nanog mailing list archives

Re: Need trusted NTP Sources


From: Jared Mauch <jared () puck nether net>
Date: Fri, 7 Feb 2014 13:14:09 -0500


On Feb 7, 2014, at 10:56 AM, Matthew Huff <mhuff () ox com> wrote:

Working in the financial world, the best practices is to have 4 ntp servers (if not using PTP).

1) You need 3 to determine the correct time (and detect bad tickers)
2) If you lose 1 of the 3 above, then you no longer can determine the correct time
3) Therefore with 4, you have redundancy.

We have two Symmetricom Stratum 1 time servers synced via GPS  with Rubidium oscillators,  and two RHEL 6 servers 
running ntpd for our 4 servers.

Having a number of NTP servers will help you detect false tickers which may be critical.

If you want something that is "cheap" as in you for your home, I can recommend this: ~$350 w/ antenna, etc..

http://www.netburnerstore.com/product_p/pk70ex-ntp.htm

You can get the whole thing going quickly.  Majdi has also had good luck with this unit (perhaps he wants to chime-in, 
heh pun unintended) regarding a few other devices.

If you ask politely off-list, I will point you at where one of these is that you can talk to (in Dallas at the Infomart 
for your low-latency config).

- Jared

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