       About DatumTime

Welcome to DatumTime™ time utility, the multiple time zone clock software that gives you accurate time right at your desktop. When installed, its icon [image] sits in the tray on your PC screen, so you can easily get the time.

Why use DatumTime? Because it synchronizes your PC clock with the most accurate time available. Until DatumTime, a PC clock could gain or lose time, usually without your knowledge. With DatumTime, you’ll never have to manually set the time—and risk using the wrong time—again.

The default clock panel that comes with this software looks like this:

You can tailor the clocks in the clock panel many different ways, including:

•	Time zones/cities of your choice

•	Number of clocks on the clock panel

•	Analog (with clock face and hands) or digital

•	24-hour or AM/PM

•	With or without second hand/seconds counter

•	With or without city/time zone

•	Colors: of the panel and of the clocks themselves

•	Size, style, color of lettering

You can make any of these changes independent of one another, in any order.

To change the time zones, use the Choose Time Zone dialog. You can get directly to this dialog by clicking on the city name.

To change the clocks’ styles, work with the Choose Options dialog. You can get directly to this dialog by clicking on the Options tool [image] in the lower right corner of the panel.


Change city or time zone

To change the city or time zone on one of your clockfaces, use the Options tool [image] to get to the Choose Time Zone dialog. Or, you can click on the city name.

You can also add a city by selecting the country, then typing the city name into the city field. To save this change, click Set Name, then Apply to Clock.


Apply to Clock

An option in the Choose Time Zone dialog.

By clicking this option, any changes in the city or time zone you just made will change the selected clock.


Set Name

In the Choose Time Zone dialog, by clicking Set Name and then Apply to Clock, the city in the pulldown list to the left will be set as the city name on your clock.


Clear Name

In the Choose Time Zone dialog, by clicking Clear Name and then Apply to Clock, you clear the name of the city that’s highlighted for that time zone, and the time zone uses the first name on its list instead.


Choose Time Zone dialog

Click once on the city name to display the Choose Time Zone dialog.

You can configure time zones by choosing one of the following preferences:

•	Offset, or how many hours the time zone is offset from UTC time

•	Country name of time zone

•	Cities (Display Name) listed for a time zone

Most people use Country or Cities to create their own clock panel. If you choose Cities, you can add your own city by typing it into the Display field, then clicking Set Name and Apply to Clock.

If the small white triangle in the column heading is pointing down, it means the list is descending (A-Z, or  –11 to  +14 hours). If this triangle is pointing up, it means the list is ascending (Z-A, or  +14 to  –11 hours).  Because most people are used to “A through Z”, they choose descending.

To choose one of these three options, click once on the column heading to switch to that preference.

Options at the bottom of this dialog:

Display Name: This drop-down menu displays the names of all the cities listed for that time zone. In this menu you can choose the cities whose names will appear at the bottom of each of your clocks.

Set Name: By clicking Set Name and then Apply to Clock, the city in the pull-down list to the left will be set as the city name on your clock.

Clear Name: By clicking Clear Name and then Apply to Clock, you clear the name of the city that’s highlighted for that time zone, and the time zone uses the first name on its list instead.

Apply to Clock: By clicking this option, any changes in city or time zone you just made will change the selected clock.


Options Tool (Hammer): configuring your DatumTime
Options Tool: Configuring your DatumTime

Click on this tool [image] in the lower right corner of the clock panel to build (design) your clocks.


Choose Options  dialog

Use this dialog to design your clocks.

Display this dialog by clicking once on the Options tool [image] in the lower right corner of the clock panel.

When you are finished configuring your clock panel, close the dialog by clicking again on the Options tool.


To put clock panel on top

The default position for the clock panel is behind other open windows.

To place the clock panel in front of (on top of) other open windows, right-click anywhere on the clock panel, then in the drop-down menu, choose Stay on Top. A checkmark will appear next to Stay on Top, and the dialog will close. And your clock panel will remain in front of other open windows.


Display Name drop-down menu

This drop-down menu in the Choose Time Zone dialog displays the names of all the cities listed for that time zone.

In this menu you can choose the cities whose names you want at the bottom of your clocks.


Clock Panel

Here is a sample clock panel.


UTC

The international abbreviation for Coordinated Universal Time. UTC is the world standard for time.


Sample Clock Panels

Here are a few different styles of clocks. Create the style of clock that’s best for you.


Change the style of clock
Change the style of clock:  Here’s how

Change how your clocks look by using the Choose Options dialog.

You can change the characteristics of one clock or of the whole panel.

See some sample clock panels


To rearrange the order of clocks

To rearrange the order of clocks in your clock panel:

1.  Click on the clock you want to move.

2.  Press the Control key, and holding down your mouse button, drag the clock to the position you want it in.

3.  Then release the mouse button where you want the clock to be, and it will display in its new location.


Number of clocks

There is one clock panel, and the maximum number of clocks in the clock panel, if you choose a large clock format, is six across, five down.

Note: You can have as many as 30 clocks in your panel, but with that many clocks you will probably see degradation in performance. Most people have five or six clocks in their panel.

The minimum number of clocks you can have in a panel is one.


To Add or Delete clocks

To add a clock to your clock panel:

1.  Click on the Options tool [image] to open the Choose Options dialog.

2.  Select the clock next to which the new clock will be added. A new clock will be added to the left of it.

3.  Click Add Clock. It will display the new clock in UTC time. Configure this new clock for the time zone or city you want.

OR: You can right-click on a clock, and choose Insert Clock from the menu. DatumTime will insert the new clock before the selected clock.

To delete a clock:

1. Click on the Options tool [image] to open the Choose Options dialog.

2. Select the clock you wish to delete.

3. Click Delete Clock. The selected clock will be gone.

OR: You can right-click on a clock, and choose Delete [City Name] from the menu.


Change the colors

As you change colors, they will change only for the selected clock.

However, if no clock in your clock panel is selected, when you change colors, all the clocks will change.


Locate the clock panel on the screen

The preset location for your clock panel is the upper right corner of your screen.

To move it elsewhere, click your mouse button anywhere on the panel and drag it to its new location.

To set the clock panel in its new location, in the Choose Options dialog click on Make this my favorite place. It will now stay in its new home location.

If you move your clock panel again, you can make it “scoot” back to its home location by clicking on the white triangle (which points to home) on the right side of the clock panel. The panel will scoot back home.


Right-clicking

If you right-click on a clock, you display the clock menu.

If you right-click on the clock panel, you display the panel menu.


Synchronize your PC clock with the server

In the right-click menu, click Synchronize Now  to synchronize your clocks with the server.

Your PC will go online to do this for you.

You can also choose the server that will get your time, determine the synchronization time intervals and see the synchronization status.


SyncOptions dialog

Use this dialog to set your synchronization time interval. The default is one hour.


SyncServers dialog

Use this dialog to add or delete servers, and to choose server(s) that you want to get the time from.

•	To add a server, select it in the Unused Servers list, then click Add Server. That server will now be in the Active Servers list.

•	To delete a server, select it in the Active Servers list, then click Delete Server, and it will be removed from the Active Servers list.

•	To choose the server from which you want to get time, select a server in the Active Servers list, then click OK.


Clock Menu

By right-clicking on a clock, you can display the clock menu.


Panel Menu

By right-clicking on the left or right edge of the clock panel, you can display the panel menu.


Add your own city

You can add your own city/cities by using the Choose Time Zone dialog:

1.  Select the clock for which you want to change the city name.

2.  Then click once on the current city name to get to the Choose Time Zone dialog.

3.  Choose the time zone in which your desired city is located.

4.  Type the desired city name into the Display field.

5.  Click Set Name and Apply to Clock. Your custom city name will now be on your clock.


Red flashing

If the DatumTime icon is flashing red, on and off, this means your DatumTime cannot sync with a server at this time.

See your Network Administrator if this happens.


Stratum

Time servers are each assigned a stratum level number.

These numbers are based on worldwide standards set for the Network Time Protocol (NTP), which synchronizes clocks of hosts and routers on the Internet.

The highest stratum level is 0 (zero). Stratum 0 devices, such as the Global Positioning System (GPS) of satellites, are set by a primary time reference such as the national atomic clock. In the US, this primary time reference is the National Institute of Standards and Technology, or NIST.

Each level “away” from this primary time reference adds on another number. So the stratum of a server which gets its time from GPS satellites (which are Stratum 0) is assigned as 1. Datum’s TymServe is such a Stratum 1 device. And this DatumTime product gets its time through a TymServe. This is an extremely accurate measurement of time, because the closer a network is to the primary source of time, the lower the possibility of signal degradation caused by variations in, for example, communication paths. So the closer to Stratum 0, the better.


Exit Confirmation

The Exit Confirmation dialog asks you if you want to exit DatumTime. You can answer “yes”, “no”, or minimize it instead.


SyncStatus

Use the SyncStatus dialog to check on the status of your most recent time sync.

It will show you such information as the current server, time of last sync, time of the next scheduled sync, and recent sync history.


Round trip

The term “round trip” refers to the time it takes, in milliseconds, for NTP to check the time and get back to you with it.


Detected offset

If the time server clock is not synchronized with the  UTC  time, it is said to be “off” by that amount of time, in milliseconds. The server will correct this in the next synchronization.


"UTC"

The international abbreviation for Coordinated Universal Time.

UTC is the world standard for time.


UTC

The international abbreviation for Coordinated Universal Time.

UTC is the world standard for time.


Help

To get to DatumTime Help, open the application and press the F1 key. This brings up the Help table of contents and index.

OR: Right-click on a clock or on the clock panel, and select Help.