[Opensim-users] Correcting Metaverse Time

[Justin Clark-Casey]

Charles Krinke wrote:
> Justin. You bring up a very interesting point. I know in Linux that one 
> generally sets up the server to use UTC, and that the timezone offsets 
> are just that, offsets.
> 
> I also know that it is possible to not check the box in a Linux install 
> that says "Use UTC time for the server".
> 
> I am less confident about how various Windows variants are setup and how 
> they perform with respect to UTC.
> 
> Is it possible that we need a FAQ or a wiki entry with the recommended 
> setup for server times to get this whole thing headed back down a more 
> logical path?

Actually, I thought everything was in UTC no matter what timezone the server is set to.  For instance, a commonly used 
method to set creation dates for objects in the code is

         public static int UnixTimeSinceEpoch()
         {
             return ToUnixTime(DateTime.UtcNow);
         }

which ignores the local server timezone.  You can see this by picking up an object in OpenSim.  Though the Linden Labs 
viewer may say 10:00AM PST when you pick it up, and your server may be set to Central European Time 19:00, the item 
properties acquired date will show 18:00 (which is the UTC time).

If this isn't universally the case (e.g. for script functions) then we probably need to change it so that it is always 
the case.  We appear to be pretty happy using UTC for data purposes and we should aim for consistency in this.  Nobody 
should need to set their server to any particular time zone.

> 
> Charles
> 
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> *From:* Justin Clark-Casey <jjustincc at googlemail.com>
> *To:* opensim-users at lists.berlios.de
> *Sent:* Tuesday, January 20, 2009 7:48:29 AM
> *Subject:* Re: [Opensim-users] Correcting Metaverse Time
> 
> Robert Klein wrote:
>  > Justin what do you think? Where do we start to make this happen?
>  >
> 
> I was under the impression that PST was hardcoded in the Linden Labs 
> Second Life viewer.  Certainly I haven't seen
> anything serverside that could currently affect the displayed clock.
> 
> Of course, other clients could introduce adjustable timezone display and 
> extra messages could be added to OpenSim via
> modules (eventually) to accommodate this.
> 
> But I agree with people in the parallel opensim-dev thread to this that 
> all servers should use the same underlying
> timezone for data purposes - the logical choice here is UTC.
> 
> 
>  > Cheers,
>  >
>  > -Robert
>  >
>  >
>  > Ai Austin wrote:
>  >> At 05:06 19/01/2009, opensim-users-request at lists.berlios.de 
> <mailto:opensim-users-request at lists.berlios.de> wrote:
>  >>> I was wondering why we continue to use SL (PST) time in our wonderful
>  >>> OpenSim universe instead of GMT/UTC? What would it take to set our own
>  >>> standalone opensims for another timezone?
>  >>
>  >> I would vote for UTC... and cakll it that rather GMT wh ich happens
>  >> to equal UTC.  We are international after all :-)
>  >>
>  >>
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>  >
> 
> 
> -- 
> justincc
> Justin Clark-Casey
> http://justincc.wordpress.com
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-- 
justincc
Justin Clark-Casey
http://justincc.wordpress.com