Hello, and what is NTPD?

[<BSDOMisc@xenakis.demon.co.uk>]

First of all, hello, I'm new to Open BSD (and impressed by it).

I've got a system going, and was wandering through rc.conf to see and
understand what servers are running. Most seem nicely documented, but I
could find nothing in man or apropos on a server called "ntpd".

This acronym mean nothing to me, except to remind me of NYPD (the New
York Police Department?). So, I thought, maybe the PD in ntpd stands for
Police Department. This would suggest policing, implying some
organisation might want to police Open BSD, but doesn't want to make it
too obvious that they're doing so (by hiding the documentation), yet
clearly isn't wildly adept at BSD practice given a simple investigation
by a beginner has spotted their server. So can anyone think of an
organisation in the computer world who fits this description, which
might want to do this, and which is in some way associated with the
letters NT?

Ok, seriously, can someone slay my paranoia by telling me what ntpd
actually is, or, more appropriate, where I should have looked to find
out for myself? Thanks.

Dylan Harris

---
Dylan Harris, 070 50 164 263
http://www.cyberspace.co.uk/dylan.asp
email:oh@bugger.it

Legally, this email is all rumour and no reality.