🕒 Network Time Protocol (NTP) Service
Overview
The Network Time Protocol (NTP) service ensures that devices connected to the SNU campus network maintain accurate and synchronized system clocks. This is essential for time-sensitive operations, logging, security protocols, and coordination across systems.
Key Features
- Synchronizes device clocks with a known-good reference.
- Maintains high accuracy across the network.
- Supports NTP version 4, with backward compatibility for versions 1, 2, and 3.
- Available only within the SNU Campus Network.
Government of India Guidelines and Reference Servers
- The NTP service complies with GOI cybersecurity guidelines issued by NIC and CERT-In, which mandate secure and authenticated time synchronization for all government and institutional networks.
- SNU NTP servers synchronize to the microsecond level with upstream national time servers:
- Samay.gov.in – Managed by the National Physical Laboratory (NPL), this server provides India’s official time standard.
- ntp.nic.in – Operated by the National Informatics Centre (NIC), ensuring secure and reliable time distribution.
- These upstream servers are part of the national time infrastructure and are recommended for use in critical systems under the Cyber Security Do’s & Don’ts framework.
User Synchronization
- Devices within the SNU campus can synchronize directly with the SNU NTP servers to obtain highly accurate time, benefiting from the microsecond-level precision achieved through upstream synchronization with Samay and NIC servers.
- This setup ensures consistent timekeeping across all campus systems, supporting secure logging, audit trails, and coordinated operations.
SNU NTP Servers
The following servers are available for use within the campus:
| Step | Server Address | IP Address |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | ntp01.snu.edu.in
|
10.3.36.242 |
| 2 | ntp02.snu.edu.in
|
10.3.36.243 |
| 3 | ntp03.snu.edu.in
|
10.3.36.244 |
💡 Note: These servers are accessible only from devices connected to the SNU campus network.
Setup Instructions
🖥️ Windows 10 / Windows 11
- Open Control Panel → Date and Time → Internet Time tab.
- Click Change settings.
- Enter one of the NTP server addresses (e.g.,
ntp01.snu.edu.in) and click Update now. - Click OK to save.
🐧 Linux
- Open terminal.
- Edit the NTP configuration file:
sudo nano /etc/ntp.conf - Add the server entries: server ntp01.snu.edu.in server ntp02.snu.edu.in server ntp03.snu.edu.in
- Restart the NTP service:
sudo systemctl restart ntp
🍎 macOS
- Open System Settings → Date & Time.
- Unlock settings and enable Set date and time automatically.
- Enter one of the NTP server addresses (e.g.,
ntp01.snu.edu.in).
Support
For assistance or troubleshooting, please contact the SNU IT Helpdesk [email protected].
