1985
NTP is described in RFC 958
Network Time / Tech History
From NTP to PTP
Media networks need not only data packets, but a shared understanding of time.
The Problem
Computer clocks drift apart. Millisecond accuracy is often enough for logs, but audio, video and industrial processes need much tighter synchronization.
The Story
NTP was developed for time synchronization in IP networks. For more precise requirements, IEEE 1588 Precision Time Protocol emerged with grandmaster clocks and hardware timestamping.
The Technical Idea
NTP corrects system clocks through network time servers. PTP measures and compensates delays more precisely; hardware can timestamp directly at the port.
What Survived Until Today?
Grandmaster, boundary clock, transparent clock and PTP domains are concepts that matter in audio and broadcast networks.
Why Event Technicians Still Care
Dante, AES67 and SMPTE ST 2110 need stable time. Without a shared clock, clicks, drift or lost sync can occur.
Eventhacker Field Example
Two stageboxes feed the same console. If the time base is unstable, samples no longer align cleanly.
Timeline
2002
IEEE 1588 PTP is published
2008
IEEE 1588-2008 refines PTPv2