The Palo Alto Networks security platform must synchronize internal information system clocks to the authoritative time source when the time difference is greater than one second.

Inaccurate time stamps make it more difficult to correlate events and can lead to an inaccurate analysis. Determining the correct time a particular event occurred on a system is critical when conducting forensic analysis and investigating system events. Synchronizing internal information system clocks provides uniformity of time stamps for information systems with multiple system clocks and systems connected over a network.

The Palo Alto Networks security platform can be configured to use specified Network Time Protocol (NTP) servers. NTP is used to synchronize the system clock of a computer to reference time source. Sources outside of the configured acceptable allowance (drift) may be inaccurate. When properly configured, NTP will synchronize all participating computers to within a few milliseconds of the reference time source.