Reports confirm that leap seconds will permanently disappear by 2035, meaning companies relying on time synchronization must start preparing to update their technical infrastructure now.
Say goodbye to leap seconds! That's the big news from the Bureau International des Poids et Mesures (BIPM), confirming that these special seconds will be gone for good by 2035. While it might not sound like much at first glance, for many businesses, this isn't an optional change; it's a critical one. If your systems depend on precise time synchronization—like stock exchanges, crypto trading platforms, navigation systems, or any critical infrastructure—you need to start thinking about updating your tech now.
Currently, our software uses specific tables for leap seconds to adjust time. But once these tables stop updating after 2035, your systems' clocks will begin to drift from the correct time. This drift could accumulate to about one second for every omitted leap second. In sensitive environments, this means erroneous timestamps, failures in digital signatures, and a loss of event correlation, making it difficult to link events together accurately.
The first step is a thorough audit of all your systems that consume leap second tables. Look for files like '/var/lib/ntp/leap-seconds.list' or similar ones in chrony systems. Once identified, you'll need to disable these systems' reliance on tables and transition them to a static time calculation method.
GPS devices are also affected. There's currently a fixed difference between GPST (GPS Satellite Time) and UTC (Coordinated Universal Time) of 18 seconds (as of 2024). After 2035, this difference will remain constant forever; it won't be adjusted by leap seconds. Therefore, you need to identify GPS receivers that convert GPST to UTC using leap second tables. You'll then need to update their firmware to use this fixed time difference instead of looking up tables.
Don't wait until the last minute. Start auditing your systems and planning the necessary updates now to ensure the continuity and accuracy of your operations well before 2035 arrives. Being prepared means avoiding potential headaches down the line.
Currently, our software uses specific tables for leap seconds to adjust time. But once these tables stop updating after 2035, your systems' clocks will begin to drift from the correct time. This drift could accumulate to about one second for every omitted leap second. In sensitive environments, this means erroneous timestamps, failures in digital signatures, and a loss of event correlation, making it difficult to link events together accurately.
The first step is a thorough audit of all your systems that consume leap second tables. Look for files like '/var/lib/ntp/leap-seconds.list' or similar ones in chrony systems. Once identified, you'll need to disable these systems' reliance on tables and transition them to a static time calculation method.
GPS devices are also affected. There's currently a fixed difference between GPST (GPS Satellite Time) and UTC (Coordinated Universal Time) of 18 seconds (as of 2024). After 2035, this difference will remain constant forever; it won't be adjusted by leap seconds. Therefore, you need to identify GPS receivers that convert GPST to UTC using leap second tables. You'll then need to update their firmware to use this fixed time difference instead of looking up tables.
Don't wait until the last minute. Start auditing your systems and planning the necessary updates now to ensure the continuity and accuracy of your operations well before 2035 arrives. Being prepared means avoiding potential headaches down the line.
