Simple Network Time Protocol (SNTP) Overview
The Simple Network Time Protocol (SNTP) feature for Microsoft® Windows® CE .NET is derived from the Network Time Protocol (NTP). SNTP synchronizes the system time on a computer with that of a server that has been synchronized by a reference source such as a radio, satellite receiver, or modem. SNTP is used in scenarios that do not require or justify the high performance and accuracy of NTP.
SNTP can operate in unicast, multicast, and anycast modes. Windows CE supports unicast and multicast modes. A unicast client sends a request to a designated server at its unicast address and expects a reply from which it can determine the time and, optionally, the roundtrip delay, and the local clock offset relative to the server.
A multicast server periodically sends an unsolicited message to a designated IPv4 or IPv6 local broadcast address, or to a multicast group address. A multicast client listens on this address. The client generally sends no requests to the service, because it can get disrupted by untrusted SNTP or NTP multicast servers. You can prevent disruption by an untrusted server by using an access control mechanism to choose only the designated server known to, and trusted by, the client.
For more information about SNTP, see RFC 2030 at the Internet Engineering Task Force Web site.
Feature Summary
The following table shows operating system design information for SNTP.
Element | Information |
---|---|
Dependencies | Core Server Support (Services.exe) |
Hardware considerations | None |
Modules and Components
The following table shows the components and modules that implement SNTP.
Item | Module | Component |
---|---|---|
Network Time Service | timesvc | None |
Operating System Development Topics
SNTP Implementation Considerations
See Also
Windows CE Modules and Components | Catalog Features
Last updated on Friday, April 09, 2004
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