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Author Topic: Managed switch that can act as an NTP server? Mark Gulbrandsen Resident Trollmaster Posts: 16657 From: Music City Registered: Jun 99 posted 04-25-2018 10:26 PM                     quote: Carsten Kurz The trouble is, in most cinemas, no one wants the equipment to have any internet connections at all for security reasons. Don't your multiplex cinemas have a Windoez based TMS? If so they already have the time server and connection wires that are needed. The fact that the servers run on Linux is irrelevant. The Linux based device is just wanting a standard protocol time signal which the Windoez based TMS can easily put out. All but two of my customers have a TMS or a booth computer that is connected to the net and used for remote access by the theater owner in many cases to do scheduling and content transfer without having to go to the actual work place. If the TMS is net connected via a VPN then it is quite safe from hackers. Mark  |  IP: Logged Marcel Birgelen Film God Posts: 3357 From: Maastricht, Limburg, Netherlands Registered: Feb 2012 posted 04-26-2018 01:48 AM                     Usually, it should not be a problem to open a network for NTP clients to the Internet without causing any security issues, as long as you know what you're doing. So, instead of having a local NTP server that could run haywire, I'd rather let those machines connect to a public NTP pool. We're talking about simple show scheduling applications, so we don't need time that's accurate to the nanosecond anyway. The chance of a whole pool failing is pretty neglectable. Also, if the Internet connection fails, I can reasonably assume it will sufficiently annoy the day to day operations, somebody will eventually manage to repair it. But we're a bunch of engineers, aren't we? If we need an NTP server, we build one ourselves. It's a rather old guide, but the basics are still sound. So, if you're stuck at a location without a stable Internet connection, this kind of device is a good alternative to the "professional" stratum 1 servers, which easily sell for a few thousand dollars.  |  IP: Logged Carsten Kurz Film God Posts: 4340 From: Cologne, NRW, Germany Registered: Aug 2009 posted 04-26-2018 05:05 AM                     With a TMS, no problem. There are many sites, of course, without a TMS. I know many sites that do not even have a general purpose computer connected to the projection system, projectors/servers are operated fully manual. Some of them still need a decent accurate time. I myself have no problem to allow NTP on a standard router. But some people do. - Carsten  |  IP: Logged Mark Gulbrandsen Resident Trollmaster Posts: 16657 From: Music City Registered: Jun 99 posted 04-26-2018 10:04 AM                     quote: Carsten Kurz I myself have no problem to allow NTP on a standard router. But some people do. Those people probably have no buisness running a theater then... Why on earth would they worry about NTP? Thats just silly... Mark  |  IP: Logged Marcel Birgelen Film God Posts: 3357 From: Maastricht, Limburg, Netherlands Registered: Feb 2012 posted 04-26-2018 11:50 AM                     Well, NTP isn't entirely without issues. It's a pretty old protocol and you should be sure not to open up your network to random NTP traffic from unknown sources. NTP has been used in amplification DDoS attacks and if you've got an NTP server on your network that's vulnerable and is reachable over the Internet, it can lead to serious impact, both on your internet connectivity and on your local network. Also, some ISPs might actually cut or severely limit your Internet connection in such a situation, because you're essentially participating in a "zombie network". Also, some NTP implementations are notoriously hard to configure as a client-only device and they'll run as an NTP server for the public as a "bonus". So, nothing wrong with allowing NTP from inside to outside your network, but make sure the other side around is closed or else stuff might just someday start to fall apart.  |  IP: Logged Mark Gulbrandsen Resident Trollmaster Posts: 16657 From: Music City Registered: Jun 99 posted 04-26-2018 07:44 PM                     It works just fine for me. All but several customers are using it and everyones servers are on time except the several that are not getting it. A certain brand of server may have to have very specific settings in order for it to work, this is true of GDC. But they supply the complete set up schemeyou need to use. Mark  |  IP: Logged

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