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INSTRUCTION BULLETIN—Reference Guide
CyTime
TM
Sequence of Events Recorder
IB-SER32e-02
Jan-2022
© 2010-2022 Cyber Sciences, Inc. All rights reserved.
One final example of adjusting clocks for local time zone offset is shown in Fig. 8-5
below. In this example, a third-party GPS clock is configured as PTP master, and
transmits its time reference in terms of TAI. PTP slave devices such as the CyTime
SER automatically adjust from TAI timescale to UTC timescale. Then, if desired, each
device adjusts its own clock for the local time zone according to its user setting.
Adjusting for Local Time Zone (cont.)
GPS Clock
SER-32e
PTP SLAVE
IRIG-B
Meter
EPMS
SW
Local time displayed by
EPMS software
(time zone offset
applied at each device)
10:00:17
(GPS)
Local time (PST) =
02:00:00
(UTC - 08:00)
PTP
PTP MASTER
10:00:36
(TAI)
10:00:00
(UTC)
02:00:00
(UTC - 08:00)
02:00:00
(UTC - 08:00)
02:00:00
(UTC - 08:00)
02:00:00
(UTC - 08:00)
Local time zone:
UTC - 08:00
(Pacific Std Time)
Figure 8-5. Local time adjusted at each device in system (GPS clock as PTP master)
Cyber Sciences recommends that event timestamps be based exclusively on UTC
or standard time, since discontinuities introduce potential for confusion and make
comparisons of historical values more difficult. For example, if events occur around
the time of the start of DST (“Spring forward”), their timestamps may appear one
hour further apart than the actual elapsed time.
Even worse, events recorded during the ending changeover (“Fall back”), can have
the same timestamps as events actually occurring one hour apart, with no way to
distinguish the truth. Clearly, the concept of Daylight Saving Time is not compatible
with timestamps in sequence of events recording.
To provide maximum flexibility, the CyTime SER supports adjustments for Daylight
Saving Time (DST) or Summer Time. However, it is recommended all event time-
stamps be stored in reference to UTC and adjusted for local time and DST by applica-
tion software at the point of consumption (edge software application) to enable
system wide display, analysis and analytics.
Daylight Saving Time (DST)