TIME protocol
Encyclopedia
The Time Protocol is a network protocol in the Internet Protocol Suite
defined in 1983 in RFC 868. Its purpose is to provide a site-independent, machine readable date and time.
The Time Protocol may be implemented over the Transmission Control Protocol
(TCP) or the User Datagram Protocol
(UDP). A host connects to a server that supports the Time Protocol on port 37. The server then sends the time as a 32-bit unsigned integer in binary format and in network byte order, representing the number of seconds since 00:00 (midnight) 1 January, 1900 GMT, and closes the connection. Operation over UDP requires the sending of any datagram to the server port, as there is no connection setup for UDP.
The Time Protocol is used by the rdate
command, available on most Unix-like
operating systems.
The functionality of the Time Protocol has been superseded by the Network Time Protocol
(NTP).
operating systems a Time Protocol server is built into the inetd
(or xinetd) daemon
. The service is usually not enabled by default. It may be enabled by adding the following lines to the file /etc/inetd.conf
time stream tcp nowait root internal
time dgram udp wait root internal
and reloading the configuration.
Internet protocol suite
The Internet protocol suite is the set of communications protocols used for the Internet and other similar networks. It is commonly known as TCP/IP from its most important protocols: Transmission Control Protocol and Internet Protocol , which were the first networking protocols defined in this...
defined in 1983 in RFC 868. Its purpose is to provide a site-independent, machine readable date and time.
The Time Protocol may be implemented over the Transmission Control Protocol
Transmission Control Protocol
The Transmission Control Protocol is one of the core protocols of the Internet Protocol Suite. TCP is one of the two original components of the suite, complementing the Internet Protocol , and therefore the entire suite is commonly referred to as TCP/IP...
(TCP) or the User Datagram Protocol
User Datagram Protocol
The User Datagram Protocol is one of the core members of the Internet Protocol Suite, the set of network protocols used for the Internet. With UDP, computer applications can send messages, in this case referred to as datagrams, to other hosts on an Internet Protocol network without requiring...
(UDP). A host connects to a server that supports the Time Protocol on port 37. The server then sends the time as a 32-bit unsigned integer in binary format and in network byte order, representing the number of seconds since 00:00 (midnight) 1 January, 1900 GMT, and closes the connection. Operation over UDP requires the sending of any datagram to the server port, as there is no connection setup for UDP.
The Time Protocol is used by the rdate
Rdate
On Unix-like operating systems, rdate is a tool for querying the current time from a network server and, optionally, setting the system time. Rdate uses the Time Protocol...
command, available on most Unix-like
Unix-like
A Unix-like operating system is one that behaves in a manner similar to a Unix system, while not necessarily conforming to or being certified to any version of the Single UNIX Specification....
operating systems.
The functionality of the Time Protocol has been superseded by the Network Time Protocol
Network Time Protocol
The Network Time Protocol is a protocol and software implementation for synchronizing the clocks of computer systems over packet-switched, variable-latency data networks. Originally designed by David L...
(NTP).
Inetd implementation
On most UNIX-likeUnix-like
A Unix-like operating system is one that behaves in a manner similar to a Unix system, while not necessarily conforming to or being certified to any version of the Single UNIX Specification....
operating systems a Time Protocol server is built into the inetd
Inetd
inetd is a super-server daemon on many Unix systems that manages Internet services. First appearing in 4.3BSD , it is generally located at /usr/sbin/inetd.-Function:...
(or xinetd) daemon
Daemon (computer software)
In Unix and other multitasking computer operating systems, a daemon is a computer program that runs as a background process, rather than being under the direct control of an interactive user...
. The service is usually not enabled by default. It may be enabled by adding the following lines to the file /etc/inetd.conf
time stream tcp nowait root internal
time dgram udp wait root internal
and reloading the configuration.
See also
- List of well-known ports (computing)
- Echo ProtocolECHO protocolThe Echo Protocol is a service in the Internet Protocol Suite defined in RFC 862. It was originally proposed for testing and measurement of round-trip times in IP networks....
- Discard Protocol
- Daytime Protocol
- Character Generator Protocol
- rdateRdateOn Unix-like operating systems, rdate is a tool for querying the current time from a network server and, optionally, setting the system time. Rdate uses the Time Protocol...
, a tool for querying the current time from a network server