What is the Network Time Protocol?
The Network Time Protocol (NTP) is a UDP protocol for IP Networks. It was designed to synchronize the clock on client machines with the clock on network time servers. But NTP is just the protocol. The implementation of NTP requires separate client and server applications. Symmetricom’s time servers are excellent examples of server implementation of NTP. The client application runs on workstations such as Windows or Solaris. Using NTP packets, the client and server exchange time stamp data, ultimately setting the clock on the client machine very accurately to that of the time server.
