Whenever an event occurs in the Directory database, such as when a password is changed or an object is renamed, NDS requests a time stamp. A time stamp is a unique code that identifies the event and notes the time of its occurrence.
The time stamp is used in the event of collisions (multiple changes to the same object from different servers) on the network to determine the source location and sequence of events.
Time stamps are especially important when Directory partitions are replicated and need to be concurrent with one another.
NDS uses time stamps to: