stunning Effects Created with Vertical Blinds
- OpenSolaris OS Beta Now Available
- OpenSolaris OS Beta Now Available
» Filed Under Computers
Comments
Leave a Reply
