Message-ID: <496150DF.2070501@davidnewall.com>
Date: Mon, 05 Jan 2009 10:44:23 +1030
From: David Newall <davidn@davidnewall.com>
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To: david@lang.hm
CC: Kyle Moffett <kyle@moffetthome.net>, Ben Goodger <goodgerster@gmail.com>,
       Robert Hancock <hancockr@shaw.ca>, linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org,
       linasvepstas@gmail.com, "Jeffrey J. Kosowsky" <jeff@kosowsky.org>,
       MentalMooMan <slashdot@jameshallam.info>,
       Travis Crump <pretzalz@techhouse.org>, burdell@iruntheinter.net
Subject: Re: Bug: Status/Summary of slashdot leap-second crash on new years
 2008-2009
References: <3ae3aa420901021125n1153053fsdf2378e7d11abbc0@mail.gmail.com>  <20090102210430.49649261@diego-desktop> <495E7849.4030706@shaw.ca>  <495F0672.6020708@davidnewall.com>  <8752a8760901022237r75d408b3i74c703c8ac2d4597@mail.gmail.com>  <496076A9.7030907@davidnewall.com> <f73f7ab80901040100i78148513s75c6276722a76661@mail.gmail.com> <4960897D.5030603@davidnewall.com> <alpine.DEB.1.10.0901040310070.24563@asgard.lang.hm> <4961432A.80509@davidnewall.com> <alpine.DEB.1.10.0901041628100.25545@asgard.lang.hm> <49614835.7000505@davidnewall.com> <alpine.DEB.1.10.0901041702540.25545@asgard.lang.hm>
In-Reply-To: <alpine.DEB.1.10.0901041702540.25545@asgard.lang.hm>
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david@lang.hm wrote:
> On Mon, 5 Jan 2009, David Newall wrote:
>
>> david@lang.hm wrote:
>>> then new zoneinfo files need to be sent out every time there is a leap
>>> second (which from other posts on this thread is potentially every
>>> month)
>>
>> Not every few months, for goodness sake!  Leap seconds aren't that
>> common!  These files do change regularly, however, sometimes on a yearly
>> basis, because that's how often the date might be changed when daylight
>> savings transitions.  This is to say that leap seconds don't
>> particularly change the frequency of zoneinfo updates.
>
> another poster said that NTP packets include information about this
> month's leap second, so that implies that they could change monthly.

Not "could change monthly" rather, "could change at any month".

The frequency of zoneinfo updates would therefore be: every time the
zones you care about change; and every time there's a leap second.  No
big effort.
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