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* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * T I M E S E R V E R * * * * * * * * Keeps Your Network On Time * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * version 2.2 (c) Copyright Jiri Severa, 1994 TSERVE USER GUIDE 1 ----------------------------------------------------------------- COPYRIGHT NOTICE The software found in the archive file along with this document is the property of Jiri Severa of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Any use, reproduction and/or distribution of this software on terms other than those expressly stated in the SHAREWAR.E document enclosed is prohibited. ABOUT TSERVE The single purpose of this software collection is to provide the means of setting and maintaining a reliable time standard on a single Intel processor-based PC or on a Novell network. Simply put, the progr- ams connect a user's machine to a very accurate clock via modem and synchronize the PC's internal clock with an international standard. The process is repeated at intervals of the user's choosing. On a network, the machine selected to import the exact time becomes a time server: primary source from which the whole network synchronizes the clocks of its local servers. What is the benefit of a time server ? The answer to that is that there are a number of benefits: * authoritative time reference - human inquiry : someone mentioned to me the other day that since we installed a time server on our network 'my Windows clock actually tells time'. An accurate time source and a means to broadcast it is something that adds to any organization's productive assets. * event tracking - a number of network processes are logged and the logs are later analyzed to evaluate specific functions. More often then not the entries' date stamps are of crucial importance, rel- ating to other, external, events in real time. When an unattended server goes down you would want to know when exactly it happened. * software alarms - a popular feature with a number of Office-type software schedulers are warning bells that ring an x-number of minutes before meetings, departures, etc. These programs, not to say their users, assume that the workstation keeps accurate time. * e-mail handling - the performance of e-mail facilities is often subject of queries, and there the needs of a modern, distributed data-handling come into a relief. Today, hundreds of thousands of messages will be exchanged among the world's e-mail users on which the date stamp of the reply will precede that of the original mess age. No great harm done, but under these conditions it becomes difficult to follow the traffic on an e-mail net and gauge the throughput at different transfer points by simply comparing time stamps. These are but a few examples but the trend to distributed, client-server data processing will soon force time synchronization as a matter of course. TSERVE USER GUIDE 2 ----------------------------------------------------------------- The solution to getting oneself on a standard time would have been in the most recent past to buy some pretty fancy and expensive gear to get in sync with the nearest cesium atomic clock. That is the expensive solution and a massive overkill because the precision of a few nanoseconds is mostly lost on systems whose internal oscillator registers ticks once every 55 milliseconds. So, apparently a connection to a 300 baud transmitter which provides the public with the precision time reading will do under such circum- stances. This is what TSERVE does. ABOUT THE NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL'S (CANADA) TIME SERVICE The provider for TSERVE time standard is the Institute for National Measurement Standards, a branch of Canada's National Research Council. The time services run by the Institute are available to the general public and include voice service, telephone digital code time signals, short wave transmission and remote calibration. You may write for more information on those services to : National Resarch Council Institute for National Measurement Standards (Time Services) Ottawa, Canada K1A OR6 Needless to say, this software would not be possible without a public service which makes time standard available at low-cost, actually, at this time , at no cost other than the telephone call. Naturally then, this shareware becomes also a sort of a crusade to assure that this service does not go on the chopping block, and that the facilities are upgraded to answer the demand. Please, take time to fill in the Request for Continuous Time Service in the CRUSADE.NRC file and send it together with your registration fee. This request is of course valid only in case you are a Canadian resident. For U.S. citizens, we would be grate- ful if you send the requested $20 (US) NRC contribution as a goodwill gesture. TSERVE USER GUIDE 3 ----------------------------------------------------------------- THE ARCHIVE FILES The shareware package contains the following files : SHAREWAR.E - spells out the terms and conditions under which you may use this software. CRUSADE.NRC - form letter to the National Research Council requesting the continuance of service. TSERVE.DOC - user manual TSERVE.EXE - time server communication program synchronization NSSFX.EXE - Netware Sync Single File Server module NSMFX.EXE - Netware Sync Multiple File Server module - up to eight. DAYLIGHT.EXE - Standard-Daylight, Daylight-Standard switch module STIME.EXE - Server time update utility for Netware workstations GENIE.EXE - Batch Scheduler / Processor SETGENIE.EXE - Setup Utility for GENIE BTRACK.EXE - Batch tracking utility GENIE.DOC - GENIE user guide HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS Intel 8088 based PC or better. Hayes-compatible 1200 baud modem. MS DOS ver. 3.3 + TSERVE USER GUIDE 4 ----------------------------------------------------------------- INSTALLATION AND OPERATION OF TSERVE To install the time server software simply copy the files to a directory on your hard disk or even to a diskette. You may run TSERVE from a diskette and on a plain old XT with no loss of time-keeping precision. To run a timesync session enter the following command at a DOS prompt in the directory where you installed the software, e.g.: C:\TSRV>TSERVE <Enter> After TSERVE has been started you don't need to do anything to aid the program to communicate with the time provider. The program has been designed as a fully automated process requiring no manual intervention. After a short pause at the beginning of the program, about which more shortly the following two display windows appear on the screen: ╔══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗ ║ ║ ║ NRC Atomic Clock Time Synchronization ║ ║ ║ ║ Time Zone : ║ ║ Start Time : Date : ║ ║ Equip. Bias : Clock Ticks : ║ ║ Loop Delay : Sync at : ║ ║ ║ ╚══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝ ╔══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗ ║ ║ ║ ║ ║ ...wait ! ║ ╚══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝ The upper window reports on the time-keeping parameters during the ongoing dialog. Their meaning is explained below in 'SETTING SESSION PARAMETERS'. The lower box reports session status, dutifully reporting on what the program is up to at all times. See below TROUBLESHOOTING AND TSERVE MESSAGES for clues. The upper display stays on for several seconds after the end of the session. Starting with version 2.0 it is possible to cancel the call to NRC at any time during modem initialization or dialup. TSERVE USER GUIDE 5 ----------------------------------------------------------------- SETTING SESSION PARAMETERS At the start the program loops for 5 seconds displaying the maple leaf logo. During this time the user has the option to reset session parameters. Hit any key. The following panel will appear : │ ┌───────┬───────┐ ││ Communication : > COM1: < COM2: │ Time Zones : ││ └───────┴───────┘ ││ ┌──────speed─┐ ┌data┐ ┌stop┐ ┌parity┐ ┌──────────────┐ ││ > 300 baud < > 8 < > 1 < > none < │ Newfoundland │ ││ │ 1200 baud │ │ 7 │ │ 2 │ │ odd │ │ Atlantic │ ││ │ 2400 baud │ │ 9 │ │ 0 │ │ even │ > Eastern < ││ │ 9600 baud │ └────┘ └────┘ └──────┘ │ Central │ ││ │ 14400 baud │ speaker Netware Sync │ Mountain │ ││ └────────────┘ > on < │ enable │ │ Pacific │ ││ bias 0/100 sec │ off │ > disable < │ GMT offset │ ││ clck .05495 sec └─────┘ └──────────┘ ├──────────────┤ ││ loop delay[Y/N]>Y retry line error>1 > Standard < ││ telephone number busy>99 │ Daylight │ ││ [1-613-745-3900 ] └──────────────┘ ││ ││ ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘│ ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ The arrows (which on the screen are represented by a scroll bar) are the defualt values. Besides communication parameters, the panel registers time-keeping parameters, which are of two kinds : time zones and precision control. COM1 and COM2 ports are supported. The NRC modem presently operates at 300 baud, eight data bits, one stop, no parity. Together with the phone number these are g i v e n s and they should not be reset unless more lines are open and these operate differently. The 'speaker' switch refers to the modem speaker. If you want a silent operation set the switch to the off position. If 'Netware Sync' is enabled, the program does not terminate at the end of the NRC session but passes to the Time Server - File Server dialog. Three variables allow the user to 'calibrate' the received time: (equipment) bias, clock tick intervals, and deciding whether to factor in the measured loop delay. Starting with version 2.2 you may select line- and busy- retries. Previously, receiving a line error during dialling caused the session to terminate. Now you may may retry the dialup up to 9 times. If line was busy, the previous versions of TSERVE continued indefinitely until a key was struck. Now, you may hang up after specified number of 'busy' responses. You may enter any number from 0 to 99. Entering '99' retries for busy means continue indefinitely, any other number triggers a counter. TSERVE USER GUIDE 6 ----------------------------------------------------------------- T i m e Z o n e s - TSERVE started by supporting North American users only. In the last two months, however, we have receiv- ed a number of inquiries via Compuserve, asking for the support of European time zones. This demand has been answered by TSERVE starting with version 2.0. All world time zones are supported ! The user is allowed to enter any time offset from the GMT as parameter. The time zones panel lists North American time zones and a 'GMT offset' selection which allows the user to set up any hour/minute offset from the GMT. When you press Enter or Tab in the Zones with the GMT offset selected you will be prompted to enter the hour and minute values. If you are in Alaska you will enter -9 in hours and 0 in minutes, if in Bombay enter 5 in hours and 30 minutes. Do not adjust for daylight time ! That is done by the daylight switch ! I M P O R T A N T : If you are updating from version 1.x of TSERVE you must first delete file TSPARMS.DAT and reset the parameters table before running TSERVE again. Program may not run properly if you omit this step. The manipulation of the table is very simple. Move forward by pressing Enter (or TAB for the tables) and select values by pressing space bar. In entry fields, clear fields forward by Enter. You may quit the setup by pressing Esc at any time. If you make a mistake you may return to a prefious field by Alt-Tab combination for tables or F5 in entry fields. When you clear the last field (telephone number) you are asked to accept the parameter settings. Once accepted, the values replace whatever default or previous settings. After the parameters are filed, the program asks if you want to open up a session with the NRC host immediately. If you answer 'N'o the program terminates. I M P O R T A N T : If you happen to live in the local area (of code 613, that is the region of Ottawa,) the phone number must be altered for local connection. The same applies for users from out- side of North America. Also, do not forget to include dial-out digits !!! TIME PRECISION FACTORS The time broadcast via telephone lines gives a very accurate time but realistically it will not come close to transferring the kind of accuracy it receives from a cesium atomic clock. A number factors reduce the expectations of precisions from a the order of nanoseconds to tens of milliseconds, and tenths of a second. First of all, there is the transmission delay. The transmitter, the NRC documentation says, sends the stop bit of the carriage return (which terminates the time broadcast) precisely at the full second. From the labs of INMS it travels via trunk lines and microwave bands, through multiplexors, repeaters and the occasional Strowger to arrive with some sort of a delay. This delay the NRC proposes to measure by means of a transmit- retransmit session with a client, in which the client sends a TSERVE USER GUIDE 7 ----------------------------------------------------------------- single character and the host returns it. The measured time is then halved to represent the propagation delay of the transmitt- ed time. The Council warns that for certain values received (25- 29 milliseconds of full loop delay) this technique of 'halving' does not reliably represent the lag since such delay indicates the signal has travelled one way overland and the other via satelite. A second set of factors concerns the PC's timer. The method of keeping time on the PC has not changed since the unveiling of the machine in 1981 even though the processors have become vastly more sophisticated. The venerable 8253 timer-chip's way of pushing the clock while synchronizing the procesor and the bus is still the canon. The result is that today's Intel processors can switch between tasks six to eight times faster than register a 55 millisecond tick. You may write a simple program to contemplate mysteries of PC time. Set the time on a full second (using INT 21H function 2DH) and then get the ticker value from the lower memory (by INT 21H function 2CH) and when you display it, low and behold, it's still b e f o r e the time you set it. The other issue is the precision of the oscillator. The standard - 1.19318 MHz - is a rarity most of the time the quartz is a few Hertz off, sometimes quite a few Hertz. Even if the chip is dead on, it falls behind 88 milliseconds every day. On top of this notoriously crude time keeping, the timer channel 0 can be manipulated by programs which can vary the time divisor to suit their purposes, and some of them do without worrying about such details as the system clock going haywire. Further down the line come concerns regards the transfer of the clock value between the system memory and CMOS, and the state of lithium battery. The single greatest loss of the clock precision originates in those transfers although in fairness it should be said that this deviation has to do more with local time-keeping than the accuracy of the transfer of NRC atime. The transfer speed between DCE and DTE, ie. the modem and the PC represents another possible source of delays, the type of queuing and buffering protocol, the buffer overrun protection and the delay for the RTS-CTS negotiations set by the Hayes S9 register being the chief players. Finally, of course, there is the program code. Even though the delay associated with the translation of the ASCII codes to binary digits and executing a system interrupt may seem trivial in compar- ison with the above, it is a factor when we compare the precision standard which we are asked to duplicate. I am happy to report that TSERVE was coded with this in mind. The program goes into a character mode (as opposed to string input) for the NRC time reading and processes the incoming time digits individually, using the time between their arrival to do the binary conversion tricks and time zone calculations. TSERVE USER GUIDE 8 ----------------------------------------------------------------- PRECISION CONTROL So what can be done to come as close as possible to the NRC standard ? The simplest way is to use the loop delay measurement recommended by NRC. TSERVE performs the loop delay calculation when the 'loop delay' parameter (on the panel above) reads 'Y'. When the session runs the obtained value (the half-time) is displayed, and recorded into a log. The measurement is done in such a way that it includes also a half of the modem delay. If you have access to some local source of precise time which you can connect to your PC then I would suggest a calibrating session. Take a sample of the actual delay from several NRC sessions to determine if the lag is more or less constant. You may then enter the average ms delay directly in TSERVE in the 'bias' parameter. In that case you would also want to set the loop delay to 'N'. A little bit of PC neurosurgery can turn the a PC - if you can spare one - to a much more precise clock reading instrument. It involves reprogramming the timer chip, as I have mentioned earlier. That presumes a sophisticated programmer and a high degree of custom- ization. The 'clck' variable in the parameter table prepares the program for a new time keeping interval on the chip. By default, clck displays is set to the 55 millisecond standard. TIME VERIFICATION You may verify the time you have received by TSERVE by calling NRC's voice time service at 613-745-1576. The second tick occurs at the beginning of the tone after the announcement. TSERVE SESSION LOG The results of each time sync session are recorded in an ASCII file called TSLOG.DAT. An entry of a succesfully negotiated transfer may look like this : Session 7-May-94 23:29:04 - synchronized time with NRC. Time corrected by -0.05 secs Date not reset. Propagation delay in loop : 0.10990 seconds. If an error occurs which forces the program to cancel a session the log records the reason why. Please see TSERVE ERROR MESSAGES below. TSERVE USER GUIDE 9 ----------------------------------------------------------------- NETWARE SERVER TIMESYNC DEMO The shareware package includes a demonstration of synchronizing the time server station with a single file server and multiple file servers. Like with the time download the transfer to servers is automatic. In order to sync with a file server the station must be logged into that server as a valid user with minimum of console operator access. For multiple server sync the user must be attached from the time server station to all servers with those rights. The session parameter 'Netware Sync' (see SETTING SESSION PARAMETERS above) must be set to 'enable' for TSERVE to load the Netware module and pass control to it. There are two Netware Sync modules in the package: NSSFX, for single server, and NSMFX, for multiple (up to 8 sessions). Select the one you want to use and rename it to 'TS.REX'. Make sure that TS.REX is in the same directory as TSERVE. Briefly this is what happens when TS.REX executes: A check of connection to the primary server is made when it is found a display of the program appears on the screen with the name of the workstation user and the file server. If no connection exists the program terminates with a note in the log file. If the user has console clearance the program then waits for the beginning of the next full second (Netware does not allow setting for 1/100s of a second) and then resets the file server timer. A test is then performed to see if the time has sync-ed and the result is displayed. The display stays on for a minute after which the program ends. You may terminate the program after sync at any time by a keyboard stroke. With a multiple module, the same process takes place for all the servers to which the user has a valid connection. The pause after each file server session is 10 seconds. The program has been tested with Netware 2.2, 3.11 and 3.12 and in all instances it works fine. Netware 4.x has not been tested yet. I make no representation of the fitness of this program to set the Reference or Single Reference Server in the Netware 4 environment although I encourage people to try it. It will most probably work. The modules may be used with either the NETX style shells or VLMs. I M P O R T A N T ! : Both modules, NSSFX and NSMFX can be run from the command line. This allows you to resynchronize the servers without having to make a call to NCR each time. I M P O R T A N T ! The Netware synchronization modules are a demo. Functionally they are equivalent to the licensed modules but they will expire at some time in the future. Please, register as a user if you plan to add this time server to your network facilities. The terms are very reasonable. Please, read SHAREWAR.E. TSERVE USER GUIDE 10 ----------------------------------------------------------------- TROUBLESHOOTING AND TSERVE MESSAGES TSERVE has no special requirements other than a modem which recognizes Hayes Smartmodem commands. Hopefully, it would be in a working order. MS DOS version 3.3 is listed as the minimum. In fact, version 3.3 is the earliest version that the program was tested with. It may even work with an earlier release. There is however one important restriction which has not yet been mentioned: When running TSERVE make sure that you either run the program with its own directory as the default path or you set an environmental variable TSERVE pointing to TSERVE directory. This is important because the program looks for the session parameter file (TSPARMS.DAT) in the default path and if it does not find one it reverts to the initial set it was shipped with. If you run into problems they will most likely be due to the one of the following : a wrong session parameter, faulty modem, a serial port problem. When a program catches a condition serious enough to keep it from continuing, it displays a message (writes to a log) and calls it quits. There are two kinds of screen messages : bottom line orientation cues, which direct the program operator, and communication messages in the lower of the two display windows. Bottom Line Orientation Cues ---------------------------- > To edit Session Parameters press any key .... < This message appears during the initial display and directs the user to press a key if he wants to edit the parameter table. See section SETTING SESSION PARAMETERS above. > Select by Space Bar, Move by Tab ... Esc=abort edit < > Edit Fields ... Enter to clear, F5= step back Esc=abort edit < These two messages guide the user through the parameter panel selections - the first one through the multiple choice tables, the second through the entry fields below. TSERVE USER GUIDE 11 ----------------------------------------------------------------- > Accept [Y/N] ══>[_] < This is a prompt asking user to approve the entries in the panel above. If the answer is 'Y' the parameters are written to a file overwriting the previous set. > Do you want to start a Time Synch session now ? [Y/N] ══>[_] < This is a prompt which appears after parameter editing has ended, or has been aborted. It ask user if he/she wants to open up a time-synchronizing session with the National Research Council labs in Ottawa, Canada. > Follow Communication Messages above < Directs attention of the user to the displays in the windows above. No user input required. > DOS Error [ ] loading Netware Sync program ...wait ! < Reports on a DOS error received when a program tried to load the Netware Sync module (TS.REX). The possible values in the brackets are '002' - File not found, and '008' - Not enough memory. If you get the latter you should try to optimize the first MB of your PC's memory by using upper memory blocks or by removing unused resident software. Consult MS DOS manuals or guides for details on memory management. > Cannot open COMport aborting program ...wait ! < This usually happens when a serial port selected for communication is not physically present. Check the comport, or try the other one if you have two. Communication Messages ---------------------- ( These appear in the lower of the the display windows ) >> ....Initializing Modem << This message appears briefly when the program prepares the attached modem for a communication session. TSERVE USER GUIDE 12 ----------------------------------------------------------------- >> Error Initializing Modem... cannot continue << Terminating condition ! Modem could not be prepared most prob- ably because: a) the power is off or the DC-adapter is defective b) the serial cable connection is loose or broken c) modem is not connected to the serial port specified in the SESSION PARAMETER TABLE d) program has been started from a directory other then TSERVE's resulting in loss of correct serial port selection. >> ...Dialling National Research Council << The modem is in the process of dialling the NRC time service. >> ...Transmission Error << This one you should never see. It signifies an internal problem. If you keep a second copy of TSERVE, try that one. Some corrupt- ion may have occured. Terminating error. >> ...Line busy ... retry << Line is busy, the program redials until it connects or an error occurs. >> ...No answer << The NRC lab modem has not answered within 30 seconds. Equipm- ent might be offline for maintenance. Try later. This terminat- ates the program. >> ...No carrier << No carrier was detected (or was lost) after a pickup. Terminating condition. Again the only remedy is to try later. >> ...No dial tone << No dial tone detected ...phone off the hook ? Terminating cond- ition. TSERVE USER GUIDE 13 ----------------------------------------------------------------- >> ....Starting a session << NRC lab is now on the line. The session has started. Session is in good shape. >> ....Measuring Loop Delay << Program is in the process of calculating loop delay. Indicates normal session progress. >> ....Getting Date Info << Date Information is being transferred. Indicates normal session progress. >> ....Synchronizing Time << Time digits are being read in. Indicates normal session progress. >> ....Transfer complete...Hanging Up << The time synchronizing session has terminated : AOK. GENIE BATCH SCHEDULER AND PROCESSOR To run TSERVE unattended, use GENIE, a program designed to run executables and batch files from a secure network station. GENIE, its setup program and user documentation are enclosed in this package. T I P : On most systems, you will need to run TSERVE only once a day to keep the precision within a second. However it is a good idea, if you run an installation with multiple servers to resync the servers via NSMFX in GENIE every couple of hours or so. 'DAYLIGHT' PROGRAM DAYLIGHT is a simple toggle switch which changes a pointer in the TSERVE parameter file form daylight to standard time and vice-versa. If you are presently on daylight zone time then DAYLIGHT will set it to standard, if on standard then to daylight. On next running of TSERVE the time will set to the new variant. Again, the program is designed to be run on autoschedule (by GENIE, e.g.) to enable the server time to be reset unattended. TSERVE USER GUIDE 14 ----------------------------------------------------------------- NRC SESSION MARKERS The following are approximate time limits on the phases of the automated time synchronization session : Modem Initialization : 2 - 12 seconds Dialling to Connect : 32 - 50 seconds Loop Delay Test (if selected) : 0.05 - 0.9 seconds Date Reading : 0.05 - 15 seconds Time Reading : 0.05 - 15 seconds Netware Sync (if selected) : 0.05 - 1 second ( + 60 seconds display) TSERVE ENVIRONMENTAL VARIABLE Starting with version 1.1a an environmental variable (TSERVE) may be used to point to the directory which contains the session parameters file (TSPARMS.DAT) for TSERVE. You may include a similar statement to the one below in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file : SET TSERVE=C:\ When TSERVE variable is present and it contains the file above you may execute the program from any current directory. The log file for TSERVE however will always be created in the current directory. TSERVE USER GUIDE 15 ----------------------------------------------------------------- RELEASE NOTES Version 1.1 features (27/4/94) ■ loop delay test may be switched off ■ equipment bias may be entered as a constant ■ a bug which has caused modem to fail initialization after switch from COM1 to COM2 has been fixed (7/5/94) ■ created a safety check for received date after problems were rep- orted with installation on 66 MHz 80486s'. The date reader will now retry 15 times to read the full length of the date string. Failing that the display and the log will complain that the date has been lost. (However, inserting the retry loop seems to have corrected the problem) (20/5/94) ■ improved loop delay measurements - removed local queue-time-wait, clocking loops to estimate time. ■ user may break out of busy line by pressing a key version 1.1a (10/6/94) ■ TSERVE environmental variable: defines directory in which parameter file (TSPARMS.DAT) can be found (23/8/94) ■ Date will not be reset unless the new value is received twice in succession. This eliminates transmission errors sometimes causing the date to reset to strange values. (31/8/94) ■ The changes of 23/8 have eliminated errors but also caused under certain circumstances the loss of date. Date capture was completely reworked (like time it now passes by single characters). Version 2.0 features (19/9/94) ■ Support for all World Time Zones. ■ Cancel call by any key during modem initialization of dialup. (20/10/94) ■ Protection against 'unrecognized baud rate divisor' error (CErr=46) ■ Break on unrecognized error on dialup. version 2.0a (27/10/94) ■ Protection against interrupted transmission or sudden loss of carrier. Logging this condition as 'aborted - no characters transmitted' or 'transmission error : ??'. (30/10/94) ■ Protection against directory pointer mixup which results in 'line busy' error or switching to standard time. TSERVE USER GUIDE 16 ----------------------------------------------------------------- (15/11/94) ■ time corrections now shown in seconds instead of 'ticks', reported when run under Windows version 2.1 (27/11/94) ■ -----------------not released ----------------- version 2.2 (19/01/95) ■ reporting unidentified modem error by number ■ larger buffer for dialing string ■ retries counts for line problems and line busy condition ■ corrects internal error in calculating the time adjustment version 2.2b (24/2/95) ■ new compile parameters version 2.2c (6/4/95) ■ break out from TS.REX session by Esc key ■ corrects problem with DAYLIGHT.EXE corrupting TSPARMS.DAT file FAQ about TSERVE Q. Can I run TSERVE under Windows 3.1 ? A. Yes, but no guarantees. TSERVE.EXE is a DOS program with a powerful engine which 'talks' directly to UART, the port and modem. It does not abide by the serial com conventions set for Windows. In addition the program uses other DOS interrupts which may potentially be a source of trouble. If you use TSERVE under Windows make sure you set up a PIF file. Q. Can a workstation running TSERVE synchronize more than eight Netware servers ? A. Yes, it can. The maximum of 8 servers applies to one synchr- onizing session. There may be as many consecutive sessions as the user wishes. If there are more than 8 servers the station must be able to log in (attach) to all of them with a minimum of console operator privileges. To automate the login/logout processes use the accompanying batch scheduler/ processor program GENIE. Q. When I make a second call to NRC quickly after the first one TSERVE often reports an adjustment of several hundreths of a second. Is there a problem ? A. No, there is not. This is normal and expected and it does not mean a time gap is opening in a linear fashion. Some of this fluctuation is due to differing loop delays, some is a precis- ion error in frequency division. TSERVE USER GUIDE 17 ----------------------------------------------------------------- Q. Is there a difference between STIME.EXE and Netware utility SYSTIME ? A. Yes. STIME waits for next second rollover in the server's clock before it synchronizes the station. ---@@@--- For further information on the offered product contact me at the following addresses: JIRI SEVERA 101 Renfrew #3 Ottawa, ON Canada K1S 1Z6 Compuserve 70534,3475 Internet : jiri@ott.mmcl.ca, ah158@freenet.carleton.ca - @@@@ -