TimeKeeper uses a modem to connect to the Automated Computer Time Service (ACTS) of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (N.I.S.T.) in Boulder, Colorado U.S.A. and sets the BeBox's system clock to the correct time. TimeKeeper will take the user's timezone into account, and will adjust for daylight savings time (DST) if the user chooses to observe the convention.
The first time it is run, TimeKeeper simply sets the system clock. On subsequent invocations, TimeKeeper will report on the accuracy of the BeBox's clock.
To use TimeKeeper, first determine if you need to change any settings from their defaults (see below) and if so, edit the settings files and put them in their proper place.
Double-click on TimeKeeper's icon, or type "TimeKeeper" from the shell. TimeKeeper opens a window to keep you informed of the status of the connection. Once the transmission has been received, and the clock set, TimeKeeper will display the accuracy of the system clock during the period of time since the previous adjustment. Click the close button of the window to terminate TimeKeeper.
TimeKeeper makes use of several support files. Two files contain system- and user-configurable settings, and may be edited by you. Neither of them are required if the default settings match your needs. The third file is created by TimeKeeper and is updated each time it is invoked.
An example of the TimeKeeper_settings file follows. The values shown happen to be the defaults used if the file is missing.
The N.I.S.T.'s ACTS server automatically terminates the modem connection after forty seconds. TimeKeeper typically obtains the time in several seconds after connecting, and terminates the call immediately afterwards.
TimeKeeper increases its task priority to B_REAL_TIME_PRIORITY while it is receiving the ACTS transmission to insure that the clock is set accurately. Be aware that this may effect other running tasks.
Though the N.I.S.T. phone number can be changed, the transmission format that TimeKeeper understands is limited to ACTS. It is therefore unlikely that it will be able to obtain the time from any other provider.
Because delays in telephone connections would render the timestamp inaccurate, TimeKeeper is probably only useful to users in the Unites States, and possibly only to those on the mainland.
TimeKeeper may not be distributed without the author's explicit permission.