I 1 THE NETWORK COMPUTER AS PRECISION TIMEKEEPER.pdfVIP

THE NETWORK COMPUTER AS PRECISION TIMEKEEPER* David L. Mills Electrical Engineering Department University of Delaware Newark, Delaware 19716, USA mills@; URL:/-mills Abstract This paper describes algorithms to discipline a computer clock lo a source of standard time, such as a GPSreceiver or aMIher computer synchronized to such a source. The algorithms are designed for use in the Network Time Protocol (NTP),which is used to synchronize computer clocks in the global Internet. They have been incorporated in the NTP soware for Unix and Windows and, for the highest accuracy, in the operating system kernels for Sun, DEC, and HP workstations. Rms errors on LANs are usually less than I0 p and on global internet paths usuaUy less than 5 ms. However, rare disruptions of one kind or another can cause error spikes up to 100 p on LAhs and 100 ms on Internet paths. I 1 INTRODUCTION General purpose workstation computers are bewming faster each year, with processor clocks now operating at 300 MHz and above. Computer networks are bewming faster as well, with speeds of 622 Mbps available now and 2.4 Gbps being installed. Using available technology and existing workstations and Internet paths, it has been demonstrated that computers can be rel