Bazsi,
> - the timestap SHOULD be formatted in UTC format ("zulu" time)
>
> I think the requirement of sending the stamp in GMT is not
> good. You'd lose the time zone information. It is possible to
> convert to a given timezone (be it Zulu or something else) on
> the receiver side.
>
> > A relay MUST NOT reformat the time stamp. This could create a wrong
> > concept of time accuracy at the next receiver. If a relay
> receives a
> > RFC3164-TIMESTAMP, it MUST forward the message with a
> > RFC3164-TIMESTAMP and similarly if a relay receives a
> > RFC3339-TIMESTAMP it MUST forward the message with a
> > RFC3164-TIMESTAMP.
>
> I assume the last sentence was mistyped, and you meant that
> the relay should send RFC3339-TIMESTAMP if it receives a
> message with RFC3339-TIMESTAMP
I am sorry, yes, it was meant to be:
===
If a relay receives a RFC3164-TIMESTAMP, it MUST forward the message
with a RFC3164-TIMESTAMP and similarly if a relay receives a
RFC3339-TIMESTAMP it MUST forward the message with a RFC3339-TIMESTAMP.
===
>
> Btw, why is this a requirement a _MUST_? I think 'SHOULD' is
> perfectly enough, a relay can be smart enough to convert from
> RFC3164 to RFC3339 timestamps if configured this way. (for
> example tz information can be added, assuming the relay is in
> the same zone as the sender)
Good point. I was concerned about the ability to trust the timestamp. I
thought it should be a MUST as the receiver - if receiving a
RFC3339-TIMESTAMP - thinks it knows the exact time (zone) of the
original sender. However, the relay can take over the job to become the
"trust source" for the time information (based on its configuration). It
might even be helpful for situations, where RFC3164-TIMESTAMPs being
send by routers to a local relay on the bottom of the relay chain...
So how about this wording:
====
If a relay receives a RFC3164-TIMESTAMP, it SHOULD forward the message
with a RFC3164-TIMESTAMP but MAY reformat it to a RFC3339-TIMESTAMP if
configured to do so. If a relay receives a RFC3339-TIMESTAMP it MUST
forward the message with a RFC3339-TIMESTAMP. It MUST NOT reformat it to
a RFC3164-TIMESTAMP.
====
Rainer
