Simple Network Time Protocol (SNTP)

["Smith, Dave" <dsmith@xxxxxxxxx>]

Can someone using SNTP on an iSeries (V5R1) please respond to the following
questions. They are being asked based on the fact that there is a "machine"
time (QHOUR, QMINUTE, Qetc...) and a "system software" clock on the beloved
iSeries.  SNTP keeps the system software clock in sync with our NTP server.
I am aware some API's use the system software clock but most logging and
commands and HLL programs use the machine time. Is that true?

1.  How often should these clocks be re-synced up?  Do they run at the same
speed so that one can not get out of sync with the other?  Do the clocks
re-sync at IPL?

2.  What do you recommend in the spring and the fall when the machine times
and the coordinated universal time offset need to manually be changed on the
AS/400?  The customer I am working for generally changes the 'Q' values at
the end of the next business day (when all their processes are done running
in the spring and fall when the time changes for daylight savings.

3.  Are there system (IBM) programs running that might use the API's using
the software clock?  Thus how important is making the two time exactly
match?  I know the potential is out there to someday run into a problem, but
they run a pretty tight ship over here and documenting the fact that it
exists may be enough to keep them from running into it.  There is a
documented problem with this on www.ignite400.org/html/sntp.htm.

4: Any idea what IBM has in the works to automatically keep the two times in
sync?  Is this pretty standard in the "Midrange/Mainframe/UNIX" world to
have two clocks running? What about the general "network" (Microsoft)
community?

5. Is the TIME op code in an RPG program retrieving the software clock or
the hardware clock?

In the end, I guess I just want to know what SNTP alone buys me?  Why am I
forced to (write or download) the programs to keep the clocks in sync?  It
makes no sense to me.

Thanks for all your help in advance!

David Smith
Tri-State Hospital Supply Corp.
IT Consultant
dsmith@tshsc.com
517.546.5400