All modern operating systems can use NTP. Most of these systems come pre-configured with an NTP server with which to synchronize. In most cases, there is no reason to change the pre-configured NTP server, and no modifications are required for your computer to have accurate time.
For those computers that do not come pre-configured with an NTP server for synchronization, such as some computers using the Linux operating system, Northwestern IT recommends using the Northwestern time server. This server should also be used for critical and administrative systems.
Unicast NTP for time synchronization is the only protocol supported at Northwestern. Be advised that if you use multicast NTP, there is no mechanism to verify the authenticity of the source, and therefore no guarantee a client is connecting to the University's central time server. Use of multicast NTP is at your own risk, as is neither supported nor recommended by Northwestern IT.
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