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NTP Servers

Hixbe provides free NTP (Network Time Protocol) and Roughtime servers to help you synchronize your systems’ clocks accurately and securely.

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NTP Server

Our NTP server provides reliable time synchronization for your applications and systems.

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Server Details

  • Hostname: time.hixbe.com
  • Protocol: NTP (Network Time Protocol)
  • Port: 123 (default NTP port)
  • Stratum: 2
  • Location: Global (multiple geographic locations)

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Usage Examples

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Linux/Unix Systems

Configure NTP client to use our server: 
# Add to /etc/ntp.conf
server time.hixbe.com iburst

# Or for systemd-timesyncd
# Edit /etc/systemd/timesyncd.conf
NTP=time.hixbe.com

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Windows

Configure Windows Time service: 
w32tm /config /manualpeerlist:time.hixbe.com /syncfromflags:manual /reliable:yes /update
w32tm /resync

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Programming Languages

Python: 
import ntplib
from time import ctime

c = ntplib.NTPClient()
response = c.request('time.hixbe.com', version=3)
print(ctime(response.tx_time))
Node.js: 
const ntp = require('ntp-client');

ntp.getNetworkTime('time.hixbe.com', 123, (err, date) => {
  if (err) {
    console.error(err);
    return;
  }
  console.log('Current time:', date);
});

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Roughtime Server

Roughtime is a secure time synchronization protocol designed to be robust against network attackers. We also provide access to Cloudflare’s Roughtime server.

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Server Details

  • Hostname: roughtime.hixbe.com
  • Protocol: Roughtime
  • Port: 2002
  • Provider: Cloudflare

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Usage Examples

Go: 
package main

import (
    "fmt"
    "log"
    "time"

    "github.com/hixbe/roughtime"
)

func main() {
    config := &roughtime.Config{
        ServerAddress: "roughtime.hixbe.com:2002",
    }

    result, err := roughtime.Get(config)
    if err != nil {
        log.Fatal(err)
    }

    fmt.Printf("Current time: %s\n", time.Unix(0, result.Midpoint.UnixNano()))
}
Python (using roughtime library): 
import roughtime

client = roughtime.RoughtimeClient()
client.add_server("roughtime.hixbe.com", 2002)

try:
    response = client.get_time()
    print(f"Current time: {response}")
except Exception as e:
    print(f"Error: {e}")

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Best Practices

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NTP Best Practices

  1. Use Multiple Servers: Configure multiple NTP servers for redundancy
  2. Monitor Time Synchronization: Regularly check that your systems are properly synchronized
  3. Use Authentication: When possible, use authenticated NTP (NTPv4 with autokey)
  4. Firewall Configuration: Ensure UDP port 123 is open for NTP traffic

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Roughtime Best Practices

  1. Use for Security-Critical Applications: Roughtime provides cryptographic security guarantees
  2. Combine with NTP: Use Roughtime for security and NTP for precision
  3. Verify Certificates: Always verify server certificates when available

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Monitoring

You can monitor the health of our NTP servers:
  • NTP Pool Status: Check https://www.ntppool.org/scores/time.hixbe.com
  • Server Statistics: Available at https://time.hixbe.com/stats

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Support

If you encounter any issues with our time servers:
  • Email: support@hixbe.com
  • Documentation: Check our FAQ
  • Status Page: Visit https://status.hixbe.com for real-time server status

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Terms of Service

  • Free Usage: These services are provided free of charge
  • Fair Usage: Please respect reasonable usage limits
  • No SLA: While we strive for high availability, no service level agreement is provided
  • No Warranty: Services are provided “as is” without warranty

NTP Pool Project

Learn more about NTP and join the NTP Pool

Roughtime Specification

Technical details about the Roughtime protocol