On Fri, 08 Sep 2006 08:28:31 EDT, "Perry E. Metzger" wrote:
> 
> Richard Earnshaw <Richard.Earnshaw@buzzard.freeserve.co.uk> writes:

> > 1) The system is stand-alone, and there's no access to an external 
> > reference clock.
> >
> > 2) The system is network attached and can use 'global' time (eg by syncing 
> > with ntp).
> 
> You miss #3
> 
> 3) As with my laptop, sometimes the box is connected to the network
>    and has access to external references, and sometimes it is not, and
>    there is no easy way to predict in advance what state you will be in.

There is no case 3.  You just have a machine that is sometimes case one 
and sometimes case 2.  Read my original mail again and you will see that I 
discussed that scenario.

R.