reaching the maximum on all paths, a server will drop off the subnet and
free-run using its last determined time and frequency. Since these
computations are expected to be very precise, especially in frequency,
even extended outage periods can result in timekeeping errors not
greater than a few milliseconds per day with appropriately stabilized
oscillators (see Section 5).
In the case of multiple primary servers, the spanning-tree computation
will usually select the server at minimum synchronization distance.
However, when these servers are at approximately the same distance, the
computation may result in random selections among them as the result of
normal dispersive delays. Ordinarily, this does not degrade accuracy as
long as any discrepancy between the primary servers is small compared to
the synchronization distance. If not, the filter and selection
algorithms will select the best of the available servers and cast out
outlyers as intended.
Network Time Protocol
This section consists of a formal definition of the Network Time
Protocol, including its data formats, entities, state variables, events
and event-processing procedures. The specification is based on the
implementation model illustrated in Figure 1, but it is not intended
that this model is the only one upon which a specification can be based.
In particular, the specification is intended to illustrate and clarify
the intrinsic operations of NTP, as well as to serve as a foundation for
a more rigorous, comprehensive and verifiable specification.
Data Formats
All mathematical operations expressed or implied herein are in two's-
complement, fixed-point arithmetic. Data are specified as integer or
fixed-point quantities, with bits numbered in big-endian fashion from
zero starting at the left, or high-order, position. Since various
implementations may scale externally derived quantities for internal
use, neither the precision nor decimal-point placement for fixed-point
quantities is specified. Unless specified otherwise, all quantities are
unsigned and may occupy the full field width with an implied zero
preceding bit zero. Hardware and software packages designed to work with
signed quantities will thus yield surprising results when the most
significant (sign) bit is set. It is suggested that externally derived,
unsigned fixed-point quantities such as timestamps be shifted right one
bit for internal use, since the precision represented by the full field
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