© 2002 Naissan Innovations, LLC. All rights reserved.

Operation Manual

Table of Contents

Installation

Warning: Please ensure your Windows Time Zone setting is correct!
To check it: Start menu, Settings, Control Panel, then open up the Date/Time icon and click on the tab marked Time Zone.
AtomTime Pro is delivered as a single executable installation package. You simply run this program and it will install the software for you. Like most Windows installation programs, it will prompt you to confirm the installation location, etc. The installation package will by default create an AtomTime program group and Start menu icons (you can turn this feature off during installation if desired).

Removal

If you installed the Start menu group for AtomTime Pro (the default behavior), then you can simply run the Uninstall program in that group to remove AtomTime Pro and its folder. You can also open the Control Panel and run the Add/Remove Programs item to uninstall AtomTime Pro. This will also work even if you did not install the Start menu group.

Main Display


This is the main display for AtomTime Pro. Notes:
* If you have not yet checked the time difference (using the Check button) or if the clocks match, the Adjust button will be disabled.
* The Register button will not appear once you have entered a valid license key.
* The text in the Time Server, Local PC, and Status boxes will be in color. You can change to black and white text in the Display settings.

Settings

The settings pages will allow you to customize the operation of AtomTime Pro.

Execution


This page controls settings related to the execution of the program.
  • Update Interval: This defines how AtomTime will perform automatic updates.
    • None: No automatic updates will be performed.
    • Once and Exit: A single update to the clock will be performed then the program will immediately exit.
    • On Dial-Up Connection: The clock will be adjusted every time a Dial-Up Networking connection is made.
    • Every 3 hours: The clock will be adjusted every 3 hours.
    • Every 6 hours: The clock will be adjusted every 6 hours.
    • Every 12 hours: The clock will be adjusted every 12 hours.
  • Verify Time Check: When this option is enabled (default), the program will verify any Adjust actions to ensure that the adjustment process is properly synchronized with the time server. If this option is disabled, the Adjust process will not verify time adjustments.
  • Ignore Errors: Most errors will be ignored. This is mainly useful for connections that may be down periodically.
  • Run on Startup: Start AtomTime when Windows starts. Usually used in conjunction with one of the Update Interval settings.
Notes:
* Any Update Interval setting (other than None) will transform the program into a System Tray application. This will allow the program to run in the background without using up valuable Taskbar space. When you start AtomTime with one of these settings, the program will not open the main display unless you double-click on the icon in the System Tray area.
* Be careful with the Update Interval setting Once and Exit option. When you run with this option, AtomTime will simply connect, update the clock, and exit. There will be no display screen and no stopping for user input. If you desire to turn this feature off again, simply double click on the AtomTime icon in System Tray area when it is starting up (it will delay 10 seconds when starting up in this mode to give you a chance to open it). The display window will appear and you can change the settings again.

Display


This page will allow you to control the format in which the time values are displayed. Notes:
* The default setting of Actual Time can sometimes be confusing for a new user. The atomic clock server always reports its time in GMT format while the local PC time is usually shown in the local time zone (but 24 hour clock format). This is not a problem for AtomTime as long as you have your time zone set to your actual location.

Time Server


The Time Server page will allow the user to control which time servers are accessed.
  • Default Atomic Clock Servers: The program will use a list of pre-defined atomic clock time servers for synchronizing your PC. If one server is down, it will try another time server in the list. This is the recommended setting for all users.
  • User-Defined Server List: A user may define their own list of time servers. The program will cycle through the list until it locates a working server. The file containing the time server list must exist before this option will be enabled. See the notes below for more details on this option.
  • Alternate Time Server: Forces the program to use a single, specific time server. This option is mainly useful for testing an individual time server and is not recommended for general use.
    • Server Address: The hostname or IP address of the Alternate time server.
    • Hour Offset: The number of hours ahead or behind the Alternate time server is from your local time. If you leave this field blank, AtomTime will attempt to determine the hour offset automatically (by either reading the time zone from the server, or assuming GMT time format). Enter positive number values mean the alternate time server is x hours ahead of your time, while negative numbers mean the opposite.
Notes:
* A user-defined server list is a text-based file with the following format:
    timeserver-address [port-number [hour-offset]]
  - timeserver-address: The hostname or IP address of the time server.
  - port-number: The port number of the time service (usually 13 or 37). This is optional, the default is 13.
  - hour-offset: The hour offset of the time server. This is optional, the default is to use your local time zone. If this option is specified, then the port number must also be defined. Note: hour-offset option not supported for port 37.

* Entries may be repeated, at one per line in the text file. The file must be called timeservers.txt and must be stored in the same directory as the AtomTime executable.

Proxy Server


On this page the user can define settings in relation to using a proxy server (firewall).
  • Route via HTTP Proxy Server: This checkbox enables the proxy server support.
  • Address: This should be the hostname for the proxy server that you normally send HTTP protocol through.
  • Port: This should be the port number for that proxy server (and again the port where you normally send HTTP proxy requests).
  • Save Proxy Authorization: When this checkbox is enabled, AtomTime will save your proxy authorization information. (Proxy authorization or proxy authentication is the process where an application must send a username and password to the proxy server to gain proxy server access for that application.) Please note that this option could be considered a security risk since this information will be stored in a format that, while not clear text, can be decoded.
Notes:
* Outside of business sites, most users should not need to define proxy settings.
* Proxy authorization has nothing to do with the Dial-Up Networking username and password.
* Check with your site administrator for this information if you need assistance with routing through a proxy server.

Connection


This page allows the user to define the type of Internet connection used with this program.
  • LAN/DSL/Cable modem: Basically any type of connection other than modem. If you are on a network or using a DSL or cable modem, then use this setting.
  • Dial-Up Networking: The program will use Dial-Up Networking (modem) for the Internet connection.
    • Connection Settings: The name of the Dial-Up Networking connection to be used. If you specify <DEFAULT> the program will use your default Dial-Up Networking connection, as specified in the Control Panel.
    • Wait for connection: The program will wait until it detects a Dial-Up Network connection is active before attempting to adjust the clock.
    • Close connection when done: If the program started the connection, it will hang it up after adjusting the clock.
Notes:
* When Close connection when done is selected, the connection will remain open for a short interval after a 'Check' operation to allow the user to 'Adjust' the clock if needed.
* You can not turn on both Wait for connection and Close connection when done features. This is because the first feature relies on another application (or the user) to open the connection while the second feature will actually control the connection itself.
* If the program doesn't start up your Dial-Up Networking automatically when using the <DEFAULT> setting, check your Internet settings: Click Start Menu, Settings, Control Panel and then open the icon labeled Internet. Now look for a tab on that screen that is labeled Connection. Click on that tab. Ensure that the checkbox Connect to the Internet as needed is turned ON and the correct Dial-Up Networking connection is listed.

Logging


This page allows the user to control the logging of program information.
  • Activate Logging: Turns on the logging ability.
  • Log Level:
    • Minimal: Only critical messages, such as errors, are logged.
    • Informational: More detailed logging, including settings and time checks.
Notes:
* The log is stored in the same directory as the program. The file name is atomtime.log. It is a text-based file and may be viewed with any editor.
* The log file has a fixed size limit. When that limit is reached, the log is automatically truncated.
* When requesting support on AtomTime, it may be useful to include this log file with your e-mail.

License


This page allows the user to view and set license information.
  • Locked: When turned on, the checkbox will lock the fields as read-only and hide the display of the license key. It will be turned on automatically when a valid license has been entered.
  • License Key: The license key. This field will be blank if you have not purchased a license (i.e. you are running with a temporary evaluation license).
  • Name: The name associated with the licensee.
Notes:
* Please see the Registration section for more information on licenses.
* The license key for a registered user can be displayed by turning off the Locked checkbox.
* The Locked checkbox will only appear once a valid license key as been entered.
* A temporary evaluation license is set to expire 30 days after installation. After 35 days, the program may turn off some features. You are required to purchase a license if you plan to keep and use this program.

System Tray

AtomTime will run as a System Tray application when you have specified one of the Update Interval options. This feature allows the program to run in the background without consuming space on the Taskbar. Holding your mouse over the AtomTime icon will show a tool tip message (small text) displaying the current status of the program.

If you have selected the Display Date in System Tray option, the AtomTime icon will be replaced by a small icon showing the current date.

A right click on the icon will bring up a menu of actions.

Double clicking on the icon will cause the main display to be opened. You can close the main display again by simply clicking on the close button (the little X in the upper right corner of the display).

Command Line

AtomTime Pro still retains the command line parameter called autoUpdate. If you start AtomTime with this parameter, AtomTime will automatically update the clock and exit. This is essentially the same as running with the Update Interval setting, Once and Exit. The one difference is using the command line parameter will not change your current settings for AtomTime. Thus, you could normally run with no Update Interval setting and then run a shortcut with the autoUpdate feature when you want it to update your clock quietly.

 

Appendix A: Error Messages

This section tries to outline most of the error messages and suggests some possible explanations and solutions.

Proxy authorization failure - Your proxy server requested authorization (username and password) and the combination you have supplied was not accepted. This failure may be due to an unsupported proxy server.

Proxy Error: xxx - Your proxy server returned an error message that AtomTime did not know how to handle. This message may have been preceded with a dialog box that contained the full error text from the proxy server. The log file may also contain a more detailed proxy error message.

Unsupported proxy server - The proxy server you are using is using a protocol that AtomTime does not currently support. At this time, the only protocol we do not support is NTLM (exclusive to Microsoft's proxy server).

No response from server - While the server acknowledged the request, it did not return any data. Try using a different time server. If you are using a proxy server, it may be blocking requests on port 13.

Unsupported data received - The server sent data back in a format that AtomTime does not currently recognize. If informational logging is turned on, the data should be dumped in the AtomTime log. Report these error messages, with the log file, to our support team.

Connection is blocked - The program was unable to connect to the time server port. In most cases this is due to some type of security that is blocking the request. See the FAQ for assistance on resolving this issue.

No TCP/IP connection detected - AtomTime did not detect any TCP/IP support installed on the PC. Check your Control Panel, Network settings to see if TCP/IP is an installed protocol.

Unable to reach host - The program could not find a pathway to the host. This usually implies that you do not have an active connection to the Internet or you do not have a default gateway configured.

Request timed out - After some delay, the request timed out. Try using a different time server, or increasing the timeout delay.

Unable to connect - AtomTime was not able to connect to the server. This could have a number of explanations including: you have specified an alternate time server with an invalid address/port, you are not connected to the Internet, or you don't have a default name server.

Host not responding - The server has failed while trying to retrieve the time server data. This could be caused by connection problems or simply all of the defined time server sites are down. You could test some individual time servers using the alternate time server setting.

Unable to set system clock - The program was unable to set the system clock. This can happen on a Windows NT or XP platform where the user does not have authority to set the system clock. Have the system administrator grant clock setting authority to the user.

Unsupported error: xxx - The program received an error message that is currently not supported. These are usually site-specific error messages sent from a proxy server. If you choose to report these please include a copy of your AtomTime log file with your correspondence to our support team.

Unknown error (nnn) - AtomTime received an error code that it doesn't understand how to handle. Report these, along with a copy of your AtomTime log file, to our support team.

Appendix B: Upgrade notes for AtomTime98 users

There are a number of new features in AtomTime Pro. Some of the biggest changes are:
  • The user can now define their own list of time servers. AtomTime will cycle through the list to locate an active server.
  • AtomTime can now log messages to a file detailing the programs operation, including time checks and error messages.
  • Improved Dial-Up Networking support, including the ability to use specific connections.
  • The time can now be adjusted each time a Dial-Up Networking connection is formed.
  • The ability to display a date icon in the System Tray when running with an Update Interval. This date icon replaces the AtomTime icon.
  • Settings are now saved on a machine basis, rather than a user basis as in AtomTime98.
  • A simple checkbox can now activate AtomTime on Windows startup.
  • AtomTime Pro will run its automated updates even while the main display is open. AtomTime98 required that you close the display first.
  • When an automated update is occurring, the AtomTime icon in the System Tray will be animated.
  • Support for more time formats.
  • Time servers using port 37 are now supported.
  • The main display text can be changed from a color to black/white display.
  • AtomTime will automatically check for version updates on a regular interval.
  • License entry has been simplified.
  • Improved error handling and messages.

AtomTime98 license keys will not work with AtomTime Pro. You will need to purchase a new license key if you wish to use AtomTime Pro.

AtomTime98 and AtomTime Pro can be installed at the same time -- they do not share any of the saved settings. However, we recommend uninstalling AtomTime98 if you plan to use AtomTime Pro.

Appendix C: Links

This section contains links to more information on Atomic Clock servers.

Atomic Clock Tour - A tour of the Boulder Laboratories where the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) runs the Atomic Clock.
NIST Home Page - The home page for the National Institute of Standards and Technology.
A Walk through Time - A NIST Physic Laboratory presentation on the evolution of time measurement.

Appendix D: Revision History

  • 1.0 AtomTime95, Initial release - 1996 Jan 20
  • 1.1 Major improvements - 1996 Apr 04
    • Proxy server support
    • Daylight savings time support
    • Support for other time servers
    • Enhanced error reporting
  • 1.1a Minor update - 1996 Apr 16
    • Fixed problem with some proxy servers that caused AtomTime95 to crash
  • 1.2 Major updates - 1996 Nov 12
    • Added support for time servers that don't report GMT time
    • Modified auto update mode to be run from the command line only
    • Added triple time check option to ensure clock value has "settled"
  • 1.2a Minor update - 1996 Dec 14
    • Made change to disable new triple time check option because of strange NT 4.0 problem
  • 1.3 Major bug fix - 1997 Jan 11
    • Fixed a major bug that caused proxy server connections to fail for a lot of users
  • 1.4 Major update - 1997 Feb 11
    • Finally fixed the bug that sometimes caused AtomTime95 to crash just after reporting the time
    • Re-enabled the Triple Check option for NT users
    • Added support for proxy authentication (user id and password prompting for proxy server)
    • Cleaned up minor regression bug with some proxy servers (would report Proxy error: 200 Ok)
  • 1.4a Minor bug fixes - 1997 Mar 31
    • Resolved a long standing bug with users in time zones that do not observe daylight savings time
    • Added check for invalid proxy port setting
    • Updated the documentation
  • 1.4b Minor changes to the documentation only - 1997 May 5
    • Changes to clean up some bad images in the documentation
    • Added some more FAQ notes
  • 1.5 Major bug fixes, some enhancements - 1997 August 21
    • Cleaned up proxy server support extensively: should now support nearly all versions of HTTP proxy servers.
    • Removed Triple Check option, replaced with a more useful Verify option
    • Increased diagnostic information on proxy errors
    • Enhanced documentation, especially for proxy servers
    • Added code to fix problem with proxy servers that performing caching
    • Signed on with ideaMarket to be exclusive distributor. Starting with this version, AtomTime95 is no longer freeware.
  • 2.0 AtomTime98, Major enhancements - 1998 May 1
    • AtomTime98 can run as a System Tray application
    • Improved error handling and messages
    • Dial-up Networking support: wait for connection and hang up
    • Scheduling support
    • Multiple clock servers and automatic switch over when server is down
    • Time display options
    • Ticking clock display
    • HTML documentation
    • Full installation package
    • Settings saved in Registry
    • Proxy authorization can now be saved
    • New licensing: Dropped ideaMarket; AtomTime98 is now shareware with no ties to any single distributor
  • 2.0a Minor update, some enhancements - 1998 June 2
    • Added support for new time format that the atomic clock site might use
    • Added support for proxy error 504 to try the next time server
    • Updated the FAQ list
  • 2.1 Major clean up, bug fixes, some enhancements - 1998 September 13
    • Improved error handling including: better diagnostics, more backup time server cases, and more error messages
    • Improved proxy server support including: better handling of return codes, more support for HTTP protocols, and trapping of unsupported NTLM proxy servers
    • Added "heartbeat" to status line when connecting to help indicate the program is not locked up
    • Added tooltip message to indicate when clock was last sync'd when running with an Update Interval
    • Fixed bug with keyboard focus after 'Check' operation was performed
    • Added attempt with numeric addressing on primary server to help out PCs configured without a default nameserver
    • Switched from time-a to time-b machine to help relieve load on the time server
    • Added warning when turning on Update Interval
    • Corrected flaw which sometimes caused the settings to not be saved
    • Removed disabled Apply tab from the settings
  • 2.1a Minor update, bug fixes - 1998 December 18
    • Fixed problem where in the Execution settings, the Dial-Up Networking section was sometimes improperly disabled
    • Reset the Update Interval timer once clock has finally been set
    • When attempting to start a second copy of AtomTime, bring the running version to the foreground
  • 2.1b Minor upgrade - 1999 April 18
    • Added Help button on main display
    • Updated documentation to update screen images and reflect new company organization
    • Reduced size of images resulting in overall smaller package size
  • 2.2 Major upgrade - 2001 October 25
    • Updated internal time servers list.
    • Automatically remembers last working time server.
    • Various documentation updates, especially in FAQ.
  • 3.0 AtomTime Pro, New version - 2002 October 18
    • Custom time server lists supported
    • Event logging implemented
    • Option to automatically launch on Windows start up
    • Time updates available on Dial-Up connections
    • Time servers on port 37 supported
    • Additional time formats supported
    • Optional date display in System Tray
    • Improved error handling and messages
    • Better Dial-up Networking support: specific connections, auto dialing
    • Color or black/white display
    • Settings saved in Registry under local machine
    • Automatic checks for version updates
    • Improved license system
    • Re-written from the ground up
  • 3.0a Minor update, bug fixes - 2002 October 25
    • Fixed bug with proxy support that resulted in an erroneous "unsupported data received" message
    • Fixed problem with update checking via proxy server
    • Added validity check in settings for 'On Dial Up Connection' update interval
    • Fixed possible license crash scenario
  • 3.1 Major update, bug fixes - 2002 November 17
    • Fixed bug with daylight savings time in time zones other than U.S.
    • Enforced user-defined hour offset when using alternate time server
    • Adjusted timings for time verifications
    • Corrected focus control issue (long standing problem)
    • Added additional warning messages for automated update settings
    • Enhanced time difference display messages
  • 3.1a Minor update, bug fixes - 2003 March 26
    • Enabled support for some NTLM proxy server configurations (basic)
    • Added support for NT/XP Simple TCP/IP Services daytime format
    • Fixed 'Abnormal Program Termination' problem (occurred while logging)
    • Added automated recovery for hard file errors while logging
    • Corrected handling of time server user settings
    • Improved handling of "dirty" time data
  • 3.1b Minor update, bug fixes - 2004 August 12
    • Fixed time problem with port 37 support
    • Updated documentation to denote no hour offset for port 37
  • 3.1c Minor update, bug fixes - 2004 September 17
    • Fixed problem with 'Unable to connect' and rotation of servers
    • Fix crash problem when running AtomTime Pro as a service
  • 3.1d Minor update, bug fix - 2004 November 11
    • Fixed problem with incoming data from proxy servers with no headers.