Avoiding Year 2038 Problem on 32-bit Linux by Rewinding Time on Clock Synchronization

摘要

Embedded systems with 32-bit Linux can encounter the year 2038 problem, which is caused by an overflow of the system clock. To prevent this overflow, we propose a scheme that rewinds time in time-synchronization software such that the system clock is delayed from the actual time by a certain number of years. Our method rewinds time received by time-synchronization software immediately after it becomes available as a UTC-based timestamp. We confirmed that our method enabled a 32-bit Linux system to operate correctly based on its delayed system clock while it was synchronizing with a Network Time Protocol server and a Precision Time Protocol master. This was achieved with only 3 lines of modification for ntpd and 2 lines for linuxptp. By adopting our scheme and modifying applications to exchange correct time values with external nodes, a system can avoid the year 2038 problem. This approach saves development costs as it requires no modification to the operating system.