# Before NTP there were Time and Daytime

DevFeed: [Before NTP there were Time and Daytime](<https://devfeed.tech/articles/before-ntp-there-were-time-and-daytime-10481.md>)

Original publisher: [Read original article](<https://www.jeffgeerling.com/blog/2026/rfc-867-868-time/>)

Author: jeff@jeffgeerling.com (Jeff Geerling)

Published: 2026-08-30T22:09:00Z

Content type: article

Language: en

Sources: [Jeff Geerling](<https://devfeed.tech/sources/jeff-geerling.md>)

Topics: [networking](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/networking.md>), [Protocol (disambiguation)](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/protocol.md>), [Unix](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/unix.md>)

Tags: [apple](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/apple.md>), [bug](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/bug.md>), [daytime](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/daytime.md>), [history](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/history.md>), [network](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/network.md>), [ntp](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/ntp.md>), [rfc-867](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/rfc-867.md>), [rfc-868](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/rfc-868.md>), [server](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/server.md>), [time](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/time.md>)

## AI overview

The article examines the pre-NTP Time and Daytime protocols, RFC 868 and RFC 867, and explains how they provided simple network-based time retrieval. It describes the protocols' low overhead and limitations, including one-second resolution, lack of network-delay measurement, and the 2036 32-bit rollover bug.

## Source excerpt

In building an NTP time demo on old Macs for VCF Midwest, I came across RFC 867 and RFC 868, for the 'Daytime' and 'Time' Protocols, respectively. My first exposure to any form of network time was when I upgraded from a used PowerBook 180c to my first 'new' computer, a Power Mac G3, in 2000. With the introduction of Mac OS 8.5, Apple added a 'Network Time Server' option in the Date & Time Control Panel.