The Network Time Protocol (NTP) Forum
What's this all about?
The Network Time Protocol is the best way to keep correct time on each computer in a network.
The NTP Project is where it pretty much all gets done.
| The NTP Project | The NTP Forum |
|---|
| is all about having correct time on networked computers | is all about supporting the NTP Project and the companies and people who need and use NTP. |
| needs money to pay for adequate maintenance, support, and testing of NTP. | is the best (and, currently, the only) way to raise and manage money for the NTP Project. |
To the left you will find links to several choices.
You may choose to go straight to the
Join the Forum page, and become a member of the NTP Forum.
You may choose to visit some of the other links on the left, and learn
why you should join the NTP Forum, or about
membership benefits or some of
the projects that need funding.
You may choose to read further down this page to learn more.
In the end, we hope you
become a member - NTP is a critical piece of the infrastructure of the Internet and its needs have long outstretched the resources of the unpaid volunteers who have cared for it for so long.
Why should I care about NTP?
Agreement about time is a core issue for society:
- The train will leave the station at 8:47am.
- Orders received by 2:30pm will go out the same day.
- Calls are billed at 8 cents/minute.
Computers are in a growing number of devices, and very often
when something happens is of critical importance.
The clock chips in the average computer keep
significantly poorer time than the average inexpensive wristwatch.
Something is needed to keep the computer's clock on-time.
NTP does this job.
NTP has been around for a long time, isn't it a "finished project" now?
Not hardly:
- There are well over 200 open bug reports on the code.
- The documentation needs to be significantly improved.
- New hardware and operating systems require new porting efforts.
- New reference clocks must be supported.
- New network technologies must be supported.
- Infrastructure to handle the ever-increasing usage of NTP must be grown and maintained.
Our Goals
The NTP Forum is dedicated to the advancement and evolution of NTP. We strive to better serve the networking community and the organizations, businesses, and individuals who benefit from NTP through:
- Support of the development process.
- Promotion of the standardization of accurate network time synchronization, and the related specifications, through the IETF NTP workgroup.
- Implementation of Best Current Practices for using NTP in embedded systems.
- Facilitation of user participation in the community spearheading the advancement and evolution of NTP.
- Recognition of your support of NTP.
Our Purpose
Advancing and Evolving NTP
Supporting the
NTP Public Services and the
NTP (R&D) Projects.
Standardizing accurate network time synchronization.
Establishing Best Current Practices for using NTP in embedded systems.
Empowering NTP Users
Giving you greater voice in the project and the process.
Expediting resolution of your important bug, enhancement, documentation, and support issues.
Assisting you in meeting the legal requirement for accurately timestamping records.
Copyright © by the contributing authors. All material on this collaboration platform is the property of the contributing authors.