# About the PTPSync category

**URL:** <http://discussions.gridprotectionalliance.org/t/about-the-ptpsync-category/553>\
**Category:** PTPSync\
**Created:** [August 28, 2019, 6:54pm UTC](http://discussions.gridprotectionalliance.org/t/about-the-ptpsync-category/553 "2019-08-28T18:54:14Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![ritchiecarroll](http://discussions.gridprotectionalliance.org/user_avatar/discussions.gridprotectionalliance.org/ritchiecarroll/32/2_2.png) [@ritchiecarroll](http://discussions.gridprotectionalliance.org/u/ritchiecarroll)\
**Post date:** [August 28, 2019, 6:54pm UTC](http://discussions.gridprotectionalliance.org/t/about-the-ptpsync-category/553/1 "2019-08-28T18:54:14Z")

</div>

Ths discussion topic covers the Precision Time Protocol Synchronization Service for Windows.

The [Precision Time Protocol](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Precision_Time_Protocol) (PTP) defined in IEEE 1588 is a protocol used to synchronize clocks over a network. It represents a major improvement over [NTP](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Network_Time_Protocol). On a local area network, it can achieve clock synchronization in the sub-microsecond range, making it ideal for time-sensitive Windows-hosted measurement systems like the [openPDC](https://github.com/GridProtectionAlliance/openPDC) and [substationSBG](https://github.com/GridProtectionAlliance/substationSBG).

Note that newer versions of Windows, specifically Windows Server 2019 and post 2018 releases of Windows 10, already support PTP. You can validate that the version of Windows you are using supports PTP by looking for the provider DLL:

```auto
%windir%\system32\ptpprov.dll

```

If the PTP provider DLL exists on your system, [see official instructions for its configuration](https://github.com/microsoft/W32Time/tree/master/Precision%20Time%20Protocol).

For all other Windows operating environments, PTPSync is a Windows service that can be used to synchronize the operating system clock to within a few microseconds of precision on most local networks (see [Windows Time Precision](https://github.com/GridProtectionAlliance/PTPSync#windows-time-precision)) when used with a [clock that supports PTP](https://github.com/GridProtectionAlliance/PTPSync#ptp-clock-vendors).