Our NTP Infrastructure Since 2005
20+ years of time synchronization
A passion for the NTP protocol doesn't come out of nowhere. In 2005, the first NTP servers were put into service. Not for a client. Not to sell a service. Just to contribute to the NTP pool and participate in the common effort. What started as a volunteer contribution has become, over time, a core technical asset operated on our own AS206014.
Timeline: from 2005 to today
Every step of this infrastructure has been driven by the same conviction: time synchronization is a public good of the Internet that deserves serious and lasting investment.
First NTP servers
Fresh out of university, the first NTP servers are put into service — including a server I managed for a friend's father. The goal is simple: contribute to the global NTP pool and participate in the community effort. At the time, it was driven by a thirst for learning and a certain vision of the Internet — you build, you share, you improve together.
First public traces
The contribution to the global NTP pool becomes publicly visible. The domain ntp.demongeot.biz is already online and referenced in Web archives.
Scaling up
Multiplication of servers in the pool. The infrastructure moves beyond a single server to become a coherent set of machines dedicated to time synchronization, spread across multiple points of presence.
Upgrade to Stratum 1
Deployment of the first Stratum 1 server equipped with a GNSS receiver (GPS/Galileo) with PPS (Pulse Per Second) signal. The infrastructure moves from secondary synchronization (Stratum 2) to a direct time reference, with microsecond-level accuracy.
RDEM Systems SAS founded
Foundation of RDEM Systems. The NTP infrastructure, previously operated personally, begins its transition to a professional framework. The expertise accumulated over 11 years becomes a company asset.
AS206014, NTS and official transfer
A pivotal year. Acquisition and deployment of AS206014 — NTP servers are now operated on RDEM Systems' own network, with full control over routing, peering, and quality of service. Direct connection to Parisian IXPs.
Late 2025: activation of NTS (Network Time Security) across the entire infrastructure, systematic deployment of dual-stack IPv4/IPv6, support for 8 different TLDs for maximum DNS redundancy.
Official transfer of the entire historical NTP infrastructure to RDEM Systems. What was born as a volunteer contribution in 2005 is now a structured technical pillar of the company, with 20+ years of continuous operational experience.
Proof of history
In the NTP world, longevity is not just a matter of prestige. An operator who has maintained servers for over 20 years has weathered dozens of protocol updates, leap seconds, hardware failures, and network evolutions. This experience translates into proven reliability.
The history of our infrastructure is documented by independent sources:
- January 2007: the domain
ntp.demongeot.bizis archived by the Wayback Machine - February 2007: contribution to the global NTP pool visible on ntppool.org
- 2005-2026: 20+ years of continuous operation without major interruption
The NTP pool monitoring system assigns a reliability score to each server. This score is built over time: a server that has been stable for years accumulates a history of correct responses that reinforces the pool's trust. A new server, even perfectly configured, must prove its reliability over months before reaching the same level of trust.
Current architecture
RDEM Systems' NTP infrastructure is built on a strict hierarchy, from the GNSS receiver to end clients:
Infrastructure components
- 1 Stratum 1 server: Raspberry Pi + GNSS receiver (GPS/Galileo) + PPS signal
- >10 Stratum 2 servers: ntp1 to ntp11.rdem-systems.com, in the global NTP pool
- Primary network AS206014: BGP routing, peering at Parisian IXPs — some servers also hosted on transit operator networks or rented machines
- Dual-stack IPv4/IPv6 on all public servers
- NTS (Network Time Security) enabled across the infrastructure
- 8 different TLDs for maximum DNS redundancy
- Equinix hosting in the Paris area, in our own racks
- 24/7 monitoring with automated alerts
Infrastructure in numbers
Our philosophy
What started as a volunteer contribution has become, over time, a core technical asset. But the philosophy hasn't changed:
We don't sell NTP services. We operate a public infrastructure because we believe that time synchronization is a public good. The same conviction that drove the first server in 2005 guides our decisions today:
- Contributing to the NTP pool: our servers handle millions of daily requests for the community
- Maintaining reference quality: maximum reliability score, sub-millisecond accuracy
- Investing for the long term: 20+ years of continuous operation, and counting
- Sharing knowledge: technical documentation, guides, and experience reports
Our reliability score and server status are publicly available at our official NTP Pool page. Full transparency.
RDEM Systems provides 24/7 managed services and on-call support for your servers — NTP/NTS synchronization included. Discover managed services →
Synchronize with an infrastructure that has real history
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