Single Reference time servers provide time to Secondary time servers and to their own client workstations.
This server determines the time for the entire network. The network supervisor sets the time on the Single Reference time server. (It is possible for the time to be synchronized to an external clock.)
Because the Single Reference time server is the source of time on the network, all other servers must be able to contact it.
The following figure illustrates a Single Reference time server providing time to Secondary time servers and to its own client workstations. The Secondary time servers, in turn, provide time to their own client workstations.
Single Reference Time Server
The Single Reference time server works on networks of any size, but the time synchronization configuration shown in the diagram is used primarily for small networks that don't include WAN links.
Note that if you use a Single Reference time server, avoid using Primary or Reference time servers in the same tree because the time references might conflict.