Crimson Pacific Networks AS401903
AS401903 / help

Frequently asked questions

Plain-language answers about who we are and why you might see us in your logs.

Why do I see your IPs in my logs?

Because we run public time servers, and something on your network asked us what time it is. That is almost always normal and harmless. Your computer, phone, smart TV, router or another device most likely reached out to us to get the current time.

Your device does not pick us on purpose. Most operating systems and routers are set up to use pool.ntp.org, a volunteer-run service. When a device looks that name up, the pool hands back a few servers from thousands around the world, and ours are among them. That is why the addresses seem random and why you may see them show up from time to time. The pool also rotates the list, so different devices (and the same device on different days) talk to different servers.

We only answer these requests. We do not scan, probe or attack anything, and a time request tells us nothing beyond your IP address and the moment the question arrived. If you would rather not use the pool, point your devices at a different time server in their settings. You can see the full list of our addresses on the home page, and how we handle the data in our privacy policy.

What is NTP?

NTP stands for Network Time Protocol. It is the way computers, phones and network equipment keep their clocks correct.

Every device has a clock, but cheap clocks drift: left alone, they gain or lose a few seconds every week. To stay accurate, a device periodically asks a time server for the correct time. It is a tiny question-and-answer exchange: your device sends a small message saying “what time is it?”, the server replies with its time, and your device nudges its own clock to match. The whole thing is under 100 bytes each way and takes a few milliseconds.

Servers get their time from very accurate sources such as GPS satellites or atomic clocks, then share it with others. That sharing forms layers called strata: stratum 1 servers are connected directly to a reference clock, stratum 2 servers get their time from stratum 1, and so on. Your device can sit at the end of that chain without ever knowing it.

Accurate time matters more than it seems. Logins, certificates, backups, financial records and security logs all depend on devices agreeing on what time it is.

How can I help?

The best way to help is to run a time server of your own and add it to the same volunteer pool we use. The more servers in the pool, the more reliable and fair it is for everyone.

To join the NTP Pool Project you generally need:

Then:

  1. Read the pool’s how to join page.
  2. Set up your time server and check that it keeps good time.
  3. Create an account on the pool management site and add your server’s IP address.
  4. Choose how much traffic you are comfortable with. The pool monitors your server and only sends traffic once it consistently keeps good time.

You can also help by sharing this page with someone who is curious about the strange addresses in their logs. You can see how our servers are doing on our NTP Pool page.

How can I peer?

“Peering” means two networks connecting directly to swap traffic instead of sending everything through a third party. If you run a network of your own and would like to connect with ours (AS401903), here is what we ask for. We are selective, so we do not accept every request.

What we require

What we allow

What we do not allow

To ask for a session, email noc@crimpac.com or reach us through our PeeringDB entry. You can see who we already connect with on the home page.

Where are your datacenters?

We are located in Fremont, CA and Sacramento, CA. We do not share more detail than that about our facilities.

How can I contact you?

Pick the address that matches what you need:

What to include in a report

To help us look into something quickly, please send logs or screenshots that show:

Timestamped logs work best. Without a date and time we usually cannot match the activity to our records. Please write to us in English.

If you only want to know why our addresses show up in your logs, see the first question. That is almost always just a device asking for the time, not an attack.