Are you wondering about the term Time Server?
Well, don't worry, calm down. I am gonna tell you what actually a Time Server is in very easy words. So, a time server is a computer or rather a server computer to make it more clear. Time sever will read the actual time on the reference clock and then spread this information to you who is the client. If you are thinking about how it will be done, then I must tell you that it is done by using a computer network.
The server may be either a local network time server or an internet time server.
The protocol that is used for distributing and synchronizing the time over the internet is NTP(Network Time Protocol). It is the most widely used protocol used for this purpose. Other protocols are also used, but they are less popular and rarely used nowadays. There are different protocols that are common in use which are being used for sending the time signals by using radio signals and serial connections.
The time which is used as a reference by the time server could be another time server over the network or over the internet, a clock or even a connected radio can be used. Time source the is most widely and commonly used is a GPS or GPS master clock. These Time Servers are sometimes multi-purpose network servers, dedicated devices or dedicated network servers. The dedicated time server is used to provide accurate time.
Can An Existing Network Server Be Used As Dedicated Time Server?
You can use an existing network server as a time server by using additional software. The NTP homepage will give you a free reference implementation of the NTP server and client for many famous operating systems. The other choice for you is to use a dedicated time server device.
A word is used to describe the closeness to a central or high-quality time server, that is called "Stratum". It will show you the place of a particular time server in a complete hierarchy of servers. A scale is used to describe the relevancy, which is from 1 to 15. The scale 1 is the most accurate like a highly specialized physical device. A server whose stratum is very high has high chances of rejection by the clients. Clients mostly prefer time servers that have low scales. That is why this is very important for administrators during the set-up of an in-house time server that has no true time source.