how to verify time synchronization

OM

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Mar 12, 2009, 11:28:04 AM3/12/09

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Hi,

I have few member servers (2003) which didn't seem to sync. their time
properly with the DCs. How do I verify whether they are getting the time
from the DC or not?

Thanks

ITNow

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Mar 12, 2009, 4:08:01 PM3/12/09

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Hi,

I am not 100% sure, but you can use "w32tm /monitor /computers:localhost".

Command output:
localhost [127.0.0.1]:
ICMP: 0ms delay.
NTP: +0.0000000s offset from local clock
RefID: ntdev-dc-10.ntdev.microsoft.com [x.x.x.x]

Also, you can check this:
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc773263.aspx

In my case only 2 of the four domain controller are up to date the other 2
are still one hour behind.

Let me know if you find something that helps synchronization.

OM

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Mar 12, 2009, 5:19:43 PM3/12/09

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Thanks,

I ran the suggested command and it showed our DC as the time server. I
also ran net time /querysntp and it showed a different ntp server,
time.windows.com, I think it is a default time server. So which server
the machine is trying to sync.?

John

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Mar 13, 2009, 2:40:16 PM3/13/09

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Look at your System event logs. Event source is W32Time.
The description should tell you which time server your member server uses.

"OM" <o...@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:e0hYFh1o...@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl...

Bruce Sanderson

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Mar 13, 2009, 7:31:07 PM3/13/09

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The net time /querysntp command merely tells you which time source would be
used if the computer was configured to use a specific time source instead of
the Domain's time source hierarchy. I consider the net time command
"deprecated" - not sure if Microsoft has said this officially or not.

Unless someone does something deliberately, all domain computers, including
Domain Controllers, will use the Domain's time source hierarchy.

Vista and Server 2008 added some query options to the w32tm command that are
not available in Server 2003 and Windows XP. Since you don't state which
Windows version you're using, to check what time source is currently
configured for use:

w32tm /dumpreg /subkey:Parameters

If "Type" is "NT5DS", the computer is configured to use the domain time
source hierarchy - the value returned by net time /querysntp is meaningless,
as is the value of the "NtpServer" item returned by the above command.

If the "Type" is "NTP", the computer is configured to use the specific time
source specified by the "NtpServer" item returned by the above command.

All Domain Controllers, except one, should be configured to use the Domain's
time sync hierarchy.
One of the Domain Controllers (often the one with the PDC Emulator FSMO
role, should be configured to be a "reliable" time source using the
commands:

w32tm /config /syncfromflags:manual
/manualpeerlist:-your-favorite-time-source /reliable:yes /update
w32tm /resync rediscover

"-your-favorite-time-source" could be one of the NTP servers available for
public use - see for example,
http://support.ntp.org/bin/view/Servers/StratumTwoTimeServers.

If you need to re-configure time synchronization on any other computer,
including a Domain Controller, to synchronize using the Domain time source
hierarchy use these commands:

w32tm /config /syncfromflags:domhier /reliable:no /update
w32tm /resync /rediscover

If a domain controller is one hour behind, perhaps it has the wrong Time
Zone or has the "automatically adjust clock for Daylight Saving Time" turned
off.

The Windows Time service puts entries into the System Event Log (Source -
W32tm or Time Service - depending on Windows version) that indicate
successful or unsuccessful time synchronization.

See the following for additional information:
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc786897.aspx
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc784800.aspx
http://blogs.msdn.com/w32time/default.aspx

--
Bruce Sanderson
http://members.shaw.ca/bsanders

It is perfectly useless to know the right answer to the wrong question.