Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Network Time System VS Network Time Protocol daemon

Compare Network Time System VS Network Time Protocol daemon and see what are their differences

Network Time System logo Network Time System

Corporate time sync software package contains both NTP server and client apps

Network Time Protocol daemon logo Network Time Protocol daemon

The Network Time Protocol (NTP) is used to synchronize the time of a computer client or server to another server or reference time source, such as a radio or satellite receiver or modem.
  • Network Time System Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-10-21
  • Network Time Protocol daemon Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-30

Network Time System features and specs

  • Accurate Time Synchronization
    Network Time System provides precise time synchronization across networks, ensuring that all devices have the correct time.
  • Ease of Use
    The software is designed with an intuitive interface, making it accessible for users without technical expertise.
  • Cross-Platform Support
    It supports multiple operating systems, allowing seamless integration in diverse IT environments.
  • Scalability
    Network Time System can be easily scaled to accommodate growing network architectures, from small businesses to large enterprises.
  • Security Features
    The software includes security protocols like NTP and SNTP, helping to protect the network time data from unauthorized access.

Possible disadvantages of Network Time System

  • Cost
    Network Time System is a commercial product, which might be a drawback for users looking for free time synchronization solutions.
  • Complex Setup for Large Networks
    While generally easy to use, setting up the system for very large or complex networks may require more in-depth technical knowledge.
  • Limited Free Support
    The level of free customer support might not be sufficient for all users, potentially necessitating additional paid support for complex issues.
  • Dependency on Network Infrastructure
    The performance of the Network Time System can be affected by network issues, such as latency or connectivity problems, which could impact time accuracy.
  • Potential Overhead
    The system may introduce additional network traffic, which could be an issue for smaller or bandwidth-constrained networks.

Network Time Protocol daemon features and specs

  • High Accuracy
    NTP provides highly accurate time synchronization across different systems, ensuring that devices on a network maintain the same time down to the millisecond.
  • Scalability
    NTP can be used in environments of varying sizes, from small local networks to large and complex global networks, making it a versatile solution for time synchronization.
  • Redundancy and Reliability
    NTP supports multiple time sources for redundancy, increasing the reliability of time data by automatically switching to a backup server if the primary server fails.
  • Wide Adoption
    NTP is an established protocol and is widely implemented and supported in various operating systems and network devices, ensuring broad compatibility and ease of integration.
  • Security Features
    NTP includes authentication mechanisms to verify the integrity and authenticity of the time data, helping to secure time synchronization against malicious interference.

Possible disadvantages of Network Time Protocol daemon

  • Complex Configuration
    Setting up an NTP server and client can be complex, especially in large networks where precision timekeeping and security are priorities.
  • Vulnerability to Attacks
    NTP has been the target of certain network attacks, such as DDoS reflection attacks, requiring additional security measures to be implemented.
  • Resource Intensive
    Running the NTP daemon continuously can consume significant network resources, especially when maintaining constant synchronization across a large number of devices.
  • Firewall and NAT Issues
    NTP relies on specific ports to function, and network configurations like firewalls and NAT can sometimes hinder its operation, requiring additional configuration effort.

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Network Time System and Network Time Protocol daemon)
Time Management
51 51%
49% 49
Time Tracking
46 46%
54% 54
Invoicing
51 51%
49% 49
Audio Player
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Network Time Protocol daemon seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 20 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Network Time System mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of Network Time System yet. Tracking of Network Time System recommendations started around Mar 2021.

Network Time Protocol daemon mentions (20)

  • Why is Narwal so obsessed with NTP?
    After digging through all the DNS queries originating from my "chatty" Narwal Freo, I'm wondering why they are so obsessed with network time? Besides talking to several subdomains off of narwaltech.com, the robot is making DNS queries once every minute with ntp5.aliyun.com. And that is in addition to a couple other NTP servers at ntp.org. This really doesn't feel like an efficient use of network / server /... Source: almost 2 years ago
  • Windows Server / Time Synchronization
    The stratum level changes depending on who is reading the clock. If you look at your peer list for ntp.org you will see it change between stratum 1 and 2, depending on when your remote peer last read from the clock. When your DC reads from this list, it will update its stratum level as well, and all clients reading from it will update accordingly. Source: about 2 years ago
  • Windows Server / Time Synchronization
    Ntp settings in default gpo, "Main" pdc emulator DC uses ntp.org and the other DCs sync to it and call it a day. Source: about 2 years ago
  • vSAN errors keep showing up that are fixed by restarting vCenter
    Also, I have NTP for all ESXi hosts and vCenter set to ntp.org pools. I don't use OPNsense as an NTP server, but that is set the same as well. Source: about 2 years ago
  • Firewalla blocking outbound NTP requests when DoH Services are blocked
    So I configured my new Firewalla Gold Plus to block DoH Servers, so that my internal devices can't go around my NextDNS CLI config. However, I was reviewing the Flows logs for the fun of it, and saw that outbound NTP requests to NTP servers were blocked. Both of these blocks are to ntp.org domains which to my knowledge would not be servicing ANY DNS requests of any type. So I'm baffled why these ntp.org servers... Source: over 2 years ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing Network Time System and Network Time Protocol daemon, you can also consider the following products

NetTime - nettime is a time & attendance software solution.

Meinberg NTP - NTP client and server download for different operating systems.

Date Reminder - Date Reminder reminds you of recurring or nonrecurring events, like birthdays, bills to pay...

Chrony - Chrony is a pair of programs which are used to maintain the accuracy of the system clock on a...

Neutron - Neutron is a very simple and small time synchronizing program that retrieves the accurate time from...

Dimension 4 - The fastest and easiest way to synchronize your Windows clock.