This read-only ClockStratum object reports the stratum level of this node, and per the description is only meaningful when the distribution method is ncdp. An admin reads this to know this node's own quality/accuracy tier in the network clock hierarchy when NCDP is active, which affects how attractive this node is as a clock source for others. If this device is unexpectedly showing a low-quality stratum, an admin would investigate its own reference clock source rather than assuming a network-wide NCDP problem.