### The utc Structure

UTC is useful for measuring time across local time zones and for avoiding the seasonal changes (summer time or daylight savings time) that can affect the local time. DTS uses 128-bit binary numbers to represent time values internally; throughout this guide, these binary numbers representing time values are referred to as binary timestamps. The DTS utc structure determines the ordering of the bits in a binary timestamp; all binary timestamps that are based on the utc structure contain the following information:

· The count of 100-nanosecond units since 00:00:00.00, 15 October 1582 (the date of the Gregorian reform to the Christian calendar)

· The count of 100-nanosecond units of inaccuracy applied to the preceding item

· The TDF, expressed as the signed quantity

· The DTS version number

The binary timestamps that are derived from the DTS utc structure have an opaque format. This format is a cryptic character sequence that DTS uses and stores internally. The opaque binary timestamp is designed for use in programs, protocols, and databases.

Note: Applications use the opaque binary timestamps when storing time values or when passing them to DTS.

The API provides the necessary routines for converting between opaque binary timestamps and character strings that can be displayed and read by users.

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