| The Microsoft Windows operating systems from | | | | |
| Windows 2000 onwards has a built-in time | | | | Windows 2000 Time Service Configuration |
| synchronization service - 'Windows Time'. | | | | |
| This article describes how to configure the | | | | Windows 2000 has an integrated time |
| Microsoft Windows 2003 and Windows 2000 time | | | | synchronisation service, installed by |
| service as a NTP time server. It shows how to | | | | default, which can synchronise to a NTP |
| modify registry entries to configure the | | | | Server. Indeed, by manipulating registry |
| Microsoft Windows Time Service. The Windows | | | | settings, the service can act as both an SNTP |
| Time service allows a Windows network to | | | | client and SNTP server to synchronise other |
| provide synchronisation of all machines | | | | network clients. |
| within a domain. | | | | |
| | | | Before modifying registry entries it is good |
| Windows 2003 Server Configuration | | | | a dood idea to backup the registry settings. |
| | | | The registry can then be restored in the |
| Windows 2003 has expanded on the original | | | | event of problems being encountered. |
| Windows 2000 time service by providing a true | | | | |
| NTP implementation. The time service, | | | | The 'Windows Time' service should be present |
| installed by default, can synchronise to a | | | | in the systems service list. The application |
| NTP Server. Indeed, by manipulating registry | | | | executable is 'w32time.exe'. The parameter |
| settings for the service it can act as both | | | | list for w32time can be found in the registry |
| an NTP server and client to synchronise other | | | | at: |
| network clients in the domain. | | | | |
| | | | HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\ |
| The 'Windows Time' service should be present | | | | ervices\W32Time\Parameters |
| in the systems service list. The application | | | | |
| executable is 'w32time.exe'. The parameter | | | | Windows 2000 can operate as an NTP client and |
| list for w32time can be found in the registry | | | | synchronise to an NTP server by setting |
| at: | | | | parameter 'NTP Server' to the IP address of a |
| | | | NTP Server. |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\ | | | | |
| ervices\W32Time | | | | By default, the Microsoft Windows 2000 |
| | | | machine will synchronise to the specified NTP |
| Before modifying registry entries it is good | | | | time server every 8 hours (or 3 times a day), |
| a dood idea to backup the registry settings. | | | | which may not be enough to maintain accurate |
| The registry can then be restored in the | | | | synchronisation. The period can be reduced by |
| event of problems being encountered. | | | | setting the 'Period' parameter to how many |
| | | | times a day synchronisation is required. |
| To configure a Windows 2003 machine to | | | | Setting the period to 48 will activate |
| synchronise to an external NTP server, edit | | | | synchronisation with the NTP server once |
| the following registry entries: | | | | every half hour. |
| | | | |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\ | | | | Windows 2000 can also be configured to act as |
| ervices\W32Time\Config\AnnounceFlags | | | | an NTP server by setting the 'Local NTP' |
| | | | parameter to '1'. |
| Set the 'Announce Flags' registry entry to 5, | | | | |
| to indicate a reliable time source. | | | | After editing any of the registry entries for |
| | | | the windows time service, the service must be |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\ | | | | restarted for the settings to take effect. |
| ervices\W32Time\TimeProviders\NTPClient\Speci | | | | The services can be started or stopped from |
| alPollInterval | | | | the service control applet in 'administrative |
| | | | tools'. Alternatively the service can be |
| The 'Special Poll Interval' registry entry | | | | controlled via the DOS net command thus:net |
| defines the period in seconds that the | | | | start w32timenet stop w32time |
| Windows 2003 machine should poll the NTP | | | | |
| server. A recommended value is 900 seconds, | | | | NTP Troubleshooting |
| which equates to every 15 minutes. | | | | |
| | | | A number of problems can be encountered when |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\ | | | | configuring the Windows Time Service. NTP |
| ervices\W32Time\Parameters\NtpServer | | | | operates using the UDP protocol over TCP/IP. |
| | | | Therefore the TCP/IP network infrastructure |
| The 'NTP Server' parameter is used to provide | | | | must be operational for NTP to be effective. |
| a list of IP addresses or DNS names, | | | | Synchronisation issues may arise when NTP |
| separated by a space, of NTP servers that the | | | | attempts to synchronise to an inaccurate time |
| Windows 2003 machine can synchronise to. | | | | reference or if network delays are excessive. |
| | | | |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\ | | | | Synchronising Time on Network Devices |
| ervices\W32Time\TimeProviders\NTPServer\Enabl | | | | |
| ed | | | | As well as synchronising Microsoft Windows |
| | | | servers and workstations, NTP can also be |
| Changing the 'Enabled' flag to the value 1 | | | | used to synchronise network devices, such as |
| enables the NTP Server. | | | | hubs, switches and routers. Any network |
| | | | device that can synchronise to a NTP server |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\ | | | | can be pointed to the Windows server to |
| ervices\W32Time\Parameters\Type | | | | achieve time synchronisation. In this way the |
| | | | whole network and accompanying infrastructure |
| Change the server type to NTP by specifying | | | | can be synchronised. |
| 'NTP' in the 'Type' registry entry. | | | | |