//    3/8/2007 -- [ET]  Version 1.53:  Modified parsing of "ruleset.ini"
//                      file to support RGB values (as well as color names)
//                      for "color" values.
//    3/8/2007 -- [ET]  Version 1.54:  Modified get-stations-subset
//                      implementation to remove special handling for
//                      usage-level==off stations (allowing them to be
//                      included in "performance"=="level" subsets).
//   3/29/2007 -- [ET]  Version 1.55:  Modified to support dynamic changes
//                      to stations-info config file; added new config
//                      parameter 'ignoreUnknownFlag'; modified to supply
//                      configured performance-level names for client
//                      subset-of-stations criteria (instead of just
//                      Bad/Fair/Good); modified to shutdown more cleanly;
//                      modified to suppress spurious "FileNotFoundException"
//                      messages to console.
//    4/5/2007 -- [ET]  Version 1.56:  Added "not equals" option to all
//                      subset-of-stations criteria comparisons. 
//   8/21/2007 -- [ET]  Version 1.57:  Modified to always archive station
//                      "Performance" as a detail parameter (regardless of
//                      'archiveNonVotingParamsFlag' setting).
//   9/24/2007 -- [ET]  Version 1.58:  Modified to not purge last "old"
//                      archive file if none after it (to allow the archive
//                      to retain the value of items that have not changed
//                      in a relatively-long time).
//   10/4/2007 -- [ET]  Version 1.59:  Added client-GUI-services support
//                      for fetching an historical snapshot of dynamic
//                      parameters for a station; modified to always
//                      archive station "Usage Level" as a detail parameter
//                      (regardless of 'archiveNonVotingParamsFlag'
//                      setting); took out references to 'hardHistoryFlag'.
//   10/8/2007 -- [ET]  Version 1.60:  Fixed issue where parameter update
//                      would not result in station-performance level
//                      being stored (in history archive) if a previous
//                      station-usage change resulted in same level.
//   1/25/2008 -- [ET]  Version 1.61:  Removed size limit (999999) on
//                      stations-info file.
//   1/28/2009 -- [ET]  Version 1.62:  Modified to support dynamic changes
//                      to rule-set config file.
//    2/6/2009 -- [ET]  Version 1.63:  Added GUI-services method
//                      'getAllStationsSnapshot()' to support
//                      historical-snapshot mode on clients.
//   3/23/2009 -- [ET]  Version 1.64:  Added station-levels cache (enabled
//                      via 'stationLevelsCacheHours' configuration
//                      parameter).
//   5/19/2009 -- [KF]  Version 1.65:  Added "defaultUsageLevel" configuration
//                      parameter.
//   6/24/2009 -- [ET]  Version 1.66:  Modified to suppress "Data type
//                      mismatch" rejection and warning in response to
//                      new message data if associated parameter has no
//                      rule-set criteria table (because data type only
//                      matters if values are being compared to criteria
//                      entries); changed log level on "Usage level on
//                      station X not set" message from 'Warning' to
//                      'Debug2'.
//   7/22/2009 -- [ET]  Version 1.67:  Modified to close history tracking
//                      on station objects removed via update to
//                      stations-info configuration file; removed
//                      two arbitrary station-name length checks.
//   11/6/2009 -- [ET]  Version 1.68:  Added option to load station dynamic
//                      parameters from history archive at startup (enabled
//                      via 'loadDynParamsFromArchiveFlag' configuration
//                      parameter).
//   1/15/2010 -- [ET]  Version 1.69:  Modified to sort station-detail
//                      parameters into the same order as they appear in
//                      the station rule-set.
//   2/19/2010 -- [ET]  Version 1.70:  Modified rule-set processing to
//                      support "archiveOverrideFlag" directive in
//                      parameter-criteria definitions.
//   6/29/2010 -- [ET]  Version 1.71:  Improved response to bad lines
//                      history-archive files.
//   7/30/2010 -- [ET]  Version 1.72:  Added configuration parameters
//                      'useSepEvtChOrbFlag' and 'evtChOrbIPAddress'.
//   2/16/2011 -- [ET]  Version 1.73:  Modified parameter parsing to
//                      recognize double values in the form '1e11'
//                      (with no decimal point).
//   3/18/2011 -- [ET]  Version 1.74:  Added configuration parameters
//                      'configFilePollingIntervalMS' and
//                      'configFileAccessTimeoutMS'; improved log
//                      messages for errors during reads of updated
//                      configuration files.