Subject: Timezones and Olson Tables

From: [email-masked]
Date: Thu, 22 Jul 1999 16:30:52 GMT

As you recall from the minutes of the Atlanta meeting and dialogs on the 
list, we have to come up with a way to manage a common table of timezones 
or at least agree on what we all will call them, etc in CAP.  One of the 
things that was suggested was to use the Olson Timezone tables.  I talked 
to Keith Moore about this and about registration and administration with 
IANA.  Here is what he replied and suggested.  They are excellent points 
and a good definition of the problem and issues.

Keith wrote:
- - - - - -
The normal way to set up an IANA registry is to publish the rules
for maintaining that registry in an RFC.  These rules need to specify
the requirements for adding or changing entries in the registry
(what pieces of data are needed and how they are to be vetted).
The calsch working group should get consensus on these rules and then 
they should be sent to the IESG with a request to publish as a
BCP RFC.  The same RFC could also specify which portions of the 
current Olson database should be initially included in the IANA registry,
that way, it wouldn't be necessary to separately register each timezone
from the Olson database.

The rules should be developed with someone from IANA in the loop;
contact [email-masked] to establish contacts.

p.s. although I am very supportive of the idea to have IANA 
maintain the Olson timezone registry, I do have two concerns:

1. we need to make sure that everyone, including Olson, understands
   and agrees on issues like copyright ownership, distribution rules 
   (presumably free to everyone), and change control

2. I think calsch should attempt to establish globally-scoped 
   timezone names, probably using different (or alternate) names
   to those used in the Olson database.  If I understand correctly
   Olson prefers to associate timezones with the names of continents 
   and nearby cities; but since most timezones are set by political
   jurisdictions I suspect that we will get more precision (and the
   timezones will be more "obvious") if we name the timezones after 
   the political regions for which those timezones are established. 
   So I would recommend that primary timezone names be: country code 
   for the top level of timezone name, followed by subdivisions 
   (for those few countries for which it is necessary), followed 
   very occasionally by ad hoc divisions when these are necessary. 
   E.g. /NO (for time in Norway) and /US/Eastern or /US/Indiana
   (for time in Eastern US (EST/EDT) or the portion of Indiana 
   that always uses CST.  Note that the requirements for calsch
   timezone names (which are mostly used to indicate events in the
   future) may be different than those for the traditional uses of
   the Olson database (which oddly enough are mostly used to 
   indicate events in the past - e.g. file modification times).

   Of course not all timezones are set by countries, so we would 
   still need a way to register other kinds of timezones.
   Ideally countries could eventually get direct change control 
   over their timezone records at IANA.
- - - - 
Ok list, comments, suggestions.  Doug, I know you have been working on 
this a lot.  Your thoughts?

---

From: "IANA" <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 28 Jul 1999 11:26:19 -0700

IANA should be kept informed by sending email to [email-masked].  Publishing
a RFC under the supervision of the IESG Area Directors is appropriate in
this case, and IANA is willing to participate in this process when
necessary.

Thank you.

Josh Elliott, Administrator
IANA
    -----Original Message-----
    From: [email-masked] [mailto:[email-masked]]
    Sent: Thursday, July 22, 1999 9:31 AM
    To: [email-masked]
    Cc: [email-masked]
    Subject: Timezones and Olson Tables

    As you recall from the minutes of the Atlanta meeting and dialogs on the
list, we have to come up with a way to manage a common table of timezones or
at least agree on what we all will call them, etc in CAP.  One of the things
that was suggested was to use the Olson Timezone tables.  I talked to Keith
Moore about this and about registration and administration with IANA.  Here
is what he replied and suggested.  They are excellent points and a good
definition of the problem and issues.

    Keith wrote:
    - - - - - -
    current Olson database should be initially included in the IANA
registry,