Re: proposals for log file format changes

Rik Harris <rik@rdt.monash.edu.au>
Errors-To: secret@www0.cern.ch
Date: Tue, 8 Feb 1994 11:38:10 --100
Message-id: <199402081036.VAA13209@daneel.rdt.monash.edu.au>
Errors-To: secret@www0.cern.ch
Reply-To: www-talk@www0.cern.ch
Originator: www-talk@info.cern.ch
Sender: www-talk@www0.cern.ch
Precedence: bulk
From: Rik Harris <rik@rdt.monash.edu.au>
To: Multiple recipients of list <www-talk@www0.cern.ch>
Subject: Re: proposals for log file format changes 
X-Listprocessor-Version: 6.0c -- ListProcessor by Anastasios Kotsikonas
Content-Length: 1358
Kevin wrote:
> Roy said:
> > I prefer local time, myself, as its extremely rare that someone would
> > need to compare stats across time zones and what I usually look for in
> > my stats is what local time is best for system changes.
> > To put it another way, if it's GMT then every analyzer will either have
> > to stick with GMT format (not user-friendly) or convert each log entry's
> > timestamp to localtime (a non-portable bit of code).
> 
> 	Good point - it's rather problematic to make portable code that
> does that. As for me, I'll leave it up to the user to determine the
> GMT time difference, should they wish to report times in GMT. For
> backwards compatibility, the user also has to specify whether the
> log times are in GMT or local time now.
> 	So now the format would be
> 
> host rfc931 authuser [DD/Mon/YYYY:hh:mm:ss TTT] ``request'' ddd bbbb
> 
> 	...where TTT is the local timezone?

There is no standard for three letter timezones.  The safest way to
specify timezones is [GMT][+/-]nnnn.  ie. an offset from GMT.

rik.
--
Rik Harris - rik.harris@vifp.monash.edu.au              || Systems Programmer
+61 3 560-3265 (AH) +61 3 90-53227 (BH)                 || and Administrator
Fac. of Computing & Info.Tech., Monash Uni, Australia   || Vic. Institute of
http://www.vifp.monash.edu.au/people/rik.html           || Forensic Pathology