// Time synchronisation with NTP on Ubuntu (and Debian)

The Network Time Protocol (NTP) is a protocol for synchronising the clocks of computers over TCP/IP networks. I don't go into detail here,1) but NTP is helpful if you need a really2) exact system time (e.g. on special Database servers) or just to get a correct clock setting on your common desktop. There are two ways to use NTP to set your system's clock:

  • ntpdate – Simple NTP client, syncs your system's clock instantly by polling specified NTP server(s) every time it is called.
  • ntpd – NTP server daemon, calculates the drift of your system's hardware clock and continuously adjusts it. Can act as NTP server for other NTP servers and clients.

1)
The whole system and the client software is a lot more complex than you might think. Look at the Weblinks and/or search the www if you are interested.
2)
we are talking about ~200 milliseconds
I'm no native speaker (English)
Please let me know if you find any errors (I want to improve my English skills). Thank you!
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