Posted by Grant Foraker on August 15, 2008 at 08:39:46:
In Reply to: I've got to find a new way to earn a living posted by Marc Shevick on August 14, 2008 at 10:54:01:
Here's a Date/Time puzzle that's just come up for me.
Delivered some updated OBJ's to a customer via Terminal Services. All windows and no Comet file transfer. Programs are dated 08/12 12:19 when looking from Windows or Comet. Date/Time on server accurate via NIST time service.
Sent an email to customer about changes. 08/12 13:11.
08/13 6:00. Download MS patches and brought Comet up to most current. Rebooted Server.
A/R clerk calls on 8/14. A/R clerk was gone on the 13th. Problem with Cash Receipts Register update. Oh poop. The update of the 12th had stopped part way thru leaving the control flag on. No error posted in QERRLOG. More poop.
The cutomer prints to pdfFactory and stores the files manually. The PDF archive of the register is dated 8/12 12:35. BUT, it's the old version of the register. I print the current Date/time at the top of each page. It also shows 08/12 12:35.
There's only one OBJ directory and only one RCR.OBJ.
So, how did the customer run the old version of RCR at 12:35 when I had replaced it at 12:19? Could Windows have not replaced the old OBJ when I clicked YES but still changed the Date/Time stamp?
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Different Date/Time mystery from months back. Different customer.
Customer has From/To date's in a control file. When requested for the report from the accountant he changes the dates via CED. Then via Qtilites #34, activates a program in background. The program reads the control file and UPDATEs the From/To into the TITLE of a "$" file. The program then processes a major data file and creates a work file for the date range. The program the runs the "$" report.
The problem was that sometimes the resulting report had the proper data but the TITLE showed the From/To from the prior run. Seeing that the report was "wrong" the customer would run the program again in foreground and it would come out with the right From/To. This is also complicated because he'd use the CAW host PC to do the background process and his own PC to do the rerun.
While on site, I started looking at the Date/Time stamp for the $ file and saw that it wasn't being changed by the background program. Thus, a new "`" wasn't being generated so the old TITLE was being printed. Fixed the customer by adding an ERASE of the "`" to the program.
Anyway, one Friday afternoon I tried to replicate the problem on my development laptop. I thought I had "proof" of something I could sent to Signature. Ran out of time and on Monday couldn't replicate the problem.
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