NTP (Network Time Protocol) servers provide precision network and client timing traceable to national standards. Arbiter Systems®'s precision time clocks provide accurate time across networks via the internal Network Time Protocol (NTP) Server option, available on multiple GPS Satellite-Controlled clock models.
As networked devices increasingly rely on existing local and global networks to communicate, the need to synchronize all devices increases. This synchronization supports accurate audit trails and precise event tracking, also improving network management.
Accurate Network Time Uses and Applications
Accurate time across networks is required to initiate and control processes, including system authentication. NERC (North American Electric Reliability Council), for example, lists lack of digital forensic and audit trails as a key vulnerability of the power grid. Mitigation requirements include time synchronization of system logs and sequence of events recorders.
Beyond substation use, network timing is becoming increasingly important in other industries, among them:
Industrial - SCADA, real-time control and monitoring
Accuracy
Typical accuracy for the NTP server is one millisecond on a LAN to a few tens of milliseconds on a WAN as compared to UTC (Coordinated Universal Time); accuracy will vary depending upon network traffic.
