How to Query an NTP Server using C#?

Question

All I need is a way to query an NTP Server using C# to get the Date Time of the NTP Server returned as either a string or as a DateTime.

H

Answer 1

http://www.codeproject.com/Articles/237501/Windows-Phone-NTP-Client is going to work well for Windows Phone .

Adding the relevant code

/// 

/// Class for acquiring time via Ntp. Useful for applications in which correct world time must be used and the 
/// clock on the device isn't "trusted."
/// 
public class NtpClient
{
    /// 

    /// Contains the time returned from the Ntp request
    /// 
    public class TimeReceivedEventArgs : EventArgs
    {
        public DateTime CurrentTime { get; internal set; }
    }

    /// 

    /// Subscribe to this event to receive the time acquired by the NTP requests
    /// 
    public event EventHandler TimeReceived;

    protected void OnTimeReceived(DateTime time)
    {
        if (TimeReceived != null)
        {
            TimeReceived(this, new TimeReceivedEventArgs() { CurrentTime = time });
        }
    }


    /// 

    /// Not reallu used. I put this here so that I had a list of other NTP servers that could be used. I'll integrate this
    /// information later and will provide method to allow some one to choose an NTP server.
    /// 
    public string[] NtpServerList = new string[]
    {
        "pool.ntp.org ",
        "asia.pool.ntp.org",
        "europe.pool.ntp.org",
        "north-america.pool.ntp.org",
        "oceania.pool.ntp.org",
        "south-america.pool.ntp.org",
        "time-a.nist.gov"
    };

    string _serverName;
    private Socket _socket;

    /// 

    /// Constructor allowing an NTP server to be specified
    /// 
    /// the name of the NTP server to be used
    public NtpClient(string serverName)
    {
        _serverName = serverName;
    }


    /// 

    /// 
    /// 
    public NtpClient()
        : this("time-a.nist.gov")
    { }

    /// 

    /// Begins the network communication required to retrieve the time from the NTP server
    /// 
    public void RequestTime()
    {
        byte[] buffer = new byte[48];
        buffer[0] = 0x1B;
        for (var i = 1; i < buffer.Length; ++i)
            buffer[i] = 0;
        DnsEndPoint _endPoint = new DnsEndPoint(_serverName, 123);

        _socket = new Socket(AddressFamily.InterNetwork, SocketType.Dgram, ProtocolType.Udp);
        SocketAsyncEventArgs sArgsConnect = new SocketAsyncEventArgs() { RemoteEndPoint = _endPoint };
        sArgsConnect.Completed += (o, e) =>
        {
            if (e.SocketError == SocketError.Success)
            {
                SocketAsyncEventArgs sArgs = new SocketAsyncEventArgs() { RemoteEndPoint = _endPoint };
                sArgs.Completed +=
                    new EventHandler(sArgs_Completed);
                sArgs.SetBuffer(buffer, 0, buffer.Length);
                sArgs.UserToken = buffer;
                _socket.SendAsync(sArgs);
            }
        };
        _socket.ConnectAsync(sArgsConnect);

    }

    void sArgs_Completed(object sender, SocketAsyncEventArgs e)
    {
        if (e.SocketError == SocketError.Success)
        {
            byte[] buffer = (byte[])e.Buffer;
            SocketAsyncEventArgs sArgs = new SocketAsyncEventArgs();
            sArgs.RemoteEndPoint = e.RemoteEndPoint;

            sArgs.SetBuffer(buffer, 0, buffer.Length);
            sArgs.Completed += (o, a) =>
            {
                if (a.SocketError == SocketError.Success)
                {
                    byte[] timeData = a.Buffer;

                    ulong hTime = 0;
                    ulong lTime = 0;

                    for (var i = 40; i <= 43; ++i)
                        hTime = hTime << 8 | buffer[i];
                    for (var i = 44; i <= 47; ++i)
                        lTime = lTime << 8 | buffer[i];
                    ulong milliseconds = (hTime * 1000 + (lTime * 1000) / 0x100000000L);

                    TimeSpan timeSpan =
                        TimeSpan.FromTicks((long)milliseconds * TimeSpan.TicksPerMillisecond);
                    var currentTime = new DateTime(1900, 1, 1) + timeSpan;
                    OnTimeReceived(currentTime);

                }
            };
            _socket.ReceiveAsync(sArgs);
        }
    }
}

Usage :

public partial class MainPage : PhoneApplicationPage
{
    private NtpClient _ntpClient;
    public MainPage()
    {
        InitializeComponent();
        _ntpClient = new NtpClient();
        _ntpClient.TimeReceived += new EventHandler(_ntpClient_TimeReceived);
    }

    void _ntpClient_TimeReceived(object sender, NtpClient.TimeReceivedEventArgs e)
    {
        this.Dispatcher.BeginInvoke(() =>
                                        {
                                            txtCurrentTime.Text = e.CurrentTime.ToLongTimeString();
                                            txtSystemTime.Text = DateTime.Now.ToUniversalTime().ToLongTimeString();
                                        });
    }

    private void UpdateTimeButton_Click(object sender, RoutedEventArgs e)
    {
        _ntpClient.RequestTime();
    }
}