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Setting Windows Time in W2K3.

What is the proper way of setting up Windows Time in a W2K3 environment? All my client machines are running Windows XP. Do I have to configure anything in my DCs for Windows Time? Do I have to configure the NTP group policy options? I have 5 regional offices. Each office has a DC.

Thanks

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da3ve

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AGenMIS

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There is no PDC since this is a W2K3 environment but you're saying I should at least setup one of my DC's to point to an external source? If I do that, do I point my other DC's to the that DC and how would I do that?

Thanks

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da3ve

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lantchau

Setting external NTP source on your PDC by pointing it to time.nist.gov (or its IP address which you can get just by pinging that url) or time.windows.com.

use the "net time" command in your logon script or logon batch for your domain computers and it will get time from your PDC if it is not already doing so.

rhinoceros

First, ensure your firewall port NTP 123 is opened to the "internet".

And then try it...

For example: Assigned PDC to NTP server, now sync with time.windows.com
*** NTP server
>>Type the following command to configure the PDC emulator and then press ENTER:
w32tm /config /manualpeerlist:peers /syncfromflags:manual /reliable:yes /update

With "peers" you can set the time source, either DNS name (time.windows.com) or an ip address from a reliable time source.

Here you can find some of them:
http://www.pool.ntp.org/

>>Then type the command to establish the connection
w32tm /resync /rediscover.

>>Further checking... (now you are able to see the sync connection has been established)
w32tm /monitor
w32tm /monitor / computers:xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx (NTP server)

*** Client servers and desktop
>>To configure a client computer for automatic domain time synchronization
w32tm /config /syncfromflags:domhier /update

After that run:
net stop w32time
net start w32time