Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!cis.ohio-state.edu!ucbvax!LIGHTNING.MCRCIM.MCGILL.EDU!mouse
From: mouse@LIGHTNING.MCRCIM.MCGILL.EDU (der Mouse)
Newsgroups: comp.protocols.time.ntp
Subject: Re:  General help-info
Message-ID: <9106021928.AA01658@lightning.McRCIM.McGill.EDU>
Date: 2 Jun 91 19:28:12 GMT
Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU
Distribution: inet
Organization: The Internet
Lines: 23

>>- I need to syncronize over 500 machine - almostly all exclusively
>>  Suns (490's, 330's and SparcStations at 4.1 & 4.1.1).  Since we
>>  also have International offices (London, Tokyo etc), [...]

> This strikes me as interesting...Suppose a company has offices on
> several continents and they want to synchronize their clocks.  Do
> they really need to peer with each other?  Why shouldn't the European
> office peer with a Stratum 1 server in Europe, Japanese office to a
> server in Japan, etc.?

It depends on what's most important to them: that their clocks be in
sync with one another or that their clocks be in sync with The Real
Time?  If the former, they should peer with one another, with the top
internal stratum peering with something outside; if the former, they
should do as you suggest.

Of course, your suggestion also reduces international packet traffic;
this may or may not make any difference, depending on the situation.

					der Mouse

			old: mcgill-vision!mouse
			new: mouse@larry.mcrcim.mcgill.edu