Operation Manual - System Management 
Quidway S3000-EI Series Ethernet Switches  Chapter 7  NTP Configuration
 
Huawei Technologies Proprietary 
7-1 
Chapter 7  NTP Configuration 
7.1  Brief Introduction to NTP 
7.1.1  NTP Functions 
As the network topology gets more and more complex, it becomes important to 
synchronize the clocks of the equipment on the whole network. NTP (Network Time 
Protocol) is an application layer protocol of TCP/IP and used for advertising the 
accurate time throughout the network. 
NTP ensures the consistency of the following applications: 
z  For the increment backup between the backup server and client, NTP ensures the 
clock synchronization between the two systems. 
z  For multiple systems that coordinate to process a complex event, NTP ensures 
them to reference the same clock and guarantee the right order of the event. 
z  Guarantee the normal operation of the inter-system (Remote Procedure Call). 
z  Record for an application when a user logs in to a system, a file is modified, or 
some other operation is performed.  
7.1.2  Basic Operating Principle of NTP 
The following figure illustrates the basic operating principle of NTP: