Rangecast FAQ
[FAQ-1184] CLOCK ERROR on player

Page Type: SYMPTOM

OVERVIEW

When using the player, if the clock is inaccurate by more than a few minutes, the synchronization with the server is adversely affected. In this situation, the player will not access new audio. You may hear a couple of minutes of pre-fetched audio recorded shortly before you log in to the player, but the player will quickly stop and play no further audio. The way to correct this error is to synchronize your PC clock to a time reference (and correctly specify your time zone, ensure Daylight Savings Time mode is not disabled if you live in a region using DST, etc.)

SYMPTOMS

An example of the error message displayed in the player:

[img-player-clock]

METHOD

If you see the error message illustrated, please correct the clock on your PC.

The PC clock may APPEAR correct (the time shown in Windows matches a wall clock), but still be in error because the wrong time zone is selected. So, for example, your PC clock may say 9 AM when the wall clock says 9 AM, but if your local time zone is Central Time but the PC is set to Eastern Time, your PC is actually an hour off.

We have found that PC clock errors trace to many causes, including (1) the wrong time zone, (2) having Daylight Savings Time disabled while in a locality that uses DST, and (3) being on the wrong date, and even (4) being set to the wrong year. And of course, sometimes (5) a clock can be off by several minutes, close enough to look right to a casual observer, but in error by enough to interfere with network operations. We've encountered PCs with as many as three of these problems happening at once.

How to check and correct the PC clock:

[FAQ-1054] How to set PC clock to the correct time, date, and timezone.

The PC clock is set through a Windows control interface. In addition to entering the correct time and date, ensure that the time zone is correct, and also the year. It is recommended that the clock be locked to a network time reference, to ensure continued accuracy.



Setting a PC to calibrate to internet time is recommended (this tells the PC to check its own clock against references at NIST or Microsoft). But on at least two occasions, the master clocks themselves have suddenly shifted by an hour (!) which breaks the clock on PCs that are set correctly. While rare, these events make the news, because of the widespread disruption that results. Having your PC clock locked to an internet time reference helps prevent many problems, but does not guarantee that the clock is right.


REFERENCE

Note: this kind of clock error warning message relates only to the clock on the PC where the player is operating. This does not indicate a problem with the clock on the PC where audio is recorded.

CITATIONS

INDEX

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