IPv4 is not history yet

While Internet Protocol version 4 (IPv4) has been the standard protocol for over 20 years, it will likely be obsolete in the reasonably near future as the world transitions to IPv6. The transition will not happen overnight, however, requiring organizations to maintain equipment and networks that can support both IPv4 and IPv6. Because this period will likely see the rise of interoperability issues and increased complexity of network operations, it is imperative that organizations maintain highly accurate network timekeeping with time servers that can support IPv4 as well as IPv6. For such devices, organizations around the world consistently turn to Symmetricom.

Symmetricom delivers time servers with support for both IPv4 and IPv6

As a leading provider of network time servers, Symmetricom now delivers time servers that support the old internet protocol, IPv4, as well as the new IPv6. The SyncServer S200 GPS Network Time Server is a Stratum 1 appliance with an integrated GPS receiver. The S200, using the atomic clocks aboard GPS satellites, provides time accurate to within 25 microseconds. Designed for extraordinary flexibility, these IPv4 compliant time servers can adapt to any network structure and support tens of thousands of clients. With easy-to-use features and an intuitive web-based interface, network administrators can easily manage network timekeeping and ensure the smooth transition from an IPv4-based network to the networks of the future.

Smooth transition from IPv4 necessitates accurate timekeeping

As organizations begin the transition from IPv4 to IPv6, highly accurate network timekeeping can help to ensure high availability, protect against data loss and improve security.

When organizations lack a highly accurate time server, the various clocks on a network can drift, causing data operations that are dependent upon strict chronology to be executed out of order, slowing or even suspending critical operations. Symmetricom’s S200 time servers, supporting both IPv4 and IPv6 protocols, contribute to uninterrupted data availability by ensuring that standard data operations are executed in the proper chronological order.

The S200 can also help to reduce data loss, a significant concern during the move away from IPv4. Accidental data loss can occur when an older version of a file is stamped with an inaccurate timestamp and inadvertently saved as the newest version of the file, overwriting the more recent version. By ensuring that the timestamp on each file is accurate within microseconds, data loss can be mitigated.

Finally, Symmetricom’s IPv4 / IPv6 time servers can help improve security by ensuring more accurate timestamps on log files. Accurate log files are essential to efficient troubleshooting and analysis of breaches in network security.