Network
Time Protocol
The Network
Time Protocol (NTP) is a networking protocol for
clock synchronization between computer systems over packet-switched, variable-latency data networks. In operation since before 1985, NTP is one of the oldest Internet protocols in current use. NTP was designed by David L. Mills of the University of Delaware.
NTP is intended to synchronize all participating computers to within a few milliseconds of Coordinated Universal
Time (UTC).2: 3 It uses the intersection algorithm, a modified version of Marzullo's algorithm, to select accurate
time servers and is designed to mitigate the effects of variable network latency. NTP can usually maintain
time to within tens of milliseconds over the public Internet, and can achieve better than one millisecond accuracy in local area networks under ideal conditions. Asymmetric routes and network congestion can cause errors of 100 ms or more.34
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wiki/Network_
Time_Protocol