Can't get w32time to work

[Red Squirrel]

I configured w32time on a DC by going net time /setsntp:time.windows.com and then i want to sync all the machines to the DC by pushing out a script to do the same but specify the DC.

For some reason this does not seem to work. When I force it by going w32tm /resync it just says this error:

Sending resync command to local computer...
The computer did not resync because no time data was available.

Why is this? I can ping the time source and our firewall does not block outgoing connections and even if it did, it should at least work locally.

 

[Red Squirrel]

ok sorta got it working, it says it queries successfully, but the clock does not even change! I know as a fact that it is out of sync as I set it that way to test. I had to change a value in the registry to get it to "work". but now why wont the clock change? also how do i get the "windows time" tab to show up? I noticed at home I get that tab but on some PCs I don't.

 

[rasczak]

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/307897

i used this with no issues regarding time sync.

 

[Red Squirrel]

The main issue is when I do w32tm /resync i always get "The computer did not resync because no time data was available". Even locally, so I know it's not the firewall. I setted the time server using "net time /setsntp:time.windows.com". I will be putting that in the login script so all the PCs sync with the DC, once I get this to work properly. I just don't get why it's not working, this should be simple.

 

[Nothinman]

I will be putting that in the login script so all the PCs sync with the DC, once I get this to work properly. I just don't get why it's not working, this should be simple.

Domain members already sync with their DC automatically.

What does w32tm /monitor say?

 

[Red Squirrel]

I'm getting somewhere. Seems you have to put an IP not a hostname, it does not seem to do DNS properly even though I can resolve the names I put.

 

[Nothinman]

Seeing as how my w32tm output had hostnames and I believe the default sync time source for Vista and W7 is "time.microsoft.com" I'm going to say that DNS names work just fine.

 

[Red Squirrel]

could be something with our environment, but I could nslookup the name fine so it's odd. time.windows.com is actually not working either, it just sits there and times out. The w32tm has always been flaky, usually fails but sometimes works, but in our case it's more like 100% failure. IP seems to work. I'll have to try putting the ip for time.windows.com and see what happens. Tried the nist.gov sites as well, no go. Seems lot of people have trouble getting this to work. I don't even think it tries to connect, sometimes. I was packet sniffing it when it was failing and I never even saw it try to connect. Did filter for udp port 123.

Another thing I also noticed that's weird is how sometimes when you double click the clock there will be a "internet time" tab, it it only shows at random. My PC at home normally shows it, but now it's not showing it. Some of my windows server show it sometimes too.

 

[Nothinman]

time.windows.com is actually not working either, it just sits there and times out.

Works fine here:

ntpdate -q time.windows.com
server 207.46.232.182, stratum 3, offset -0.005558, delay 0.11479
28 Jul 21:08:44 ntpdate[12360]: adjust time server 207.46.232.182 offset -0.005558 sec

 

[Red Squirrel]

Originally posted by: Nothinman

time.windows.com is actually not working either, it just sits there and times out.

Works fine here:

ntpdate -q time.windows.com
server 207.46.232.182, stratum 3, offset -0.005558, delay 0.11479
28 Jul 21:08:44 ntpdate[12360]: adjust time server 207.46.232.182 offset -0.005558 sec

Sorry, I meant with w32tm. I've never had issues with Linux with any NTP server. At home my windows boxes sync fine with my Linux server as well. The ntp server seems fine I'm sure they have a huge redundant cluster considering how many queries per hour it must get.

It's something weird in our environment, just can't figure out what.

 

[Nothinman]

Sorry, I meant with w32tm. I've never had issues with Linux with any NTP server. At home my windows boxes sync fine with my Linux server as well. The ntp server seems fine I'm sure they have a huge redundant cluster considering how many queries per hour it must get.

I know you meant w32tm, but NTP is NTP. If time.windows.com doesn't work for you then you've got something on your network to figure out. NTP "just works", the only time I've seen domain time issues is when there's no root NTP source like time.windows.com, etc setup.

 

[Red Squirrel]

Yeah but the windows client/server implimentation of ntp does not "just work" it seems to act up a lot and needs lot of tweaking which I'm trying to do. I've witnessed issues in other windows environments too. Another weird thing I just noticed, when I do w32tm /resync and it says it's successfull, the clock does not change. How do I fix that?

 

[dphantom]

Originally posted by: RedSquirrel
Yeah but the windows client/server implimentation of ntp does not "just work" it seems to act up a lot and needs lot of tweaking which I'm trying to do. I've witnessed issues in other windows environments too. Another weird thing I just noticed, when I do w32tm /resync and it says it's successfull, the clock does not change. How do I fix that?

Why not put a sniffer on your network and see where NTP is failing? As nothinman said, NTP is NTP regardless of OS. There is an issue in your network, not with Microsofts NTP. As a consultant, I have worked literally dozens of network environments and NTP is simply not an issue unless inbound NTP is blocked. Otherwise, it does "just work".

 

[Bashbelly]

download and install this on your time server.
http://www.greyware.com/softwa...c/agent/agent-free.asp

it adds itself to your control panel and provides a super nice GUI for all the w32tm commands.

just used this myself to figure out ntp problems at a site myself. Turns out it was misconfigured GPO for time service and also NTP inbound was blocked at the firewall.


edit. also check to see if the reliable flag is checked for your ntp server.

 

[redbeard1]

If you have one Domain Controller, then follow the set External Time source directions. If you have more than one DC, then you should do this on the Schema Master. Then if things work like they are supposed to, all of the computers will get their time correction from the internal servers like they are supposed to. I have seen, in an enviroment with multiple non DC servers, that they did not pull the time properly. I then used the setntp command to point these servers to the main DC, with something like /setsntp:yourservername.work.local.

But as I said earlier, if things are working properly within the domain, any computer joined to the domain will get their time set from their DC's. Computers not joined to the domain will not get the time correction automatically, but you could also point them to the main DC.

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