The ntp
server belongs to the niche time and frequency industry. For first-time contacts and people who are not involved in this industry, there will be big questions: What can an ntp server do and why do you need an ntp server?
This article mainly uses these two questions to explain the ntp
server in a sub-general manner. I hope that more people can know the ntp server, understand the ntp server, and realize that with the development of science and technology, the ntp server is important to human life and technological development. Sexuality and indispensability.
1. What is ntp server?
ntp server is an unfamiliar term for most people, but to understand ntp server, you must first understand what is ntp and what is server?
1) What is ntp?
The full name of NTP is "Network TimeProtocol", that is, Network Time Protocol. It is a time synchronization protocol defined by RFC 1305, used to synchronize time between distributed time
servers and clients.
NTP transmits based on UDP packets, and the UDP port number used is 123. The purpose of using NTP is to synchronize the clocks of all devices with clocks in the network, so that the clocks of all devices in the network are consistent, so that the devices can provide multiple applications based on uniform time. For a local system running NTP, it can not only receive synchronization from other clock sources, but also can be used as a clock source to synchronize other clocks, and can synchronize with other devices.
2) What is a server?
Server, the English name "server" is also called
server, which is a device that provides computing services. Since the server needs to respond to service requests and process them, in general, the server should have the ability to undertake and guarantee services.
The structure of the server includes processor, hard disk, memory, system bus, etc., which is similar to the general computer architecture, but due to the need to provide highly reliable services, it is in terms of processing power, stability, reliability, security, scalability, and scalability. Requirements for management and other aspects are relatively high.
In the network environment, according to the different types of services provided by the
server, it is divided into file server, database server, application server, WEB server, etc.
3) What is an NTP server?
Earlier we learned about NTP and
server respectively, but what NTP server is it? Understand the NTP server based on the surface meaning, that is, a server based on the NTP protocol, used to synchronize time between distributed time servers and clients.
NTP servers are divided into client NTP servers and server NTP servers when applied to time synchronization. The client is mainly used in the existing NTP network environment to obtain the front-end NTP server. It mainly uses the existing network environment to build a time synchronization system and realizes the function of a slave clock. The server NTP server mainly refers to the time synchronization of the equipment in the back-end network environment, providing a time unified function for the servers, computers and other network equipment in the network, and realizing the synchronization function of the master clock.
2. What can ntp server do?
Earlier, we naturally understood what ntp is, and we also have a general understanding, then what does ntp server do, what it can do, this is where we put the name attribute of ntp server, we need to convey s things.
NTP server is mainly used to synchronize the time of various computers in the network. Its purpose is to synchronize the computer's clock to UTC, with an accuracy of 0.1ms in a local area network, and an accuracy of 1-50ms in most places on the Internet. It can synchronize the time of the computer to its server or clock source (such as quartz clock, GPS, etc.), it can provide high-precision time correction, and can use encrypted confirmation to prevent virus protocol attacks.
Many people may say, why do I need to use an ntp
server to synchronize the time when my computer travels by itself every day? This is mainly because the chip itself usually does not have a clock signal source in a computer, so a dedicated clock circuit must provide the clock signal. Quartz Crystal OSC is one of the most commonly used clock signal oscillation sources. The reason why a quartz wafer can be used as an oscillator is based on its piezoelectric effect: adding an electric field to the two poles of the wafer will cause the crystal to be mechanically deformed; when an alternating voltage is applied to the quartz wafer, the crystal will be Produce mechanical vibration, while mechanical deformation vibration will produce alternating electric field. Although the voltage of this alternating electric field is extremely weak, its vibration frequency is very stable.
Since the birth of the PC, a 14.318MHz quartz crystal oscillator has been used as a reference frequency source on the motherboard. In addition to this 14.318MHz crystal on the motherboard, you can also find a 32.768MHz crystal, which is used in the real-time clock (RTC) circuit to display accurate time and date. After initialization, pulses are sent out approximately 18.2 times per second, and these pulses are calculated by the operating system to form the BIOS time-of-day count. By being powered by the BIOS battery, it still runs normally after shutdown. This is why we turned off the power, and the correct time will still be displayed when it is turned on the next day.
Each computer has its own clock, but once they are connected to the Internet, another problem arises: how to solve the accumulated errors of each other's computer clocks. This is the emergence of the Network Time Protocol NTP, which is one of the standards for time synchronization in the Internet. Its purpose is to synchronize the computer's clock to UTC, and is satisfied with the computer in the user environment (the server is the same) Time synchronization of the device.
3. Why use ntp server?
For most people, it may be very doubtful, my computer time is enough for me, why do I need a separate ntp
server. So the question is, if all the computer servers in a system run independently, will the entire system work in a mess?
Let's give a few simple examples: if a public building encounters an emergency, each monitoring device has a different time, and the subsequent accident investigation and evidence collection monitoring time is uneven and cannot restore the essence. Who will be responsible? The functions of all departments in the hospital system are shared. If the time is different, the patient data record and the actual time come in and out. If there is a difference, the responsibility is left to the equipment. Can the equipment come forward to coordinate? There are many equipment in the power plant system that need to be coordinated and cooperated with each other. If there is a time disorder between the various system equipment, it will cause the operation mechanism to be unable to coordinate and cooperate, and the operation of the entire power plant is out of regulation, and the loss caused by it is immeasurable.
Therefore, while the ntp server plays a coordinating role in various industries, it has become an indispensable system and an important equipment that must exist in the stable operation of each system based on safety factors. The ntp server server is used in systems of different industries to provide a standard time reference for the equipment in the network, so that each independent and interrelated equipment has a reference dimension standard.
With the development of the science and technology electronics industry, ntp server has inevitable importance in the development of social countries. In different industries and fields, the configuration of ntp server is different due to the requirements of the system environment. Xi'an Synchronous has been engaged in the time-frequency industry for many years. At present, it has fully mastered the NTP core timing technology and updated it in real time with the mainstream NTP protocol. It has been applied in various industries, if you have any needs, please contact us!
