Network Time Servers

JohnMichnr

Hey - does anybody know if I can set the Network Time server IP Address of the master from inside the program? I was thinking about something at startup.

I always forget to go into the web page and set that when I'm setting up a system

Joe Hebert

How about:

CLKMGR_ADD_USERDEFINED_TIMESERVER
Adds a user-defined time server entry.

CLKMGR_GET_ACTIVE_TIMESERVER
Populates the TIMESERVER structure with the currently active time server's data.

CLKMGR_SET_ACTIVE_TIMESERVER
Sets the time server entry that has the matching IP-ADDRESS to the IP parameter as the active time server entry.

JohnMichnr

how 'bout 'em.

Wonder when those came in. Looks like they should do the trick. The one thing I've never really understood is that they have the network time server setup to look for a NIST clock somewhere, is that the same as a network time protocol from a time server (NTP)?

Joe Hebert

JohnMichnr wrote: »

The one thing I've never really understood is that they have the network time server setup to look for a NIST clock somewhere, is that the same as a network time protocol from a time server (NTP)?

I believe you get the time in NTP format from an NIST server.

JohnMichnr

Yeah - I did a little more digging and that is what it looked like to me as well. Looks like there is a NTP protocol and a Simple NTP protocol out there.

ErikJackman

This is an interesting feature. I went ahead and tried to implement the calls into a program to have the control system sync the time from a NIST time sync server but I'm not having any luck. Does anyone happen to know what I am doing wrong?

It doesn't seem to get the time from the time server.

Here is the url for the time sync server I am trying to poll. For testing purposes I have the resync rate set to around 3 minutes according to the documentation I was following.

http://tf.nist.gov/tf-cgi/servers.cgi

Here is my code.

Main body of code:

PROGRAM_NAME='TimeSync Test'

Define_Device

dvTP = 10003:1:0

Define_Variable

Integer iTestText
Integer iTimeServerReSyncRate
Char TimeServerIP[15]
Char TimeServerURL[30]
Char TimeServerLocation[20]
CLKMGR_TIMESERVER_STRUCT TimeServer

Define_Module '12 Hour Clock' modClock(dvTP, iTestText)

Define_Start

iTestText = 1
iTimeServerReSyncRate = 3
TimeServerIP = '64.90.182.55'
TimeServerURL = 'nist1-ny.ustiming.org'
TimeServerLocation = 'Ney York City, NY'
CLKMGR_ADD_USERDEFINED_TIMESERVER(TimeServerIP, TimeServerURL, TimeServerLocation)
CLKMGR_SET_ACTIVE_TIMESERVER(TimeServerIP)
CLKMGR_GET_ACTIVE_TIMESERVER(TimeServer)
CLKMGR_SET_RESYNC_PERIOD (iTimeServerReSyncRate)

12 hour clock module:

Module_Name = '12 Hour Clock' (Dev dvTPNavigation, Integer iTimeChannel)

Define_Variable

Char iHour
Char iMinute

Define_Call 'Get The Time'
{
    iHour = Type_Cast(Time_To_Hour(Time))
    iMinute = Type_Cast(Time_To_Minute(Time))
    If (iHour < 13)
    {
	If (iMinute < 10)
	{
	    Send_Command dvTPNavigation, "'^TXT-', ITOA(iTimeChannel), ',0,', ITOA(iHour), ':0', ITOA(iMinute), ' AM'"
	}
	Else
	{
	    Send_Command dvTPNavigation, "'^TXT-', ITOA(iTimeChannel), ',0,', ITOA(iHour), ':', ITOA(iMinute), ' AM'"
	}
    }
    Else
    {
	iHour = iHour - 12
	If (iMinute < 10)
	{
	    Send_Command dvTPNavigation, "'^TXT-', ITOA(iTimeChannel), ',0,', ITOA(iHour), ':0', ITOA(iMinute), ' PM'"
	}
	Else
	{
	    Send_Command dvTPNavigation, "'^TXT-', ITOA(iTimeChannel), ',0,', ITOA(iHour), ':', ITOA(iMinute), ' PM'"
	}
    }
}

Define_Event

Data_Event [dvTPNavigation]
{
    Online:
    {
	Call 'Get The Time'
    }
}

Define_Program

Wait 600 'Get The Time'
{
    Call 'Get The Time'
}

JohnMichnr

OK - Update on this.

I'm using the following code in Define_Start

DEFINE_CONSTANT
sNTPServer[]  =  {'137.22.128.2'}

DEFINE_START
wait 100
{
	CLKMGR_ADD_USERDEFINED_TIMESERVER(sNTPServer,sNTPServer,'Network')
	CLKMGR_SET_ACTIVE_TIMESERVER(sNTPServer)
	clkmgr_set_clk_source(clkmgr_mode_network)
	
}

But it doesn't seem to be working - The web pages on the masters show that they have loaded the time server in and selected it - but I dont' seem to be updating the clock in the masters. Of course now with DST ending all the systems are off an hour.

Any ideas from anybody?

champ

Your location is misspelt.
Try entering the details manually into the master and see if it works.
Try using the same details on a PC to make sure the time server will respond to that.

JohnMichnr

Yeah - I figured it out - put the wrong IP Address in for the time server. Duh

Boy that really confounded the master. you couldn't even go in and manually reset the time.