How to Configure a Windows Ntp Network Time Server

Computer time synchronization is highly important in modern computer networks, precision and time synchronization is needful in many applications, particularly time sensitive transactions. Just dream buying an airline seat only to be told at the airport that the mark was sold twice because it was purchased afterwards on a computer that had a slower clock!

Modern computers do have internal clocks called Real Time Clock chips (Rtc) that supply time and date information. These chips are battery backed so that even while power outages, they can declare time but personal computers are not designed to be perfect clocks. Their found has been optimized for mass output and low-cost rather than maintaining strict time.

Windows 2008 Networking

For many applications, this is can be quite adequate, although, quite often machines need time to be synchronised with other Pc's on a network and when computers are out of sync with each other problems can arise such as sharing network files or in some environments even fraud!

Microsoft Windows 2000 has a time synchronisation utility built into the operating principles called Windows Time (w32time.exe) which can be configured to control as a network time server. Microsoft and others strongly suggest that you configure a time server with a hardware source rather than from the internet where there is no authentication.

If you want to configure Windows Time assistance to use the internal hardware clock, then first check that w32time is placed in the principles services list in the registry, to check:

Click Start, Run then type regedit then click ok.

Locate and then click the following registry entry:

Hkey_Local_MachinesystemcurrentControlSetServicesW32Time

It is highly recommended that you back up the registry as serious problems may occur if you modify the registry incorrectly, modifications to the registry are done at your own risk.

To begin configuration for an internal clock, click on the following subkey:

Hkey_Local_MachinesystemcurrentControlSetServicesW32TimeParameters

In the right pane, right-click ReliableTimeSource, then click modify.

In Edit Dword Value, type 1 in the Value Data box, then click Ok

Exit Registry Editor

To restart the Windows Time assistance click Start, Run (or alternatively use the Command Prompt facility).

Type: net stop w32time && net start w32time

Then press enter.

To reset the local computers' time, type the following on all computers except for the time server which must not be synchronised with itself:

w32tm -s

To configure the Windows Time assistance to use an external time source, click Start, Run and type regedit then click Ok.

Locate the following subkey:

Hkey_Local_MachinesystemcurrentControlSetServicesW32TimeParameters

In the right pane, right-click Type then click Modify, in edit Value type Ntp in the Value data box then click Ok.

Now in the right pane, right click ReliableTimeSource, then click Modify.

In the Edit Dword Value box, under Value Data, type 0, then click Ok.

Right-click NtpServer in the right pane then click Modify.

In Edit Value, type the Domain Name principles (Dns), each Dns must be unique.

Now click Ok.

For Windows 2000 assistance Pack 4 only, set the time revision settings to do this locate:

Hkey_Local_MachinesystemcurrentControlSetServicesW32TimeParameters

In the right pane, right-click MaxAllowedClockErrInSecs, then Modify in the Edit Dword Value box, , type a time in seconds max amount of seconds disagreement between the local clock and the time received from the Ntp server in order to be thought about a valid new time.

Click Ok.

To set the poll intervals locate:

Hkey_Local_MachinesystemcurrentControlSetServicesW32TimeParameters

In the right pane, right-click Period, then click Modify.

In the Edit Dword Value box, under Value Data, type 24 then Ok

Exit Registry Editor

Click Start, then Run then type the following and press Enter:

Net stop w32time && net start w32time

To reset the local computers' time, type the following on all computers except for the time server which must not be synchronised with itself:

Network Time Protocol (Ntp) is an Internet protocol used for the change of strict time, providing time data along so that a strict time can be obtained

To enable the Network Time Protocol; Ntpserver, uncover and click:

Hkey_Local_MachinesystemcurrentControlSetServicesW32TimeTimeProvidersNtpServer

In the right pane, right-click Enabled, then click Modify.

In the Edit Dword Value box, type 1 under Value data, then click Ok.

Now go back and click on

Hkey_Local_MachinesystemcurrentControlSetServicesW32TimeParametersNtpServer

In the right pane, right-click NtpServer, then Modify, in the Edit Dword Value under Value Data type In the right pane, right-click NtpServer, then Modify, in the Edit Dword Value under Value Data type the Domain Name principles (Dns), each Dns must be unique and you must append 0x1 to the end of each Dns name otherwise changes will not take effect.

Now click Ok.

Locate and click the following

Hkey_Local_MachinesystemcurrentControlSetServicesW32TimeTimeProvidersNtpClientSpecialPollInterval

In the right pane, right-click SpecialPollInterval, then click Modify.

In the Edit Dword Value box, under Value Data, type the amount of seconds you want for each poll, ie 900 will poll every 15 minutes, then click Ok.

To configure the time revision settings, locate:

Hkey_Local_MachinesystemcurrentControlSetServicesW32Timeconfig

In the right pane, right-click MaxPosPhaseCorrection, then Modify, in the Edit Dword Value box, under Base, click Decimal, under Value Data, type a time in seconds such as 3600 (an hour) then click Ok.

Now go back and click:

Hkey_Local_MachinesystemcurrentControlSetServicesW32Timeconfig

In the right pane, right-click MaxNegPhaseCorrection, then Modify.

In the Edit Dword box under base, click Decimal, under value data type the time in seconds you want to poll such as 3600 (polls in one hour)

Exit Registry Editor

Now to restart windows time service, click Start, Run (or alternatively use the command prompt facility) and type:

net stop w32time && net start w32time

And on each computer, other than the time server, type:

W32tm/ -s

And that's it your time server should be now up and running.

How to Configure a Windows Ntp Network Time Server