Web and XML Glossary

NTP provides the mechanisms to synchronize time and coordinate time distribution in a large, diverse Internet operating at rates from mundane to light-wave. It uses a returnable-time design in which a distributed subnet of time Servers operating in a self-organizing, hierarchical-master-slave configuration synchronizes local clocks within the subnet and to national time standards via wire or radio. The Servers can also redistribute reference time via local routing Algorithms and time Servers. A simpler variant of NTP has been specified under the name of SNTP.