[LEAPSECS] Automation

[Rob Seaman]

Ashley Yakeley wrote:


> Rob Seaman wrote:

>

>> They can't be naively automated.  The schedule is currently

>> predictable 6 months in advance.  Nobody has objected to a longer

>> schedule; we're positively giddy to give it a try.  NTP is proof of

>> concept that automation is possible once the schedule is released.

>

> This might encourage software engineers to do the wrong thing, that  

> is,

> hard-code a leap-second table.


Only if the schedule is permitted to change after it is released.  For  
example, I just got finished updating the eleven cached telescope  
schedules for three mountaintops whose data I'm responsible for.  I  
typically do this on the last day of the month.  I let it slide last  
night, but halted the data transport system this morning and just  
restarted the DTS after updating the schedule.

The point is, I wait until the latest possible moment to update the  
schedule (table in whatever format) because procedures elsewhere in  
the observatory permit updating the information at any point.   
Occasionally I have to update the schedule after it is published.   
Procedures even exist for updating the resulting archival holdings  
retroactively.

The only thing special about leap seconds is that they more  
predictable than a lot of real world situations.

Rob