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Author Topic: Updating Server Clocks Jeremy Weigel Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1062 From: Edmond, OK, USA Registered: Mar 2007 posted 05-06-2010 01:35 PM                     Decided to split this off from the Iron Man Stupidity thread. OK. Here's what I found out regarding updating server time on a GDC at least. Simply connecting it to the internet will do no good. You have to sign up with a remote monitoring service such as Cinedigm, Christie Digital, or some other approved service via a VPN OR you can send your house#, server SN, and the time discrepancy to GDC and they will write a script for you to load via USB.  |  IP: Logged Scott Norwood Film God Posts: 8146 From: Boston, MA. USA (1774.21 miles northeast of Dallas) Registered: Jun 99 posted 05-06-2010 01:51 PM                        Wow, that's stupid. Have these people never heard of NTP (Network Time Protocol)?  |  IP: Logged Joe Redifer You need a beating today Posts: 12859 From: Denver, Colorado Registered: May 99 posted 05-06-2010 01:56 PM                        What happens at Daylights Saving Time? Is the server smart enough to switch by itself, or do you need to sign up with a company so they can write a script for you to load via USB?  |  IP: Logged Mark Lensenmayer Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1605 From: Upper Arlington, OH Registered: Sep 1999 posted 05-06-2010 03:19 PM                     Putting on my paranoid executive hat, I would want total control over those clocks so no one could reset them to show the movie before the official time, OR reset them backwards to keep a movie alive after the cut-off time.  |  IP: Logged Olivier Lemaire Expert Film Handler Posts: 118 From: Paris, Ile de France, France Registered: Jan 2010 posted 05-06-2010 03:44 PM                        I fully agree with Scott: using NTP protocol & infrastructure (see www.ntp.org for more) is certainly A Thing To Be Done using DC equipments. All the servers I've seen so far are based upon standard hardware (motherboard and so RTC clock), and these scrappy things are able to drift sometimes more than 3 minutes per 24 hours... So, definitively you need to sync them with a accurate and reliable time source. NTP is just design to do that for you, and setting a NTP infrastructure is not that difficult for anyone with basic IT skill, and an Internet access... Perhaps the RTC clock on Integrated Media Blocks are more reliable (or at least, sold to be...) - but even in this case, relying to an atomic clock seems a Not So Bad Idea anyway...  |  IP: Logged Thomas Pitt Master Film Handler Posts: 266 From: Leeds, West Yorkshire, UK Registered: May 2007 posted 05-06-2010 06:23 PM                     I agree with Mark. The studio executives wouldn't want anyone 'playing' with the clocks to show a movie outside of its scheduled times. NTP is well documented so could easily be fooled into setting the wrong time using special programs. On the other hand, a proprietary protocol made by the server manufacturers is less well known and only the distributors would have control over the clocks.  |  IP: Logged Jonathan Althaus Master Film Handler Posts: 435 From: Bedford, TX Registered: Dec 2008 posted 05-06-2010 06:46 PM                     We've been told once we're fully networked, it will be controlled by our NOC.  |  IP: Logged Mike Blakesley Film God Posts: 12767 From: Forsyth, Montana Registered: Jun 99 posted 05-06-2010 07:01 PM                        quote: Mark Lensenmayer paranoid executive This is one time that I have to side with the suits. Because all of us film-techers are far too professional to ever twiddle with a server clock in order to show a movie earlier (or later) that we're supposed to, who knows how many high school "projectionists" and other dickheads would do exactly that if they had the chance.  |  IP: Logged Jeremy Weigel Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1062 From: Edmond, OK, USA Registered: Mar 2007 posted 05-06-2010 07:21 PM                     Doesn't software such as virus protection have code in it to detect when the computer clock has been significantly changed? I seem to remember trying to roll back the bios time on a computer I had a few years ago and when I booted up windows Norton Anti-Virus gave me a message that it was expired. If a company only has a limited number of "authorized" people to access the server clock (which could be password protected) then I don't see much of a problem. I believe it could also be logged internally anytime someone accesses this area of the server.  |  IP: Logged Olivier Lemaire Expert Film Handler Posts: 118 From: Paris, Ile de France, France Registered: Jan 2010 posted 05-06-2010 07:27 PM                        Thomas, using open/know protocol does not means you have less security. In fact, the reverse it true : using proprietary protocols will probably give you lesser security ("security by obscurity"... just sounds like a virgin call girl...). But, well, I admit it's probably an out of scope debate Anyway, most (if not all) of the Digital Cinema technology are based upon open standards & protocols. So, NTP is just a good alternative to consider. But you must consider two types of clocks: 1/ secured clocks from Security Modules, withing some DC elements (Media Block, for example) 2/ and regular clocks, like the one of your TMS hardware and Players's hardware Clocks of type 1/ are NOT TO BE SYNCHRONIZED to any external sources (see DCI specs v1.2 - chapter 9.4.3.7.). But clocks of type 2/ should be, for the theater to operate smoothly: afterall, it should be very annoying the think your next scheduled show will automatically at 16:05... and have it start at 15:58 because of a scrappy drifty RTC clock... my 2 cents, -- lem  |  IP: Logged Jeremy Weigel Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1062 From: Edmond, OK, USA Registered: Mar 2007 posted 05-06-2010 07:42 PM                     quote: Olivier Lemaire afterall, it should be very annoying the think your next scheduled show will automatically at 16:05... and have it start at 15:58 because of a scrappy drifty RTC clock... This is why we stopped using our show scheduler. It got to be a pain to compensate for the time drift.  |  IP: Logged Olivier Lemaire Expert Film Handler Posts: 118 From: Paris, Ile de France, France Registered: Jan 2010 posted 05-06-2010 08:04 PM                        quote: quote: Olivier Lemaire afterall, it should be very annoying the think your next scheduled show will automatically at 16:05... and have it start at 15:58 because of a scrappy drifty RTC clock... Jeremy This is why we stopped using our show scheduler. It got to be a pain to compensate for the time drift. Ouch... perhaps you should consider installing and NTP server on one of your Intra-Theater server (central library, TMS, one of your players?..) which have a not so scrappy RTC clock. And then, configure all other equipments to synchronize on this central NTPd one? This way, at least, all the theater will be at the same hours. And as the Time is served internally to your theater, you won't have to fear for any external crackers to break into your very standard setting  |  IP: Logged Mark Gulbrandsen Resident Trollmaster Posts: 16657 From: Music City Registered: Jun 99 posted 05-06-2010 09:15 PM                     You cannot twiddle with the server clock in all servers I have worked with... Dolby, Doremi, and GDC. I am pretty sure this is a DCI requirement. It is a fixed thing and is only correctable by placing an NTP server on the network to do the time correction. Mark  |  IP: Logged Monte L Fullmer Film God Posts: 8367 From: Nampa, Idaho, USA Registered: Nov 2004 posted 05-06-2010 09:37 PM                     So, what's wrong converting 7:00 to 6:58 if the clock is 2 minutes slow....? I worked with a GDC server that was 4 minutes slow. Thus when doing the auto scheduler, I put in 6:56 for 7:00p, and similar with the other 4 showings for that day. I could do a week's set in 10 minutes on this GDC server..and it would start right on time as per a standard clock for each showing. Doesn't take rocket science to think backwards some ... -Monte  |  IP: Logged Brad Miller Administrator Posts: 17775 From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall) Registered: May 99 posted 05-07-2010 12:00 AM                     Its called technology Monte. In this day and age, it is pathetic to have to input incorrect showtimes to make a $10k+ server start on time. On the Doremi, you can go to MENU / TERMINAL, login and use the command "date --set=HHMM" to set the user clock that controls the start time. Note this will continue to drift until more suitable measures are taken...but this is a quick temporary fix. (HHMM is short for hour and minute, by the way.) With Dolby servers you can set an NTP time server link in the config setup. (Don't jack with this if you don't know what you are doing. Have your tech do this.)  |  IP: Logged

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