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Configuring ntp, Overview, How ntp works – H3C Technologies H3C MSR 5600 User Manual

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Configuring NTP

Synchronize your device with a trusted time source by using the Network Time Protocol (NTP) or

changing the system time before you run it on a live network. Various tasks, including network

management, charging, auditing, and distributed computing depend on an accurate system time setting,
because the timestamps of system messages and logs use the system time.

Overview

NTP is typically used in large networks to dynamically synchronize time among network devices. It

guarantees higher clock accuracy than manual system clock setting. In a small network that does not
require high clock accuracy, you can keep time synchronized among devices by changing their system

clocks one by one.
NTP runs over UDP and uses UDP port 123.

How NTP works

Figure 25

shows how NTP synchronizes the system time between two devices, in this example, Device A

and Device B. Assume that:

Prior to the time synchronization, the time of Device A is set to 10:00:00 am and the time of Device
B is set to 11:00:00 am.

Device B is used as the NTP server. Device A is to synchronize to Device B.

It takes 1 second for an NTP message to travel from Device A to Device B, and from Device B to
Device A.

It takes 1 second for Device B to process the NTP message.

Figure 25 Basic work flow

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