═══ 1. DSTswitch Main Window ═══ (click on the image to get additional help) See also: Settings Quit ═══ 1.1. Settings ═══ Click on this button to display the settings notebook. It consists of the following topics: Time Zone Settings Time Service Autoexec User Interface About ═══ 1.2. Quit ═══ This will quit DSTswitch, but Note: You should be aware, that DSTswitch will not perform any time changes in case it is terminated. Yet DSTswitch makes up any time changes the next time you start it. ═══ 2. Settings ═══ This is the settings notebook. It consists of the following tabs: Time Zone Settings Time Service Autoexec User Interface Update About ═══ 2.1. OK ═══ This will save all settings. ═══ 2.2. Abort ═══ This will discard all the changes you made. ═══ 2.3. Time Zone Settings ═══ This field must contain a correct TZ environment variable, preferrably the one valid for the time zone you live in. For example, the correct TZ variable for Central Europe 1998 to 2001 is CET-1CDT,3,-1,0,7200,10,-1,0,10800,3600. You should set your TZ in your CONFIG.SYS, because some other programs might also use this variable. Probably you will find a SET TZ entry in your CONFIG.SYS, but this is certainly not a fully qualified TZ variable. It certainly looks like this "SET TZ=EST5EDT" The most important information, date and time of the time changes, is lacking. The TZ variable consists of  an identifier for your TZ's standard time (three characters, first one must be a letter and can contain spaces)  the UTC offset  an identifier for your TZ's Daylight Saving Time (three characters, first one must be a letter and can contain spaces)  date and time of the starting of DST (encoded or as date)  date and time of the ending of DST (encoded or as date)  the amount of time change in seconds (aka time shift). You can determine your TZ variable with the help of tools, like TZcreator . DSTswitch even accepts TZ variables containing real dates instead of encoded ones. If your time zone is in Europe or in the United States, take a look at the list below: Central Europe: SET TZ=CET-1CDT,3,-1,0,7200,10,-1,0,10800,3600 Great Britain: SET TZ=GMT0BST,3,-1,0,7200,10,-1,0,10800,3600 Northern Ireland: SET TZ=IST0IDT,3,-1,0,10800,10,-1,0,10800,3600 USA Atlantic: SET TZ=AST4ADT,4,1,0,7200,10,-1,0,7200,3600 USA Eastern: SET TZ=EST5EDT,4,1,0,7200,10,-1,0,7200,3600 USA Central: SET TZ=CST6CDT,4,1,0,7200,10,-1,0,7200,3600 USA Mountain: SET TZ=MST7MDT,4,1,0,7200,10,-1,0,7200,3600 USA Pacific: SET TZ=PST8PDT,4,1,0,7200,10,-1,0,7200,3600 USA Yukon: SET TZ=YST9YDT,4,1,0,7200,10,-1,0,7200,3600 USA Alaska-Hawaii: SET TZ=HST10HDT,4,1,0,7200,10,-1,0,7200,3600 USA Bering: SET TZ=BST11BDT,4,1,0,7200,10,-1,0,7200,3600 ═══ 2.3.1. TZ string ═══ This is the valid TZ string DSTswitch is currently using. If you see this after you've started DSTswitch the first time and you've received an 'Invalid TZ variable' error message you have to fill in your TZ variable. Check out the Time Zone settings for a list of valid TZ variables. ═══ 2.3.2. Use other TZ variable ═══ This enables DSTswitch to use an other the TZ string instead of the environment variable (SET TZ). The environment variable will be ignored then. If you see this after you've launched DSTswitch the first time and you've received an 'Invalid TZ variable' error message you have to fill in your TZ variable. Check out the Time Zone settings for a list of TZ variables. You have to mark this checkbox to enable DSTswitch to use the TZ variable you've entered in the edit field above. If you don't DSTswitch will overwrite it by the TZ environment variable. ═══ 2.4. Time Service ═══ this one computer. Alternatively you can enable serving on more than one computer and fetch the time from the computer nearest to yours. It doesn't matter where the computer you fetch the time from is located. DSTswitch always calculates the correct time for your time zone. ═══ 2.4.1. enable ═══ Check if you want to activate the time server. ═══ 2.4.2. Server port ═══ This is the port on which DSTswitch accepts connections for time serving. If you chose the RFC868 server mode this entry field is disabled. ═══ 2.4.3. RFC868 compatible server mode ═══ If selected the time server starts in RFC868 compatibility mode. Currently DSTswitch supports only TCP connections. UDP is planned for a future release. ═══ 2.4.4. DSTswitch compatible server mode ═══ Select this to let the time server start in DSTswitch compatibility mode. ═══ 2.4.5. enable ═══ You can select whether DSTswitch should fetch the time from a DSTswitch server. DSTswitch fetches the time first eight seconds after launch. To fetch the time manually double click on the UTC display. This works even if time fetching is deactivated. However, host, protocol, and port must be set. ═══ 2.4.6. fetching port ═══ This is the port on which DSTswitch connects to a DSTswitch server. If you chose the RFC868 client mode this entry field is disabled. ═══ 2.4.7. Host ═══ Fill in the IP name or address of the host which to fetch the current UTC from, or select one of the predefined hosts from the list. ═══ 2.4.8. Interval in minutes ═══ Set the interval in minutes in which DSTswitch is supposed to connect to a time server. ═══ 2.4.9. RFC868 compatible client mode ═══ If selected the client runs in RFC868 compatibility mode. Currently DSTswitch can only connect to a TCP server. UDP support is planned for a future release. ═══ 2.4.10. DSTswitch compatible client mode ═══ Select this option to let the client run in DSTswitch compatibility mode. ═══ 2.4.11. Fetch only once ═══ This enables DSTswitch to fetch the time once from the host you set, either after restart or after enabling this function. ═══ 2.5. Autoexec ═══ DSTswitch enables you to launch up to four external programs (OS/2 or Java) on these events:  DST -> ST (switch from daylight saving to standard time)  ST -> DST (switch from standard to daylight saving time)  turn of the year. Simply select the program you want to start, the parameters for this program and the event the program is supposed to start on. Restart DSTswitch and enjoy. ═══ 2.5.1. Program ═══ Fill in the path and name of the program you want to start. ═══ 2.5.2. Browse ═══ Browse for the path and name of the external program you want to start. ═══ 2.5.3. Arguments ═══ These are the parameters DSTswitch sends to the external program. ═══ 2.5.4. Events ═══ Select the event on which DSTswitch will launch the external program. ═══ 2.6. User Interface ═══ Change the settings for window restoring, minimized starting, and language. See also: Restore position Start minimized Pop up on event Terminate after check Display in title bar 24hour display Language ═══ 2.6.1. Restore position ═══ If this one is checked the DSTswitch windows will save and restore their position. ═══ 2.6.2. Start minimized ═══ Mark this and DSTswitch will start minimized. In this state only one thread for time changing is active. The other threads are suspended in order to save CPU cycles. ═══ 2.6.3. Pop up on event ═══ If DSTswitch is minimized this option enables DSTswitch to pop up when an event occurs. These events are:  switch from daylight saving to standard time  switch from standard to daylight saving time ═══ 2.6.4. Terminate after check ═══ Enables DSTswitch to terminate some few seconds after launch. This could take up to 25 seconds., enough time to check and possibly change the local time. ═══ 2.6.5. Display in title bar... ═══ Select here what to display in DSTswitch's title bar if in minimised state. You have the following possibilities:  System's Uptime  Net Time  UTC  Millennium Counter (runs until the end of 2000) ═══ 2.6.6. 24hour display ═══ If checked the local time will be displayed in 24hr format instead of 12hr format. Default is 24hr format. ═══ 2.6.7. Language ═══ Select your preferred language. ═══ 2.6.8. Registration Name ═══ Fill in the name DSTswitch is registered to. ═══ 2.6.9. Registration Key ═══ Fill in the registration key you've received from the registration site exactly as shown. ═══ 2.6.10. Color scheme ═══ Select the color scheme you prefer. This changes the look of the LED/LCD display on the main window. Virtual SSD If you enable this setting the dot matrix display will look like a seven segment display. Custom color scheme Create your own color scheme. The test matrix on the right side shows you what your scheme looks like. ═══ 2.7. Update ═══ DSTswitch keeps you informed about updates and other news regarding DSTswitch and the DSTswitch AddOns. See also: Information memo Check for update Take me there ═══ 2.7.1. Information memo ═══ This is the information transmitted by the update server. ═══ 2.7.2. Check for update ═══ Request update information from the update server. ═══ 2.7.3. Take me there ═══ If there is an URL transmitted along with the update information this button will take you to that place on the web. ═══ 2.8. About ═══ DSTswitch was developed due to the lack of an automatic time changing function within OS/2. Unfortunately, there were some obstacles to remove. First there were some (meanwhile historically) problems caused by Speedsoft's Sibyl. Its Pascal/Delphi compatibility is not yet perfect. Yet it's an excellent RAD tool I recommend to everyone who wants to create OS/2 software in a Delphi like environment. The other problem was the decoding of the TZ environment variable (SET TZ=... statement in your CONFIG.SYS) I'll continue the development of DSTswitch as long as there is no similar function available in OS/2, which would make DSTswitch unnecessary. Please don't hesitate to contact me if you have any suggestions for new functions or any other comments on this software, including bug reports. I'd like to thank all the people who supported me during the development of DSTswitch, especially Speedsoft for their unique Delphi compatible RAD tool Sibyl. Thanks to all the people that gave me valuable suggestions for extensions, to the beta testers and of course to all the sources that provided me with important information about the TZ variable and the time zones. Special thanks to: Goran Ivankovic for the Croatian translation Francesco Loffredo for the Italian translation Michel Goyette for the French translation Derly Lytken for the Danish translation Marco Ooijer for the Dutch translation Ulf MalmgЖrd for the Swedish translation Guillermo G. LlorВns for the Spanish translation Gennady Kudryashoff for the Russian translation Click here to learn more on how and where to order DSTswitch. For information about a new version of DSTswitch visit www.mark-eckstein.de If you encounter any bugs in the software or in this documentation or if you just want to tell me your opinion about DSTswitch, please send your message to dstswitch@mark-e.de Please ensure you've read the disclaimer This software needs your help to bring you the best possible satisfaction. ═══ 3. What is... ═══ This chapter describes some terms used in this help file and provides you with background information you probably want to know. What is... ...a time zone ...GMT ...UTC ...Daylight Saving Time ...Swatch Beat ═══ 3.1. ...a time zone ═══ The world is divided into 24 zones, each one of an angle of 15° or 1 hour in time apart, while each zone extends 7.5° on either side of its center meridian. The Greenwich meridian (0°) extends through the initial time zone that divides the world into eastern and western zones. These zones are numbered from 1 to 12 with a minus (east) or a plus (west) prefix. This number is called offset. To obtain UTC you have to subtract the offset of an eastern zone from the zone's time. To obtain UTC from a western zone add the offset to the zone's local time. Note, that the zone time does not always coincide with the Standard Time of some countries. ═══ 3.2. ...GMT ═══ Greenwich Mean Time, or short GMT, is the old term of the universal time. Greenwich is the eastern suburb of London and its observatory lies exactly on the meridian, which is commonly accepted as the prime Meridian since 1911. ═══ 3.3. ...UTC ═══ Universal Time Coordinates, UTC, is the new term for Greenwich Mean Time. This is the only difference to GMT. ═══ 3.4. ...Daylight Saving Time ═══ Usually the Daylight Saving Time is achieved by adding one hour to the Standard Time. The DST was introduced to conserve energy. ═══ 3.5. ...Swatch Beat ═══ The Internet time was inaugurated by Swatch in late 1998. Swatch has divided one day (24 hours) into 1000 beats. For more information check out the Swatch website. ═══ 4. Purchasing DSTswitch ═══ Purchasing DSTswitch Introduced in release 1.33 this software's shareware version has essential limitations! If you use this software regularly, please consider to buy it and become a legal user. The author allows you to test DSTswitch for a period of 4 (four) operations or 30 days. After expiry of this period you should either register or delete all installations and copies of this software. You can obtain a single license for only US$ 10. If you are a corporate user the site license for only US$ 60 might be best for you. The site license entitles you to unlimited installations; the single license allows you to install DSTswitch on two different computers. I'm sure, most of you don't need two licenses because you simply don't have two computers. If you find someone else who wants your second license tell me this person's data and I'll e-mail a key to this person. Of course your then allowed to install DSTswitch on only one computer. User Groups are also entitled to order a site license. However, unlike corporations, User Groups are allowed to install DSTswitch on only 60 different computers. If your User Group needs more installations you have to purchase more site licenses. To place your order with BMTmicro on-line use the secure order form: https://secure.bmtmicro.com/order1386.html (credit cards only). ═══ 4.1. German Bank Transfer Instructions ═══ Transfers into our account with Deutsche Bank are welcome. For the latest currency conversion rate send a message to dm_to_us@bmtmicro.com Bank: Deutsche Bank / Frankfurt EmpfДnger: BMT Micro, Thomas Bradford Konto-Nummer: 0860221 Bankleitzahl: 500-700-10 If you transfer DM into the Deutsche Bank account please follow the instructions above for the e-mail purchase method. In the credit card information area put "Paid through Deutsche Bank". When we are notified of the deposit (usually 7-10 days), we will e-mail information regarding your purchase to you. ═══ 4.2. Order Form ═══ DSTswitch Order Form -------------------- Name: ____________________________________________________________ Company: ____________________________________________________________ Address: ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ City: _______________________ State/Province: __________________ Country: ____________________________ Postal Code: __________________ Phone: ____________________________________________________________ Fax: ____________________________________________________________ Email: ____________________________________________________________ Product Price Quantity Total -------------------------------------------------------------------- __DSTswitch single license______ $_10.00__ x ________ = $____.___ __DSTswitch site license________ $_60.00__ x ________ = $____.___ subtotal: $____.___ North Carolina residents, please add 6% sales tax: +$____.___ Total: $____.___ For credit card payment only: Circle one: Visa / Master / Discover / AmEx / Diner's Club Credit card number: ______________________________________________ Expiration date: __/__ Authorization signature: ______________________________________________ Your key will be e-mailed to you. Please make sure you have filled in your proper e-mail address above. For cash (US funds only), money orders, or personal checks, be sure the correct amount is enclosed with this order form. ═══ 5. Disclaimer ═══ DSTswitch is provided "as is" without warranty of any kind. No warranty is made, expressed, or implied, that this documentation or accompanying software is free of error, or is consistent with any particular standard of performance, quality, or merchantability, or that it will meet your requirements for any particular application. It should not be relied on for solving a problem whose incorrect solution could result in injury to a person or loss of property. If you do use this software in such a manner, it is at your own risk. The author disclaims all liability for direct, incidental, or consequential damages resulting from your use of this software. You have the right to use this software on as many computers as you've obtained licenses and to distribute this software package (ZIP file) without any changes. This does not include the registation key! It is prohibited to disassemble or reverse engineer this software. Your use of this program constitutes total agreement and acceptance of this disclaimer. DSTswitch, all help files, Bell.WAV, the DSTswitch logo, and the Y2K logo are (c) Copyright 1997-1999 Mark Eckstein. All rights reserved. IBM and OS/2 are registered trademarks of International Business Machines Corporation. Java is a trademark of Sun Microsystems, Inc. All other company names or products are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners. ═══ 6. What's new ═══ Release 1.80 (March 23, 2000)  Reduced memory footprint  Slightly changed user interface  Display possibilities in title bar extended  Re-designed TCP/IP interface. It now accepts multiple client connections running simultaneously, and got rid of this system blocking problem as well. Release 1.70 (December 08, 1999)  Seven segment display replaced by a dot matrix display. Advantages: Two different fonts, reduced screen flicker customizable display colors  Extended language support  Full compliance to the TZ specifications Release 1.60 (November 17, 1999)  It's no longer necessary to restart DSTswitch if there have been any changes in the settings notebook  DSTswitch now adjusts not only the time but also the date  Install script replaced by a real installation program  fixed a flaw in on-line update information  Both controls displaying the switch dates now show the next date of either time to switch to Release 1.52 (October 15, 1999)  fetch time manually  automatic detection of hemisphere Release 1.51 (October 3, 1999)  on-line update information  chime removed (AddOn available)  improved AddOn interface  RFC868 Time Service support for both client and server Release 1.50 (August 28, 1999)  Added 12hr display of local time  Added chime  Minor bug fixes, like occasional SYS3175 on program termination Release 1.40 (August 21, 1999)  Added a checksum to the Time Service. That means no version prior to 1.33 can connect to a 1.33 server and no 1.33 client should connect to a pre-1.33 server.  Displays the computer's uptime. Display also in minimized state possible.  Added multilingual support.  This release has a limited evaluation period of four time changes or 30 days. You are required to register or remove DSTswitch entirely from your hard drive after this period has expired.  Fixed SYS3175 if DSTswitch is set to start up minimized and TZ variable is incorrect.  Slightly changed registration procedure. Check out Orders for more information. Release 1.32 (July 25, 1999)  Changed TCP interface. It should be more reliable now.  Added a function that enables DSTswitch to terminate about 25 seconds after startup. That's enough time for DSTswitch to check and change the system's time. ═══ ═══ This section contains date and time when DSTswitch will change to summer time. ═══ ═══ This section contains date and time when DSTswitch will switch back to standard time. ═══ ═══ This digital display shows the Universal Time Coordinates (UTC, also known as Universal Coordinated Time), formerly known as Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). ═══ ═══ This digital display shows the local time. ═══ ═══ This label indicates the status of Daylight Saving Time. ═══ ═══ This field displays the Internet Time in Swatch Beat. ═══ ═══ This field displays the system's uptime in days, hours, minutes, and seconds.