IBM takes over London Congestion Charge with Galleon Time Servers

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Computer giants IBM have taken over the running of London’s congestion charge scheme this week and like their predecessors, Capita, they will be synchronizing the system with Galleon Systems time servers.

Essential for the running of the London congestion charge scheme and ensuring all the 400 cameras are synchronized to the exact same time, the blue-chip company have chosen Galleon Systems as their supplier of network time servers to control the congestion charging system.

Having supplied Capita the former controllers of the congestion charging scheme with its NTS network time servers to accurately synchronize the camera system, Galleon Systems are now supplying IBM with its mission critical hardware too.

Galleon Systems range of network time servers can synchronize networks with millisecond accuracy and receive an accurate and secure atomic clock time source from the GPS network (Global Positioning System) or the radio time signal broadcast by national physics laboratories like NPL.

The London congestion scheme may not be popular with many who have to pay the daily charge but the scheme has been recognised worldwide as an effective method of reducing city congestion and similar schemes to the London congestion zone are being implemented in cities across the globe.

Galleon Systems are the UK’s leading supplier of network time servers and NTP (Network Time Protocol) time synchronisation equipment, having been providing network timing solutions for over a decade.

Why we Synchronize the Time

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We live and work in a totally different world to the one that many of us were born into. We are now as likely to buy something from across the internet as stroll down the coal high street. And big business and commerce has changed too with the marketplace becoming truly global and the internet being the most common tool for trade.

Trading globally does provide its problems though as different timescales govern the different countries across the globe. To ensure parity a global timescale was introduced in the 1970’s knows Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). However, as e-commerce advanced so did the need to ensure accurate synchronization to UTC.

The biggest problem is that most clocks and watches, including those inbuilt into computer motherboards, are susceptible to drift. And as different machines will drift at different rates, global communication and e-commerce could be impossible. Just think of the difference a second can make in marketplaces like the stock exchange, where fortunes are won or lost, or when you purchase seat reservations online, what would happen if somebody on a computer with slower clock booked the same seat after you, the computer’s timestamps will show the person booked before you.

Other unforeseen errors can result, even in internal networks, when computers are running different times. Data can get lost, errors can be difficult to log, track down and fix and malicious users can take advantage of the time confusion.

To ensure truly global synchronization, computer networks can synchronize to an atomic clock allowing all computers on a network o remain within a few milliseconds of UTC. Compute networks use NTP servers (Network Time Protocol) to ensure accurate synchronization, most NTP servers receive the atomic clock time from either GPS satellites of radio frequencies.

The Way an Atomic Clock Works

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Atomic clocks are the most accurate chronometers we have. They are millions of times more accurate than digital clocks and can keep time for hundreds of millions of years without losing as much as a second. Their use has revolutionised the way we live and work and they have enabled technologies such as satellite navigation systems and global online commerce.

But how do they work? Strangely enough, atomic clocks work in the same way as ordinary mechanical clocks. But rather than have a coiled spring and mass or pendulum they use the oscillations of atoms. Atomic clocks are not radioactive as they do not rely on atomic decay instead they rely on the tiny vibrations at certain energy levels (oscillations) between the nucleus of an atom and the surrounding electrons.

When the atom receives microwave energy at exactly the right frequency, it changes energy state, this state is constant an unchanging and the oscillations can be measured just like the ticks of a mechanical clock. However, while mechanical clocks tick every second, atomic clocks ‘tick’ several billion times a second. In the case of caesium atoms, most commonly used in atomic clocks, they tick 9,192,631,770 per second – which is now the official definition of a second.

Atomic clocks now govern the entire global community as a universal timescale UTC (Coordinated Universal Time) based on atomic clock time has been developed to ensure synchronization. UTC atomic clock signals can be received by network time servers, often referred to as NTP Servers, that can synchronize computer networks to within a few milliseconds of UTC.

How Computers Keep Abreast of Time

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Time governs our lives and keeping abreast of it is vital if we want to get to work on time, make it home for dinner or watch our favourite shows of an evening.

It is also crucial for computer systems. Computers use time as a point of reference, indeed, time is the only point of reference it can use to distinguish between two events and it is crucial that computers operating in networks are synchronized together.

Time synchronization is when all computers that are connected together run the same time. Time synchronization, however, is not simple to implement, primarily because computers are not good time keepers.

We are all used to the time being displayed on the bottom right hand of our computer desktops but this time is normally generated by the onboard crystal oscillator (normally quartz) on the motherboard.

Unfortunately these onboard clocks are prone to drift and a computer clock may lose or gain a second or so each day. While this may not sound like much, it can soon accumulate and with some networks consisting of hundreds and even thousands of machines, if they are all running different times its not hard to imagine the consequences; emails may arrive before they are sent, data may fails to backup, files will get lost and the networks will be amass of confusion and nearly impossible to debug.

To ensure synchronization throughout a network all devices must connect to a single time source. NTP (Network Time Protocol) has been devised for this very purpose and can distribute a time source to all devices and ensure that any drift is countered.

For true accuracy the single time source should be a source of UTC (Coordinated Universal Time) which is a global timescale that is used across continents and pays no heed to timezones, this allows networks on opposite sides of the Earth to be synchronized together.

A source of UTC should also be governed by an atomic clock as any drift in the time will mean that your network will be out of sync with UTC. By far the easiest, most efficient, secure, accurate and reliable method of receiving an atomic clock source of UTC is to use a dedicated NTP time server. NTP servers receive the UTC time from either the GPS network (Global Positioning System) or from radio transmission broadcast by national physics laboratories such as NIST or NPL.

Networking Secrets Synchronization

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An efficient and error free operation is the goal of any administrator that is setting up a computer network. Ensuring the smooth running and passing of data without errors or loss of connections is a prerequisite for any decent functioning network system.

There are some fundamental things that can be carried out to minimise risk of encountering problems further down the line. A decent network server is a must, as is an efficient router but there is one piece of technology often overlooked in computer networking – the network time server.

The importance of correct computer network time only becomes apparent when something goes wrong. When an error does occur (and without adequate time synchronization it is a matter of when not if) it can be next to impossible to pin down what caused in and where. Just imagine all the error logs on the different machines all with timestamps telling a different time, finding out where and when the error occurred can be near impossible – and that’s before you can even get round to fixing it.

Fortunately most network administrators appreciate the value of synchronization and most ensure the network receives a time signal from across the Internet. However, many administrators are unaware of the vulnerabilities this may cause throughout the network.

By using an online time server, a UDP port (123) needs be kept open which can be an open gate to malicious programs and users. Furthermore, there is no authentication of the online time server so the signal could be hijacked or just be inaccurate.

A dedicated network time server running the protocol NTP (Network Time Protocol) will operate externally to the network and receive the time from an atomic clock source directly (through radio or GPS) making NTP servers, secure, accurate and reliable.

Seven Reasons why your Network needs a Time Server

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Time servers, often referred to as NTP time servers after the protocol (Network Time Protocol) used to distribute time are an increasingly important part of any computer network. The NTP server receives a timing signal from an accurate source (such as an atomic clock) and then distributes it to all devices on the network.

However, despite the increasing importance of these time synchronisation devices, many network administrators still fail to accurately synchronise their networks and can leave their entire computer system vulnerable.

Here are seven reasons why a NTP time server is a crucial piece of equipment for YOUR network:

• Security: NTP servers use an external source of time and don’t rely on an open firewall port. An unsynchronized server will also be vulnerable to malicious users who can take advantage of time differences.

• Error logging: failing to adequately synchronize a computer network may mean that it is near impossible to trace errors or malicious attack, especially if the times on the log files from different machine do not match.

• Legal Protection: Not being able to prove the time can have legal implications if somebody has committed fraud or other illegal activity against your company.

• Accuracy: NTP Time Servers ensure that all networked computers are synchronized automatically to the exact time throughout your network so everybody in your company can have access to the exact time.

• Global Harmony: A global timescale known as UTC (Coordinated Universal Time) has been developed to ensure that systems across the globe can run the exact same time. By utilising a NTP server not only will every device on you network be synchronised together but your network will be synchronised with every other network on Earth that is hooked up to UTC.

• Control: With a NTP server you have control of the configuration. You can allow automatic changes each spring and autumn for daylight saving time or set your server time to be locked to UTC time only – or indeed, any time zone you choose.

• Automatic update of time. No user intervention required, a NTP time server will account for leap seconds and time zones ensuring trouble free synchronisation.

Benefits of Accurate Network Time Synchronization

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Your computer probably does hundreds and thousands of tasks a day. If that is part of a network then the number of tasks could be millions. From sending emails to saving data, and everything else your computer is tasked to do, they are all logged by the computer or server.

Computers use timestamps to logo processes and indeed, timestamps are used as the only method a computer has to indicate when and if a task or application has been conducted. Timestamps are normally a 16 or 32 bit integer (one long number) that counts back the seconds from a prime epoch – normally 01 January 1970.

So for every task you computer does it will be stamped with the number of seconds from 1970 that the transaction was conducted. These timestamps are the only piece of information a computer system has to ascertain what tasks have been completed and what tasks have yet to be instigated.

The problem with computer networks of more than one machine is that the clocks on individual devices are not accurate enough for many modern time sensitive applications. Computer clocks are prone to drift they are typically based on inexpensive crystal oscillator circuits and can often drift by over a second a day.

This may not seem much but in today’s time sensitive world a second can be a long time indeed especially when you take into account the needs of industries like the stock exchange where a second can be the difference in price of several percent or online seat reservation, where a second can make the difference between an available seat and one that is sold.

This drift is also accumulative so within only a few months the computer systems could be over a minute out of sync and this can have dramatic effects on time sensitive transactions and can result in all sorts of unexpected problems from emails not arriving as a computer thinks they have arrived before they have been sent to data not being backed up or lost completely.

A NTP time server or network time server are increasingly becoming crucial pieces of equipment for the modern computer network. They receive an accurate source of time from an atomic clock and distribute it to all devices on the network. As atomic clocks are incredibly accurate (they won’t drift by a second even in a 100,000 years) and the protocol NTP (Network Time Protocol) continually checks the devices time against the master atomic clock time – it means the computer network will be able to run perfectly synchronised with each device within a few milliseconds of the atomic clock.

Life Without the Atomic Clock

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When we consider the most important inventions of the last 100 years, very few people will think of an atomic clock. In fact, if you ask somebody to come up with a top ten of inventions and innovations its doubtful if the atomic clock would figure at all.

Its probably not hard to imagine what people think of as the most life-changing inventions: the Internet, mobile phones, satellite navigation systems, media players etc.

However, nearly all theses technologies rely on accurate and precise time and they would not function without it. The atomic clocks lies at the heart of many of the modern innovations, technologies and applications associated with them.

Let’s take the Internet as an example. The Internet is, in its simplest form, a global network of computers, and this network spans time zones and countries. Now consider some of the things we use the Internet for: online auctions, Internet banking or seat reservation for example. These transactions could not be possible with precise and accurate time and synchronisation.

Imagine booking a seat on an airline at 10am and then another customer tries to book the same seat after you on a computer with a slower clock. The computer only has the time to go on so will consider the person who booked after you to have been the first customer because the clock says so! This is the reason any Internet network that requires time sensitive transactions is connected to a NTP server to receive and distribute an atomic clock time signal.

And for other technologies the atomic clock is even more crucial. Satellite navigation (GPS) is a prime example. GPS (Global Positioning System) works by triangulating atomic clock signals from satellites. Because of the high velocity of radio waves an inaccuracy of 1 second could see a sat-nav device out by 100,000 km.

Other technologies too from mobile phone networks to air traffic control systems are completely reliable on atomic clocks demonstrating how underrated this technology is.

Closed Circuit Cameras are Useless Without a Network Time Server

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For those of us that live in Britain, the CCTV camera (closed circuit TV) will be a familiar site on the high streets. Over four million cameras are in operation throughout the British Isles with every major city being monitored by state funded cameras which has cost the British taxpayer over £200 million ($400 million).

The reasons for use of such widespread surveillance have always been declared as to prevent and detect crime. However, critics argue that there is little evidence that CCTV cameras have done anything to dent the rising street crime on the UK’s streets and that the money could be better well spent.

One of the problems of CCTV is that many cities have both cameras controlled by local councils and privately controlled cameras. When it comes to crime detection the police often have to obtain as much evidence as possible which often means combining the different local authority controlled CCTV cameras with the privately controlled systems.

Many local authorities synchronise their CCTV cameras together, however, if the police have to obtain images from a neighbouring borough or from a private camera these may not be synchronised at all, of if so, synchronised to a different time completely.

This is where CCTV falls down in the fight against crime. Just imagine a suspected criminal is spotted on one CCTV camera committing a criminal act. The time on the camera could say 11.05pm but what if the police follow the suspects movements across a city and use footage from a privately owned camera or from other boroughs and while the CCTV camera that caught the suspect in the act may say 11.05, the other camera could spot the suspect minutes later only for the time to be even earlier. You could imagine a good defence lawyer taking full advantage of this.

To ensure their worth in the fight against crime, it is imperative that CCTV cameras are time synchronized using a network time server. These times servers ensure every device (in this case camera) is running the exact same time. But how do we ensure all cameras are synchronised to the same time source. Well fortunately, a global time source known as UTC (coordinated Universal Time) has been developed for this exact purpose. UTC is what governs computer networks, air traffic control and other time sensitive technologies.

A CCTV camera using a NTP server that receives a UTC time source from an atomic clock will not only be accurate but the time told on the devices will be provable in court and accurate to a thousandth of a second (millisecond).

2038 The Next Computer Time Bug

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Remember the turn of the millennium. Whilst many of us were counting down the seconds until midnight, there were network administrators across the globe with their fingers crossed hoping their computer systems will still be working after the new millennium kicked in.

The millennium bug was the result of early computer pioneers designing systems with only two digits to represent the time as computer memory was very scarce at the time. The problem didn’t arise because of the turn of the millennium, it arose because it was the end of the century and two digit year flicked around to 00 (which the machines assume was 1900)

Fortunately by the turn of the millennium most computers were updated and enough precautions were taken that meant that the Y2K bug, as it became known, didn’t cause the widespread havoc it was first feared.

However, the Y2K bug is not the only time related problem that computer systems can be expected to face, another problem with the way computers tell the time has been realised and many more machines will be affected in 2038.

The Unix Millennium Bug (or Y2K38) is similar to the original bug in that it is a problem connected with the way computers tell the time. The 2038 problem will occur because most machines use a 32 bit integer to calculate the time. This 32 bit number is set from the number of seconds from 1 January 1970, but because the number is limited to 32 digits by 2038 there will be no more digits left to deal with the advance of time.

To solve this problem, many systems and languages have switched to a 64-bit version, or supplied alternatives which are 64-bit and as the problem will not occur for nearly three decades there is plenty of time to ensure all computer systems can be protected.

However, these problems with timestamps are not the only time related errors that can occur on a computer network. One of the most common causes of computer network errors is lack of time synchronization. Failing to ensure each machine is running at an identical time using a NTP time server can result in data being lost, the network being vulnerable to attack from malicious users and can cause all sorts of errors such as emails arriving before they have been sent.

To ensure your computer network is adequately synchronized an external NTP time server is recommended.