Help & Support
Using rdate
Using rdate within the University to synchronize machines
There are a number of machines that aren't up to running NTP, even as a pure client. This might be because the standard software release doesn't build on the platform, or because they just have fundamentally inadequate operating systems. A common "poor man's synchronization" is often implemented by using the rdate protocol. At regular intervals the system requests the current time from a server and then sets its own time to whaever it receives, making no allowance for transit time or inaccuracy.
The CS's public stratum 3 servers may be used for rdate service. Clients of this service are requested not to probe the service more often than once a day and to select a random time during the day for the probe.