NTP monitoring with PRTG
Ensure your systems are always on time
- Monitor the availability and health of your NTP servers round the clock
- Check that time synchronization is working as it should
- Receive real-time alerts and identify root causes of errors more quickly
Our users give top ratings for monitoring with Paessler PRTG
PRTG NTP monitoring: What you’ll find on this page
PRTG makes NTP server monitoring as easy as it gets
Custom alerts and data visualization let you quickly identify and prevent time synchronization issues.
Make troubleshooting easier with PRTG as your NTP tool
Eliminate ambiguity in your network
Every minute counts when searching for the cause of a problem in your network. Paessler PRTG helps you know if any unusual incidents happened at the exact time the problem occurred.
This eliminates ambiguity regarding the classification of errors based on the exact time of their occurrence. You can also generate custom reports that give you more in-depth insights into the collected NTP data for future optimization.
Pinpoint sources of errors faster
Accurate time synchronization is essential for consistency across devices in your network. Many systems, including databases, file systems, and distributed applications, rely on precise timestamps.
Inaccurate time can lead to errors, data corruption, or inconsistencies. PRTG helps you spend less time racking your brain and comparing log files. Its easy-to-read dashboard gives you a 24/7 overview so you can identify the sources of errors and troubleshoot faster.
Avoid time differences between distributed systems
In distributed systems, particularly those spread across different geographical locations, accurate time synchronization is critical. PRTG ensures that time synchronization is up and running with the precise timestamp sent by an NTP server.
This way, you can avoid differences between local system times and the NTP server timestamp and prevent issues that could arise from time differences.
What NTP time server monitoring looks like in PRTG
Diagnose network issues by continuously tracking the availability, health, and performance of your NTP server. Show response times, time offset, NTP status, CPU load, and other key metrics in real time. Visualize monitoring data in clear graphs and dashboards to identify problems more easily. Gain the overview you need to troubleshoot NTP service and server hardware issues.
Device tree view of the complete monitoring setup
Preconfigured SNTP sensor in PRTG
Custom PRTG dashboard for keeping an eye on the entire IT infrastructure
Start monitoring NTP service management with PRTG and see how it can make your network more reliable and your job easier.
“All-around winning “The real beauty of PRTG is the endless possibilities it offers” “PRTG Network MonitorIT experts agree: Paessler PRTG is a great solution for IT infrastructure monitoring
network monitor”
is very hard to beat”
How NTP monitoring with PRTG works
A high-precision reference clock, such as a GPS satellite, is the basis of an NTP server’s timestamp.
PRTG’s preconfigured SNTP sensor continuously monitors the response time of an NTP server. It also compares the local system times of your network devices with the NTP server’s precise timestamp.
It can show the following metrics:
- Response time of the NTP server
- Local system time and precise NTP server time
- Time difference compared to the local system time
Your NTP monitor at a glance – even on the go
Set up PRTG in minutes and use it on almost any mobile device.
Find the root cause of the problem with our PRTG NTP monitoring solution
Real-time notifications mean faster troubleshooting so that you can act before more serious issues occur.
PRTG is compatible with all major vendors, products, and systems
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UVnetworks
UVexplorer integrates tightly with PRTG to bring fast and accurate network discovery, detailed device inventory, and automatic network mapping to the PRTG platform.
“Excellent tool for detailed monitoring. Alarms and notifications work greatly. Equipment addition is straight forward and server initial setup is very easy. ...feel safe to purchase it if you intend to monitor a large networking landscape.”
Infrastructure and Operations Engineer in the Communications Industry, firm size 10B - 30B USD
PRTG makes NTP server monitoring as easy as it gets
Custom alerts and data visualization let you quickly identify and prevent time synchronization issues.
Monitor NTP: FAQ
What is NTP?
The Network Time Protocol (NTP) is a protocol used to synchronize the clocks of computers over a network. It ensures that all participating devices on a network have the correct and consistent time.
The main purpose of NTP is to synchronize the clocks of computers within a network to a reference time source, which is typically highly accurate (like an atomic clock or GPS). This is crucial for time-sensitive applications and processes that require accurate time-stamping.
Use cases for accurate time synchronization include various domains such as financial transactions, logging events, security protocols, and networked systems that rely on distributed operations.
What’s the difference between NTP and SNTP?
SNTP stands for Simple Network Time Protocol. It is a simplified version of the full Network Time Protocol (NTP), designed for use in situations where the full complexity and accuracy of NTP is not necessary. While both SNTP and NTP serve the same basic purpose – synchronizing clocks across computer systems – they differ in terms of functionality and complexity.
What is NTP monitoring?
NTP monitoring refers to the process of observing and analyzing the performance and health of Network Time Protocol (NTP) servers and clients within a network. The goal of NTP monitoring is to ensure that all devices are accurately synchronized to the correct time and to identify any potential issues that could affect time synchronization.
Key aspects of NTP monitoring include:
Time synchronization accuracy:
- Monitoring the accuracy of the time on each client device compared to the reference time source (in milliseconds).
- Detecting any drift (difference) between the system clock and the NTP server clock, which could indicate issues with synchronization.
NTP server health:
- Checking the availability and responsiveness of NTP servers to ensure they are online and functioning properly.
- Monitoring the load and performance of NTP servers to prevent overloading, which could affect their ability to provide accurate time.
Stratum levels:
- Observing the stratum level reported by NTP clients and servers. A sudden change in stratum levels could indicate an issue with the primary time source.
- Ensuring that clients are synchronizing with an NTP server at the correct stratum level.
Network latency and jitter:
- Measuring network delays (latency) and jitter (variability in latency) between clients and NTP servers, as these factors can affect time accuracy.
- Monitoring the round-trip time of NTP requests to detect potential network issues.
NTP configuration and security:
- Verifying that NTP clients and servers are configured correctly with the appropriate time sources and settings.
- Monitoring for unauthorized changes or access attempts to the NTP infrastructure, which could indicate a security breach.
Alerts and reporting:
- Setting up alerts to notify administrators if time synchronization falls outside acceptable thresholds, if an NTP server becomes unavailable, or if other critical issues are detected.
- Generating reports on the status and performance of NTP servers and clients over time, which can help with troubleshooting and capacity planning.
Why should I monitor my NTP server?
Monitoring your NTP server is crucial for several reasons, all of which revolve around ensuring the reliability, accuracy, security, and overall health of your network's time synchronization system. With NTP monitoring, you can:
- Ensure accurate time synchronization to prevent, for example, transaction failures, log discrepancies, or security vulnerabilities
- Detect and prevent time drift to maintain an accurate and reliable time source
- Maintain server health and performance to prevent issues with the accuracy of time synchronization
- Optimize network performance by reducing latency and jitter
- Ensure time synchronization across remote networks
Can PRTG only monitor NTP?
No. Paessler PRTG is a comprehensive network monitoring tool that keeps an eye on your entire IT infrastructure using common technologies such as SNMP, WMI, SSH, ping, packet sniffing, and flow protocols. It comes as a Windows-based on-premises or a cloud-based SaaS solution. With its brand-new multi-platform probe, you can even run PRTG on Linux and other Unix-based systems.
What is a sensor in PRTG?
In PRTG, “sensors” are the basic monitoring elements. One sensor usually monitors one measured value in your network, for example the traffic of a switch port, the CPU load of a server, or the free space on a disk drive.
On average, you need about 5-10 sensors per device or one sensor per switch port.
PRTG: The multi-tool for sysadmins
Adapt PRTG individually and dynamically to your needs and rely on a strong API:- HTTP API: Access monitoring data and manipulate monitoring objects via HTTP requests
- Custom sensors: Create your own PRTG sensors for customized monitoring
- Custom notifications: Create your own notifications and send action triggers to external systems
- REST Custom sensor: Monitor almost everything that provides data in XML or JSON format
Paessler conducted trials in over 600 IT departments worldwide to tune its network monitoring software closer to the needs of sysadmins. We asked: would you recommend PRTG?
Over 95% of our customers say yes!
The result of the survey: over 95% of the participants would recommend PRTG – or already have.
Paessler PRTG is used by companies of all sizes. Sysadmins love PRTG because it makes their job a whole lot easier. Bandwidth, servers, virtual environments, websites, VoIP services – PRTG keeps an eye on your entire network. Everyone has different monitoring needs. That’s why we let you try PRTG for free.Still not convinced?
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PRTG |
Network Monitoring Software - Version 24.4.102.1351 (November 12th, 2024) |
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Hosting |
Download for Windows and cloud-based version PRTG Hosted Monitor available |
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English, German, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Dutch, Russian, Japanese, and Simplified Chinese |
Pricing |
Up to 100 sensors for free (Price List) |
Unified Monitoring |
Network devices, bandwidth, servers, applications, virtual environments, remote systems, IoT, and more |
Supported Vendors & Applications |
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