[LEAPSECS] stale leap second information

[Martin Burnicki]

Tom Van Baak wrote:
>> If would really be good if there was one authoritative soure for this,
>> and that there was a uniform format. Ideally there would be multiple
>> ways to access it, via text and binary for different architectures. The
>> might be thought of as a "UTC Metadata API", from which various "UTC
>> Metadata Servers" could be implemented.
>>
>> -Brooks
>
> One authoritative source or one uniform format is asking for trouble.

There *is* only one authoritative source, namely the IERS, and there are 
different ways to spread the information:

By bulletin C directly from NIST in the first place.

Based on this, GPS operators feed this information into the satellite 
data to be broadcasted.

The folks at IERS and NIST update their leap second files which are then 
fed into NTP servers, the TZDB, etc.

> An NTP pool style list of leap second servers would be a better idea.

That's what the tzdist servers can be. But also these servers need to be 
updated when new information from IERS becomes available. Even if no 
leap second is scheduled, the expiration date of the information needs 
to be updated.

> You don't want the same format for an OS as you do for an Arduino, or for a compilable piece of software vs. a running binary.

Right, there are conversion routines, but basically all the information 
on leap seconds comes from the same source, IMO. ;-)

Martin