Time Protocol Control

Query a network time server for the current date and time.

Reference

Control Information

Object Name TimeClientCtl.TimeClient

File Name CSTIMX11.OCX

Version 11.0.2235.1894

ProgID SocketTools.TimeClient.11

ClassID F23074C6-02B3-4B88-8A8B-8AD2C6FB52F0

Threading Model Apartment

Help File CST11CTL.CHM

Dependencies None

Standards RFC 868, RFC 5905

Overview

The Network Time Protocol control provides an interface for obtaining the current date and time from a server. The time is returned in Coordinated Universal Time (UCT) and can be adjusted for the local host's timezone. The time value is returned as the number of seconds which have elapsed since midnight, January 1, 1900. The control supports both the TIME protocol described in RFC 868 and the Network Time Protocol. (NTP) as specified in RFC 5905.

The values returned by servers using the TIME protocol are unsigned 32-bit integers which will rollover on February 7, 2036. This may cause problems for applications which are not designed to compensate for this effect. The same issue also addresses with servers using the NTP v3 protocol. This library supports both the TIME and NTP protocols, and for backwards compatibility with earlier versions of SocketTools, it defaults using the TIME protocol.

Requirements

The SocketTools ActiveX Edition components are self-registering controls compatible with any programming language that supports COM (Component Object Model) and the ActiveX control specification. If you are using Visual Basic 6.0 you must have Service Pack 6 (SP6) installed. It is recommended that you install all updates for your development tools.

This control is supported on Windows 7, Windows Server 2008 R2 and later versions of the desktop and server platforms. If you are using Windows 7, you must have Service Pack 1 (SP1) installed as a minimum requirement. It is recommended that you install the current service pack and all critical updates available for the operating system.

This product includes both 32-bit and 64-bit ActiveX controls. Native 64-bit CPU support requires the latest 64-bit version of Windows 7, Windows Server 2008 R2 or later versions of the Windows operating system.

Distribution

When you distribute an application that uses this control, you can either install the file in the same folder as your application executable or as a shared component in the appropriate system folder. If you install the control in the system folder, it is important that you distribute the correct version for the target platform and it must be registered. If you install the control in the same folder as your executable, it is recommended that you use registration-free activation or COM redirection to ensure that the correct version of the control is loaded by the application.