Windows Time Server

[shahid_raza74]

Hi, Can anyone help me in following issue:

I have a Windows 2003 domain Controller/server and 20 LAN Domain computers/users. I want to just synchronize domain clients time with server time. Although Server itself is updating clients time after every 40-45 minutes but I want to reduce this time to 5 minutes (i.e. Every domain clients will automatically update their time with sever after every 5 Minutes)...I tried alot but couldn't succeeded.

[Wilson Samuel]

Hi,

This is quite interesting scenario.

Though the Windows DC / ADC automatically updates the clients (Win2k/XP Pro) however if you still want them to manually synchronize the time on all the machines one of the ways is to do with the help of w32tm command.

You can create a batch file and make it run on the required machines by the Scheduled Tasks. Though there should be samething could be achieved by using Registry(which I'm not sure).

A Sample Batch file may looklike this:

w32tm /config /manualpeerlist:192.168.128.2 /syncfromflags:manual

w32tm /resync

exit

Where 192.168.128.2 is the IP Address of your DC or NTP Server.

Hope it helps, if it does, please rate.

Regards,

Wilson Samuel

[shahid_raza74]

Thanks...

But the problem is that no any w32tm command run on any client, otherwise there is a command (w32tm/config/syncfromflags:domhier/update)

thorugh which all clients will automatically update clients but when I write any command of w32tm ...it open help file/option of w32tm command...

Otherthing is that the Addional Domain Controller (ADC) automatically synchronize its time from PDC (Primary Domain Controller) after every 5 minutes...so what I found is the only diff. b/w ADC and Domain Clients is that the Windows Time Service (In Control Panel/Services) is configured to Restart the Service Automatically on ADC while I tried to configure/select this option (i.e. Restart the service)on clients but clients computers is not giving me to do this.

[vijayasankar]

Hi,

You can try the following.

First try this on the client machine CLI to verify it for yourself.

net time /domain: /set /yes

Or

net time \\domainserverip /set /yes

Later you can any one of the above commands in a batch file and call the batch file every 5 minutes through command scheduler.

HTH

-VJ

[shahid_raza74]

Thanks... but can you help me to write steps to make/call batch file through command scheduler?

[vijayasankar]

Hi,

You can save the commands in a batch file. ( file with *.bat extension).

You can schedule it using windows scheduler.

You can find it in "control panel"->Scheduled tasks.

Click "add new task"

Click Next.

click browse and select the batch file that you have saved earlier.

Click next.

Select the radio button "Daily" and click next twice.

Supply the username/password when prompted in the next dialogue box and proceed,

Select the option "Open advanced properties for this task when i click finish" and click "finish.

Now you will see this in the scheduled task window

Right click it and go to properties. Click the tab Schedule and click advanced.

Now you will get advanced schedule options.

You can play around the options here to schedule it to occur every 5 minutes.

Hope this helps, if so please rate the post.

-VJ

[vijayasankar]

Hi,

Have you tried the steps that i have provided?

Let us know if you need any further assitance on this.

-VJ

[jay.mcgown]

Clients will only automatically sync with a domain controller if the domain controller has a valid time source

use:

net time /setsntp:time.windows.com on your

domain controller and all of your client will automatically sync. I am not sure if it is possible to change the update interval.

[shahid_raza74]

Thanks for replies.

Reg. Batch file...how I can make batch file itself? I mean what I will write in a batch file? what program/language I need to write /make this batch file and on which computer (i.e. Domain Controller or Domain Clients computer) should I schedule/run this batch file?

Waiting...

[vijayasankar]

Hi,

It is simple, type any of the following command in a notepad and save the file with "*.bat" extension.

net time /domain: /set /yes

Or

net time \\domainserverip /set /yes

You would have to place this batch file in all the client machines.

Schedule this batch file in all the client machines using the steps provided in the earlier post.

-VJ

[Wilson Samuel]

Hi,

Further to Vijay's suggestion. If you do use NTP then you neednt depend upon a DC or ADC.

Infact you can even get time from Internet or Cisco Routers or any device which can be an NTP Server for all the clients or XP / 2K Pro machines.

And for that you may use the commands as mentioned earlier the w32tm commands.

Regards,

Wilson Samuel

[shahid_raza74]

Thanks for the reply...but I mentioned very firstly that no any w32tm commands run on domain computers...why I don't know if any one can give me this answer that why no any w32tm commands run on any workstation b/c when I type any w32tm command it just open help/options of "w32tm/?".

Also the ADC(Additional Domain Controller) automatically update its time after every 1-2 minutes but Domain Computers updates time its time after every 40-45 minutes and I tried/find alot that how to reduce this 40-45 minutes Clients synchronization time into 5 minutes but couldn't succeeded.

Can anyone help me?

[amoisseev]

On client computers try to set dword value of

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\W32Time\TimeProviders\NtpClient\SpecialPollInterval

to 300 in decimal then restart Windows Time Service.

P.S. To restart w32time from command line type:

net stop w32time && net start w32time