Using NTP: Introduction and Recommended Practices

Published

February 28, 2006

Author(s)

YaShian Li-Baboud

Abstract

With future e-Manufacturing applications requiring precisely synchronized time for merging data from heterogeneous sources, it is necessary to understand the factors causing synchronization degradation in semiconductor factory distributed systems, and how to effectively leverage mainstream time synchronization protocols. The Network Time Protocol (NTP) is among the most widely used internet protocol for synchronizing distributed clocks. For office-based applications where timing accuracy requirements are on the order of seconds, NTP configuration and management is trivial. In an industrial environment, however, where synchronized time requirements are more stringent and may provide critical value in ensuring data can be readily merged for process and equipment fault diagnosis, the design of the NTP network should be carefully considered in terms of accuracy, security, extensibility, and management complexity. With proper design of the NTP topology, the protocol can support nominal accuracy on the order of a millisecond. This document is intended for factory network administrators and equipment engineers to understand the key factors required in designing an NTP network or equipment clock module to reliably and securely meet next-generation e-Manufacturing timing requirements.

Citation

ISMI Technology Transfer

Pub Type

Others

Keywords

Time Synchronization, NTP, e-Manufacturing

Citation

Li-Baboud, Y. (2006), Using NTP: Introduction and Recommended Practices, ISMI Technology Transfer (Accessed April 26, 2024)