Abstract: A system, apparatus and method that relate a real-time clock of a first computer system to a real-time clock of a second computer system are provided. When the first computer system is using files created by the second computer system, it requests that the second computer provides its current local time. The first computer records the time of the request, the time the response to the request is received as well as the requested current local time. Using these different recorded times, the first computer is able to compute a time difference (if any) between its real-time clock and the real-time clock of the second computer system.