NTP Network Time Server DNTS-9 Application Case · Beijing Zhongxinchuang Technology Co., Ltd.

Figure 1: Physical view of the DNTS-9 NTP network time server (Beijing Zhongxinchuang Technology Co., Ltd.)

I. Introduction to the Fenghuang County Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital

Fenghuang County Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital (officially named Fenghuang County Ethnic TCM Hospital) is located in Fenghuang County, Xiangxi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, Hunan Province. Established in 1975, it is a national Grade II-A TCM hospital that integrates medical care, education, scientific research, disease prevention, emergency services, and rehabilitation. It also serves as the affiliated institution for the Fenghuang County “120” Emergency Center, the Institute of Ethnic Medicine, and the Forensic Identification Center, while undertaking clinical teaching responsibilities for institutions such as the Xiangya Medical College of Central South University and the Medical College of Jishou University.

The hospital comprises clinical departments such as Internal Medicine, Surgery, Orthopedics and Traumatology, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Pediatrics, Emergency Medicine, Intensive Care Unit (ICU), Rehabilitation Medicine, and Hemodialysis, as well as medical technology departments including the Laboratory, Radiology, and Pharmacy. It is equipped with advanced medical equipment, including MRI, CT, DR, color Doppler ultrasound, fully automated biochemical analyzers, ventilators, and electrocardiographic monitors, and offers traditional Chinese medicine–based services such as acupuncture, tuina massage, and preventive healthcare. With the ongoing advancement of hospital informationization, multiple business systems—such as the hospital information system, electronic health records, laboratory and imaging testing, outpatient appointment‑calling, and video surveillance—are operating in parallel, each imposing clear requirements for a unified, standardized time reference.

II. Customer Requirements

During the project’s preliminary research and solution‑alignment phases, the Fenghuang County Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, in light of its existing hospital information system, articulated the following requirements:

• Unified Time Reference: In-hospital business systems such as HIS, EMR, LIS, and PACS, as well as terminal devices including outpatient queuing displays, self-service kiosks, laboratory testing equipment, video surveillance systems, and access control systems, must be synchronized to a single time source to prevent time discrepancies arising from independent timekeeping across systems.
• Traceable recording of timestamps: The creation dates of medical documents—including outpatient and inpatient records, examination and laboratory reports, nursing notes, and surgical and anesthesia records—must be accurate and consistent to comply with relevant standards for medical quality and medical record management.
• Continuous and stable operation: The equipment must support satellite time synchronization and, when satellite signals are affected by weather, obstructions, or other factors, rely on an internal timing unit to maintain accurate time output, ensuring uninterrupted time‑synchronization services within the facility.
• Convenient deployment and operations: The equipment is installed in the hospital’s central data center, with simple installation and configuration, and supports remote management and status monitoring, thereby reducing the daily maintenance workload of the IT department.
• Security and Compliance: Supports identity authentication, access control, and logging, meeting the relevant management requirements for network security and classified protection in healthcare information systems.

III. Procured Products (Technical Specifications of DNTS-9)

The core product procured and deployed for this project is the DNTS-9 NTP network time server, independently developed by Beijing Zhongxinchuang Technology Co., Ltd.

Figure 2: Physical view of the DNTS-9 NTP network time server interface (Beijing Zhongxinchuang Technology Co., Ltd.)

IV. Solution

• Core Time Source Deployment: Deploy the DNTS‑9 NTP time server in the hospital’s central computer room as the hospital’s primary time source. It receives BeiDou/GPS satellite signals via a rooftop GNSS antenna, establishing a time reference independent of external networks.
• Multi‑source redundancy and timing assurance: A temperature‑compensated crystal oscillator–based timing unit is configured; when satellite signals experience brief anomalies, the internal timing unit continues to provide external time synchronization, ensuring uninterrupted time‑service continuity.
• Network-wide time distribution: Through the hospital’s core switch, NTP time services are distributed to business servers such as HIS, EMR, LIS, and PACS, as well as to terminals including outpatient call‑number displays, self‑service kiosks, laboratory testing equipment, video surveillance systems, access control devices, and digital wall clocks.
• Centralized Monitoring and Alerting: Through the web management interface and the DNTS-Manager centralized monitoring platform (using SNMP and Syslog), the system provides unified monitoring and alerting for device operating status, satellite lock status, and client synchronization status.
• Security and Compliance: Supports MD5/SHA authentication, AES/DES encryption, user role-based access control, and time‑stamped logging for traceability, aligning with hospital information security classification and protection requirements.

Figure 3: Schematic Diagram of the In-Hospital Network Time-Synchronization Architecture at Fenghuang County Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital (Schematic illustration; not an actual photograph)

V. Implementation Results

• In-hospital business systems such as HIS, EMR, LIS, and PACS, along with terminals for queue management, surveillance, and access control, are all synchronized to a unified time source, with time deviations across all terminals consistently maintained within the millisecond range.
• The consistency of timestamps across medical records, laboratory and imaging reports, and system logs has been improved, facilitating healthcare quality management and record traceability.
• With dual redundancy provided by the satellite timing and timekeeping unit, the equipment can continue to deliver stable timing services even during brief interruptions of satellite signals.
• The Information Technology Department can monitor device status and client synchronization through the management interface, and promptly address any anomalies via alerts, thereby reducing the workload of routine inspections.
• The project was completed and delivered on schedule and put into operation, with stable equipment performance that meets the technical requirements stipulated in the contract.

VI. Typical Application Cases (Selected Users in the Healthcare and Pharmaceutical Industries)

Numerous medical institutions and pharmaceutical companies have adopted Beijing Zhongxin Chuang’s NTP/clock server products. The relevant user organizations include (in no particular order):

• Peking Union Medical College Hospital
• General Hospital of the People’s Liberation Army
• Cancer Hospital of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences
• Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University
• Peking University People's Hospital
• Beijing Children’s Hospital
• China-Japan Friendship Hospital
• Peking University Third Hospital
• Beijing Second Hospital
• Huashan Hospital, Fudan University
• Shanghai First People’s Hospital
• Shanghai Yangpu District Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital
• Shandong Provincial Police General Hospital
• Rencheng District People’s Hospital, Jining City
• The Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University
• People’s Liberation Army Hospital No. 187
• Jinan City Fifth People’s Hospital
• Linzi District Maternal and Child Health Hospital
• Qufu People’s Hospital
• Datong City Second People’s Hospital
• Affiliated Hospital of Beihua University
• Suzhou Municipal Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital
• Yueyang Municipal Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital
• Ar Horqin Banner Hospital
• Jiujiang Maternal and Child Health Hospital
• Luoyang No. 6 People’s Hospital
• Ar Horqin Banner Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital
• Dongying People’s Hospital
• Fushun Central Hospital
• The Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University
• Yanjiao People’s Hospital, Sanhe City
• Zhongwei City Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital
• Jiangjin District Central Hospital, Chongqing City
• Zhungeer Banner Central Hospital
• Taizhou Hospital
• Ili Jiangsu Hospital
• Shijiazhuang Fourth Hospital
• Bozhou People’s Hospital
• Foshan Chancheng Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital
• Quzhou City Hospital
• Deyang Municipal Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, Sichuan Province
• Lianjiang People’s Hospital
• Rongcheng Hospital, Xiong’an New Area
• Yuncheng Municipal Stomatological Hospital
• Qishan County Maternal and Child Health and Family Planning Service Center
• Kaiping Central Hospital
• Dengzhou Ruibei New People’s Hospital
• Chongqing Southeast Hospital
• Linfen People’s Hospital
• Jiangxi Hospital
• Pinggu Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital
• Etuoke Banner Second People’s Hospital
• Fuzhou City Palliative Care Center
• Shule County People’s Hospital
• Liaoning Dafang Hospital
• Hunan Provincial Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital
• The Sixth People’s Hospital of Nansha District, Guangzhou City
• Northwest Normal University
• Wuhan Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital
• Yuzhou People’s Hospital
• Dongying Port Hospital
• Stomatology Hospital of Southern Medical University
• Dafeng Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital
• Suining City Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital
• Antiprano Hospital
• Shuozhou People’s Hospital
• Rushan Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital
• Xiaoyi City Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital
• Peking University Third Hospital
• Dalian Municipal Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital
• Shizhu Tujia Autonomous County People’s Hospital
• Huangmei County Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, Hubei Province
• Lianshui County People’s Hospital
• Jinyintan Hospital, Wuhan
• Suzhou Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital
• Xinjiang Jashi People’s Hospital
• People’s Hospital of Shule County, Xinjiang
• Ordos City Mongolian Medicine Hospital
• Jiangxi Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine
• Shijiazhuang Huayao
• Facheng Pharmaceutical
• Qingfeng Pharmaceutical Group
• Shandong New Era Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.
• Zhejiang Haixiang Pharmaceutical

Note: The above is a partial list of participating organizations; the order does not imply ranking.

VII. Conclusion

The choice of numerous departments and enterprises reflects the broad user base’s recognition of Zhongxinchuang’s products and services. Beijing Zhongxinchuang Technology Co., Ltd. will continue to uphold its corporate mission of “Innovating Technology, Serving a Better Life,” working in sincere cooperation with partners from all sectors to jointly achieve win-win outcomes for both the company and society!

VIII. Regarding Beijing Zhongxinchuang Technology Co., Ltd.

Beijing Zhongxinchuang Technology Co., Ltd. was established in 2002 and is located in Beijing. It is an enterprise specializing in the R&D, production, sales, and service of time and frequency products. The company has obtained ISO9001 quality management system certification, and its product test reports are issued by professional institutions such as the National Time Service Center.

The company’s main products include NTP/SNTP network time servers, PTP‑IEEE1588 master clocks, GPS/Beidou‑based time and frequency synchronization solutions, digital master‑slave clock systems, and satellite‑based time‑space security isolation devices. These products have been deployed across government agencies, public security and judicial institutions, research institutes, the financial sector, healthcare, broadcasting and television, power and telecommunications, education, the petrochemical and steel industries, as well as railway transportation, and are backed by 24/7 technical support.

Official website: https://www.neutrontek.com