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# NTP = Network Time Protocol & it's impact on your network of computers  #
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# by: Bill Schell      revID: 3e                                          #
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# updated:  Monday 02 September 2007  16:13 USA-EDT                       #
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# original: Tues 08 June 1999 19:19:28 AuzEast time                       #
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Audience: Systems Administrators & their Managers
            
Introduction:

  Many of us have a passing interest in and/or awareness of the "NTP" - network time protocol.  

Additionally especially those with Clearcase Multi-site and/or other cross
time-zone boundary systems, you may already be using the time- synchronization
from a stratum 1 or stratum 2 server somewhere.

One of the most clear-cut problems with cross-time-zone-applications, though
is a failure of 'synch' with these applications.   Though in current
versions (late 2000s) MOST computer-network-application-servers and their 
authors / vendors have built-in some very useful error-messages, AND most
'computer-centers' (even small ones) are 'time-stamp-aware' there are many
which are not.

The Time-Services function in many OSs is almost auto-magic when the OS
is installed.

BUT - in MANY cases (probably 50% of the consulting I do - in the 'real
world' this functionality has never been 'set-up' (Properly) in the OS
and therefore some key applications fail - and when they do - other things
fail - either consistently or 'randomly' but once the Time-Service is FIXED
then those applications start to behave themselves...

Word to the wise - make CERTAIN that you know this runs and runs well,
and without failure, etc. - and most other applications will run well, also.


Some information sources:
=========================

The NTP ver 3 protocol is significantly advanced over version 1,
and new daemons as well as client software is packaged with most
current OSs.

For a general view of the protocol - there are basically 

two "authoritative" sources:

      http://www.eecis.udel.edu/%7Entp/
   
      http://www.mit.edu/afs/net.mit.edu/dapps/dev/reference/source/xntp/html/
   
to ftp some documents & source files:   ftp://ftp.udel.edu/pub/ntp/