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VMware Time Sync Issues

Hi,

We are running vmware sphere and are having time sync issues between servers, if we restart the exchange VM we have to do a few manual time syncs etc, is this a common occurrence over vm's ?

Thanks
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strivoli
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The Exchange server should sync automatically with its DCs. There's no difference between a physical or virtual Exchange server.
Update: the VMware tools installed on the Exchange server might be set to sync the time with the VMware server (the host). Please check this setting and if it is, unset it.
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ComexIT

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Hi, I have just checked that and it was not ticked, any other suggestions ?
Are there any entries (such as Warnings/Errors) in Exchange's Application or System Windows Logs that could help? Run eventvwr.
I faced similar issue at one place, the date and time settings in BIOS was not correct and also had to configure date and time on each esxi host in "Configuration" tab.
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Andrew Hancock (VMware vExpert PRO / EE Fellow/British Beekeeper)
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On the servers themselves open an elevated command prompt and type:

W32tm /query /status

This should tell you where the server is getitng it's time source from - the VM host, an NTP server, the DC, another server, free-running clock, etc.

This should then give you an idea of where the issues lie. Ideally you want the PDC host to be getting time from a reliable time source and all other servers looking to that as part of the domain hierarchy to get their time.

This may help in configuring the servers if incorrect:

https://support.microsoft.com/kb/816042
Since you are using Exchange with AD you should not sync the VM with the host but the the "AD" domain take care of the natively. By default domain workstations and servers sync with the server hosting the PDC emulator role.

What OS version is your exchange running?

Also by default I point all of my ESXi hosts and to my domain forest PDC server.