Network Time Protocol

Paper Summary:

In this article, the writer provides an overview of Network Time Protocol (NTP), followed by a general discussion concerning its current applications and potential future trends. A summary of the research and important findings are provided in the conclusion. The writer notes that the research shows that Network Time Protocol is a longstanding Internet protocol that is used to ensure the accurate synchronization to the millisecond of computer clock times in a network of computers. The writer concludes that NTP is here to stay for the foreseeable future and further refinements in its functionality can reasonably be expected to follow industry and user needs.

Outline:
Introduction
Review and Discussion
Background and Overview
Figure 1. NTP Architecture.
Conclusion

From the Paper:

"Furthermore, Mills maintains that NTP can reasonably be said to be the longest running, continuously operating, ubiquitously available protocol in the Internet; the NIST, as well as their counterparts in other countries, currently provide multiple NTP primary servers directly synchronized to national standard cesium clock ensembles and GPS. More than 230 Internet primary servers are already in Australia, Canada, Chile, France, Germany, Israel, Italy, Holland, Japan, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, UK, and the United States and NTP provides function to more than a million Internet servers and clients are all over the world. Network Time Protocol is used by agencies and organizations such as the U.S. Weather Service, U.S. Treasury Service, the Internal Revenue Service, Public Broadcasting Station, Merrill Lynch, Citicorp, GTE, Sun, DEC, Hewlett-Packard and others etc. Moreover, private networks are reported to have more than 10,000 NTP servers and clients behind firewalls; one (GTE) reports in the order of 30,000 NTP workstations and PCs and NTP has even been used on the NASA Shuttle and in the Antarctica in planning efforts for the envisioned Mars Internet."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Battistelli, Vincent J., Edwin E. Mier and Alan R. Miner. (2003, March). "Monitoring the QOS Monitors: Vendors of QOS Measuring/monitoring Products View Network Performance from Very Different Perspectives. Their Goals Are the Same, but Are Their Results?" Business Communications Review 33(3):22.
• Hommer, Michael B., Edwin E. Mier and Cheryl A. Molle. (2002, June). "WAN Watchers: Testing the Testers; More IP Traffic Is 'Disappearing' into the Carriers' Network Cloud. How Can You Tell What's Really Happening in the WAN?" Business Communications Review 32(6):40.
• Mier, Edwin E. and Kenneth M. Percy. (2001, May). "Measuring SLA Compliance." Business Communications Review 31(5):34.
• Mills, David L. (2007, January 20). "Network Time Protocol (NTP) -- General Overview." Network Time Protocol Project. [Online]. Available: http://www.eecis.udel.edu/~mills/ database/brief/overview/overview.ppt.
• NTP Project. (2007). Network Time Protocol Project. [Online]. Available: http://www.ntp.org/.

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