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 participating computers to within a few milliseconds of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). 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. The protocol is usually described in terms of a client–server model, but can as easily be used in peer-to-peer relationships where both peers consider the other to be a potential time source. Implementations send and receive timestamps using the User Datagram Protocol (UDP); the service is normally on port number 123, and in some modes both sides use this port number. They can also use broadcasting or multicasting, where clients passively listen to time updates after an initial round-trip calibrating exchange. NTP supplies a warning of any impending leap second adjustment, but no information about local time zones or daylight saving time is transmitted. The current protocol is version 4 (NTPv4), which is backward compatible with version 3.
Clock synchronization algorithm
A typical NTP client regularly polls one or more NTP servers. The client must compute its time offset and round-trip delay. Time offset θ is the positive or negative (client time > server time) difference in absolute time between the two clocks. It is defined by
θ = ( t 1 − t 0 ) + ( t 2 − t 3 ) 2 , {\displaystyle \theta ={\frac {(t_{1}-t_{0})+(t_{2}-t_{3})}{2}},}
and the round-trip delay δ by
δ = ( t 3 − t 0 ) − ( t 2 − t 1 ) , {\displaystyle \delta ={(t_{3}-t_{0})-(t_{2}-t_{1})},}
where
t0 is the client's timestamp of the request packet transmission, t1 is the server's timestamp of the request packet reception, t2 is the server's timestamp of the response packet transmission and t3 is the client's timestamp of the response packet reception. To derive the expression for the offset, note that for the request packet,
t 0 + θ + δ / 2 = t 1 {\displaystyle t_{0}+\theta +\delta /2=t_{1}}
and for the response packet,
t 3 + θ − δ / 2 = t 2 {\displaystyle t_{3}+\theta -\delta /2=t_{2}}
Solving for θ yields the definition of the time offset. The values for θ and δ are passed through filters and subjected to statistical analysis ("mitigation"). Outliers are discarded and an estimate of time offset is derived from the best three remaining candidates. The clock frequency is then adjusted to reduce the offset gradually ("discipline"), creating a feedback loop. Accurate synchronization is achieved when both the incoming and outgoing routes between the client and the server have symmetrical nominal delay. If the routes do not have a common nominal delay, a systematic bias exists of half the difference between the forward and backward travel times. A number of approaches have been proposed to measure asymmetry, but among practical implementations only chrony seems to have one included.
History
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