<?xml version='1.0'?>

<reference anchor='RFC0738'>

<front>
<title>Time server</title>
<author initials='K.' surname='Harrenstien' fullname='K. Harrenstien'>
<organization>Stanford Research Institute (SRI) International, KL</organization></author>
<date month='October' day='31' year='1977' />
<abstract>
<t>This note describes the Time Server protocol, as currently implemented on ITS hosts (i.e. MIT-(AI/ML/MC/DMS)).  The idea is to provide a site-independent, machine readable date and time in as efficient and swift a manner as possible; its motivation arises from the fact that not all systems have a date/time clock, and all are subject to occasional human or machine error.  The use of time-servers makes it possible to quickly confirm or correct a system's idea of the time, by making a brief poll of several independent sites on the network.</t></abstract></front>

<seriesInfo name='RFC' value='738' />
</reference>
