Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!att!osu-cis!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!mailrus!ames!elroy!cit-vax!ucla-cs!valeria!wales
From: wales@valeria.cs.ucla.edu (Rich Wales)
Newsgroups: comp.protocols.tcp-ip
Subject: Re: timezones in 822
Message-ID: <12741@shemp.CS.UCLA.EDU>
Date: 26 May 88 18:46:25 GMT
References: <8805260153.AA13746@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU>
Sender: news@CS.UCLA.EDU
Reply-To: wales@CS.UCLA.EDU (Rich Wales)
Organization: UCLA CS Department, Los Angeles
Lines: 32

In article <8805260153.AA13746@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU>
craig@NNSC.NSF.NET (Craig Partridge) writes:

    I recall seeing a message on either tcp-ip or header-people a few
    months back to the effect that the military timezones specified in
    RFC 822 were wrong.  I am now unable to find the message.  A note
    to header-people failed to shake it loose. Perhaps some kind soul
    on TCP-IP could describe the problem to me again?

With pleasure.

On page 26 of RFC822 (Section 5.1), the single-letter military time zone
designations are defined with the wrong sign.  For example, "A" is said
to be "-1" (i.e., 1 hour west of UT/GMT), while "N" is said to be "+1"
(i.e., 1 hour east of UT/GMT).

The *correct* definition is as follows:

    East of UT/GMT:  A = +1; B = +2; ...; M = +12
		     (note that "J" is not used)

    West of UT/GMT:  N = -1; O = -2; ...; Y = -12

    UT/GMT itself:   Z = 0

Thus, for example, Pacific Daylight Time in North America can be repre-
sented in RFC822 as "PDT", "-0700", or "T" (*not* "G").

-- Rich Wales // UCLA CS Dept // wales@CS.UCLA.EDU // +1 (213) 825-5683
   3531 Boelter Hall // Los Angeles, California 90024-1596 // USA
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