Periodically:
- Ping downstream server, note round-trip time
- Ask downstream server "What's the time?"
- Get response, subtract half of RTT, compare with system time- this is how far the clocks are desynchronised
On sending messages:
- If downstream server is running slow, wait for this amount of time before timestamping/sending messages
- If downstream server is running fast, don't wait at all (not necessary)
Result: you built the system the SA's asked for with more or less the best performance it could have, and got to exercise your brain about as well as a medium-difficulty sudoku whie distracting yourself from the cavalcade of witless fuckery that seems to surround you.