About

This is a community time server that responds to Network Time Protocol (NTP) v4 requests and supports Network Time Security (NTS). You are encouraged to use NTS where possible.

Stratum: 1

Reference clock: GPS + Galileo Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) simultaneously

PPS: Yes, aligned to UTC(USNO)

Location: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

Service area: Intended for use by clients in North America

Restrictions: Server hostname or IP address may not be hard-coded in any hardware or software without advance explicit written permission from the time server operator

Contact: admin at the above domain (without “time” subdomain)

The server runs on a Raspberry Pi 4 with 8 GB of RAM. The GNSS receiver is a u-blox NEO-M8T timing module, which has timing accuracy of ≤ 20 ns with the antenna having a clear view of the sky. The module is on installed on a Hardware Attached on Top (HAT) manufactured by Waveshare, and is connected via the GPIO pins on the Raspberry Pi.

The GNSS receiver antenna is in a stationary position with a nearly unobstructed view of the sky, behind a thin non-metallic roof for protection. Its location has been surveyed-in for maximum accuracy.

The server is backed up by National Research Council Canada (NRC) authenticated NTP pool of servers. In the rare event that GNSS signals are unhealthy or are otherwise unavailable, such as during a severe solar storm, the server will switch to NRC backup sources, and will continue to serve time aligned to UTC(NRC), but as a higher stratum level server.

The refclock directive has the “trust” option set, and it is the only source with this option. Therefore, the NRC backup servers will never cause the refclock to become a falseticker.

NTP/NTS service is provided by chrony. GPS facilities are provided by gpsd. SSL certificates are provided by Let’s Encrypt Certificate Authority.

Usage

To use the server, add the following line in your configuration file for either NTPsec or chrony (or may be adapted to your environment):

server time.web-clock.ca iburst nts

The iburst option makes the first update of the clock sooner by sending a burst of 4-8 requests.

The nts option enables authentication using the NTS mechanism.

All of the above flags are optional.

Disclaimer

Every effort was made to ensure that the server operates as intended and serves the correct time every time, however its use comes with absolutely no warranty of any kind. Its use is solely at your own risk. By using the server, you agree to accept all risks associated with its use.

This page was last updated on: May 1, 2025