Automachron 4.00d

Automachron (pron. ah-TAW-ma-kron) is a freeware SNTP client - Simple Network Time Protocol - for synchronizing your computer's time with an NTP server.  Automachron works under Win95/98, NT4 and Win2000. Automachron supports SNTP as well as TIME (both UDP and TCP) for synchronizing time over the internet. Automachron is much less intrusive than its predecessor Netdate.

The first time you start Automachron you will be prompted to enter an NTP host from which to get time.  Ask your ISP or SysAdmin if they have a local NTP server.  As a last resort you can check out these Public NTP Servers.  If you're not sure about NTP versions try the defaults - NTP version 2 and port 123.

Automachron is unaffected by the Y2K problem and will behave correctly until Feb 2036 (a limit imposed by the Network Time Protocol as specifed in rfc 2030). In fact, automachron and netdate have both been reported to reset the sytem time correctly on non-compliant hardware! This compliance assumes that both the Micro$oft libraries used internally by Automachron for setting the system time are compliant and that the server from which you are getting time is compliant also.

A screen shot showing the details page.

Note: if you are currently using or interested in using Netdate you should consider switching to Automachron unless you're still running Win3.x.

NT Server 4 can run automachron as a service with the srvany application included in the Microsoft Windows NT Resource Kit. I don't run NT server but this email exchange with an Automachron user shows that Automachron can be run as a service using srvany.exe along with achron.exe and the /s switch.

Version changes

Download Automachron

Automachron Icon
Thanks to Ross for the new and improved automachron icon.

Features

• Broadcast client support
• Automachron will now act as a broadcast client.  To use this feature you must be on a network on which NTP is being broadcast by the server.  If you're not sure ask your local SysAdmin or click the Broadcast client checkbox and see if you recieve an update (usually within a couple of minutes).  Note that logging with this feature will generate large log files.
• Context sensitive help in dialog boxes
• Click on the ? icon at the top left of the dialog box, then click on the control for a description of its function.
• Wait for dialup connection
• Synchronisation is not attempted with this option until a dialup connection is made when this option is selected.  Do not use if you're connected to the internet through a LAN.
• Adjustments
• Max Ahead - maximum time adjustment forward (default 3600 secs)
• Max Back - maximum time adjustment backward (default 600 secs)
• Prompt - ask when time change is greater than either of the adjustment limits
• Accept - ignore the adjustment limits and set the time received
• Truncate - truncate the time adjustment according to the adjustment limts (default)
• Startup shortcut
• Run Automachron automatically at startup (a shortcut named Automachron is place in your startup folder)
• Log
• Log to file
• Verbose log option
• View log
• Sync at startup
• Synchronises time when Automachron starts unless the wait for dialup connection option is selected
• Close after Sync
• When this option is set Automachron gets the time and closes immediately after setting the local time.  Note that if this option is set the only way to turn the option off is to hold down the Ctrl key when the program is starting.
• Sync every x seconds
• minimum - every 16 second
• maximum - every 127 years
• most will use a value somewhere between these extremes, I use 1800 seconds
• SNTP versions 1,2,3,4
• SNTP version 2 is the default
• TIME/UDP
• TIME/TCP
• Quiet
• Don't open the Automachron properties dialog box when the program starts (default) and log errors more quietly.
• On Top
• Set the Automachron dialog box on top of all other apps
• Report Only
• Don't set the time, just get it
• Command Line Options
• /s - Use this option once to tell Automachron to use HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE rather than HKEY_CURRENT_USER. Automachron will always use the settings under HKLM\One Guy Coding\Software\Automachron if that key exists. This means that the /s switch is redundant on subsequent use. This also forces automachron to use the All users Startup folder. To stop using HKLM you'll have to delete the key using regedit (Standard Registry Disclaimer: proceed at your own risk.)
• /q - quit after getting time
• host (enter a fully qualified domain name FQDN and Automachron will use this as the default host)
• Registry
HKCU\Software\One Guy Coding\automachron