Windows Time service - Configure an authoritative time server in Windows Server 2003

Thursday, March 12, 2009

Configuring the Windows Time service to use an internal hardware clock

Important This section, method, or task contains steps that tell you how to modify the registry. However, serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly. Therefore, make sure that you follow these steps carefully. For added protection, back up the registry before you modify it. Then, you can restore the registry if a problem occurs. For more information about how to back up and restore the registry,

To configure the PDC master without using an external time source, change the announce flag on the PDC master. The PDC master is the server that holds the forest root PDC master role for the domain. This configuration forces the PDC master to announce itself as a reliable time source and uses the built-in complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) clock. To configure the PDC master by using an internal hardware clock, follow these steps:
  1. Click Start, click Run, type regedit, and then click OK.
  2. Locate and then click the following registry subkey:
    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\W32Time\Config\AnnounceFlags
  3. In the right pane, right-click AnnounceFlags, and then click Modify.
  4. In Edit DWORD Value, type A in the Value data box, and then click OK.
  5. Quit Registry Editor.
  6. At the command prompt, type the following command to restart the Windows Time service, and then press ENTER:
    net stop w32time && net start w32time
Note The PDC master must not be configured to synchronize with itself. For more information about why the PDC master must not be configured to synchronize with itself, visit the following Web site to view Request For Comment (RFC) 1305:
 

Configuring the Windows Time service to use an external time source

To configure an internal time server to synchronize with an external time source, follow these steps:
  1. Change the server type to NTP. To do this, follow these steps:
    1. Click Start, click Run, type regedit, and then click OK.
    2. Locate and then click the following registry subkey:
      HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\W32Time\Parameters\Type
    3. In the right pane, right-click Type, and then click Modify.
    4. In Edit Value, type NTP in the Value data box, and then click OK.
  2. Set AnnounceFlags to 5. To do this, follow these steps:
    1. Locate and then click the following registry subkey:
      HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\W32Time\Config\AnnounceFlags
    2. In the right pane, right-click AnnounceFlags, and then click Modify.
    3. In Edit DWORD Value, type 5 in the Value data box, and then click OK.
  3. Enable NTPServer. To do this, follow these steps:
    1. Locate and then click the following registry subkey:
      HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\W32Time\TimeProviders\NtpServer
    2. In the right pane, right-click Enabled, and then click Modify.
    3. In Edit DWORD Value, type 1 in the Value data box, and then click OK.
  4. Specify the time sources. To do this, follow these steps:
    1. Locate and then click the following registry subkey:
      HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\W32Time\Parameters
    2. In the right pane, right-click NtpServer, and then click Modify.
    3. In Edit Value, type Peers in the Value data box, and then click OK.

      Note Peers is a placeholder for a space-delimited list of peers from which your computer obtains time stamps. Each DNS name that is listed must be unique. You must append ,0x1 to the end of each DNS name. If you do not append ,0x1 to the end of each DNS name, the changes made in step 5 will not take effect.
  5. Select the poll interval. To do this, follow these steps:
    1. Locate and then click the following registry subkey:
      HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\W32Time\TimeProviders\NtpClient\SpecialPollInterval
    2. In the right pane, right-click SpecialPollInterval, and then click Modify.
    3. In Edit DWORD Value, type TimeInSeconds in the Value data box, and then click OK.

      Note TimeInSeconds is a placeholder for the number of seconds that you want between each poll. A recommended value is 900 Decimal. This value configures the Time Server to poll every 15 minutes.
  6. Configure the time correction settings. To do this, follow these steps:
    1. Locate and then click the following registry subkey:
      HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\W32Time\Config\MaxPosPhaseCorrection
    2. In the right pane, right-click MaxPosPhaseCorrection, and then click Modify.
    3. In Edit DWORD Value, click to select Decimal in the Base box.
    4. In Edit DWORD Value, type TimeInSeconds in the Value data box, and then click OK.

      Note TimeInSeconds is a placeholder for a reasonable value, such as 1 hour (3600) or 30 minutes (1800). The value that you select will depend upon the poll interval, network condition, and external time source.
    5. Locate and then click the following registry subkey: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\W32Time\Config\MaxNegPhaseCorrection
    6. In the right pane, right-click MaxNegPhaseCorrection, and then click Modify.
    7. In Edit DWORD Value, click to select Decimal in the Base box.
    8. In Edit DWORD Value, type TimeInSeconds in the Value data box, and then click OK.

      Note TimeInSeconds is a placeholder for a reasonable value, such as 1 hour (3600) or 30 minutes (1800). The value that you select will depend upon the poll interval, network condition, and external time source.
  7. Quit Registry Editor.
  8. At the command prompt, type the following command to restart the Windows Time service, and then press ENTER:
    net stop w32time && net start w32time
 

Windows Time service registry entries

The following registry entries are located under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\W32Time\:
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Registry Entry MaxPosPhaseCorrection
Path HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\W32Time\Config
Notes This entry specifies the largest positive time correction in seconds that the service makes. If the service determines that a change that is larger than this is required, the service logs an event. (0xFFFFFFFF is a special case that means always make a time correction.) The default value for domain members is 0xFFFFFFFF. The default value for stand-alone clients and servers is 54,000 or 15 hours.
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Registry Entry MaxNegPhaseCorrection
Path HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\W32Time\Config
Notes This entry specifies the largest negative time correction in seconds that the service makes. If the service determines that a change that is larger than this is required, the service logs an event instead. (-1 is a special case that means always make a time correction.) The default value for domain members is 0xFFFFFFFF. The default value for stand-alone clients and servers is 54,000 or 15 hours.
Collapse this tableExpand this table
Registry Entry MaxPollInterval
Path HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\W32Time\Config
Note This entry specifies the largest interval, in log seconds, that is allowed for the system polling interval. While a system must poll according to the scheduled interval, a provider can refuse to produce samples when requested. The default value for domain members is 10. The default value for stand-alone clients and servers is 15.
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Registry Entry SpecialPollInterval
Path HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\W32Time\TimeProviders\NtpClient
Note This entry specifies the special poll interval in seconds for manual peers. When the SpecialInterval 0x1 flag is enabled, W32Time uses this poll interval instead of a poll interval that is determined by the operating system. The default value on domain members is 3,600. The default value on stand-alone clients and servers is 604,800.
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Registry Entry MaxAllowedPhaseOffset
Path HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\W32Time\Config
Note
This entry specifies the maximum offset, in seconds, for which W32Time tries to adjust the computer clock by using the clock rate. When the offset is greater than this rate, W32Time sets the computer clock directly. The default value for domain members is 300. The default value for stand-alone clients and servers is 1.
 
KB955839  update
 
Issue is : "We keep server time to the correct time, but when the server reboots, the time will be back one hour ,
Ex :  
EST zone - 8am and
server - 7am (back by one hour), 
we try to set server  time to 8am, but after  reboot server time will be back at 7am.
 
KB955839 Install this update to resolve an issue that is caused by revised daylight saving time laws in many countries.
 
 
 
more information about Windows Time service,
 
816043  (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/816043/ ) How to turn on debug logging in the Windows Time service
884776  (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/884776/ ) Configuring the Windows Time service against a large time offset
321708  (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/321708/ ) How to use the Network Diagnostics Tool (Netdiag.exe) in Windows 2000
314054  (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/314054/ ) How to configure an authoritative time server in Windows XP
216734  (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/216734/ ) How to configure an authoritative time server in Windows 2000
 
 
 
Thanks and Regards,
Arun Sabale | L2 tech
+919821129229
Zenith Infotech Ltd.

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