Tardis 2000 is a vintage Windows networking utility designed to synchronize and maintain the exact time on a computer or across an entire network. Released in the late 1990s and early 2000s by Mingham-Smith, it serves as a historical software tool named after the famous time machine from Doctor Who due to its time-keeping nature. Key Features of Tardis 2000
The software was highly flexible for its era, pulling accurate time data from several advanced sources:
Multi-Protocol Support: It seamlessly utilizes RFC868 (Time), RFC867 (Daytime), RFC2030 (SNTP), and Network Time Protocol (NTP) broadcasts.
Hardware Integration: The tool can sync via GPS receivers (including Kallisto and NMEA-compliant cards) and specialized Radio clocks.
Windows Service Mode: It functions as a native Windows service, allowing it to run quietly in the background without needing a user to be logged in.
Server-Client Architecture: A single computer running Tardis 2000 can act as a master time source to sync all other workstations on a local area network (LAN). History and Legacy
Tardis 2000 was developed during an era when PC motherboards had notoriously unreliable internal clocks (Real-Time Clocks), which would drift by seconds or minutes every week. In the context of early business networking, precise system times were crucial for accurate file stamping, logging, and security database synchronization.
While the software was a popular third-party tool for system administrators during the Windows 95, 98, and NT era, it eventually became obsolete. Microsoft integrated the Windows Time Service (W32Time) directly into Windows 2000 and subsequent operating systems, natively automating the NTP sync process and eliminating the need for standalone utilities like Tardis 2000.
If you are looking for specific troubleshooting tips for this legacy software, or if you were actually searching for the fictional history of the Doctor Who Type 40 TARDIS, let me know and I can provide those details! Doctor Who: 10 Secrets Of The TARDIS You Need To Know
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