How to Get Windows Time Service to Use Hardware Clock?

[Will]

Is there a registry setting that will tell Windows Time on a domain
controller that its time is being continuously set by a hardware clock?

We have a GPS clock on the domain controller, and that is working fine, but
Windows Time is now posting messages to Eventviewer that it can no longer
"synchronize" the time, and now in turn machines all over the network are
posting messages to their event viewers that the time on the domain
controller can no longer be trusted. This corresponds to the fact that the
NET TIME /SETSNTP value is now null. For reasons I cannot change over the
next few months, the domain controllers cannot get through a firewall to
synch against external NTP servers, and we don't have any internal NTP
servers.

I hope I don't have to set up yet another computer to act as a time server
for the domain controller?

 

[Jerold Schulman]

Is there a registry setting that will tell Windows Time on a domain
controller that its time is being continuously set by a hardware clock?

We have a GPS clock on the domain controller, and that is working fine, but
Windows Time is now posting messages to Eventviewer that it can no longer
"synchronize" the time, and now in turn machines all over the network are
posting messages to their event viewers that the time on the domain
controller can no longer be trusted. This corresponds to the fact that the
NET TIME /SETSNTP value is now null. For reasons I cannot change over the
next few months, the domain controllers cannot get through a firewall to
synch against external NTP servers, and we don't have any internal NTP
servers.

I hope I don't have to set up yet another computer to act as a time server
for the domain controller?

See tip 5414 » How do I make my PDC emulator an authoritative time server for my domain without it synchronizing with a reliable time source?
in the 'Tips & Tricks' at http://www.jsifaq.com

See tip 8266 » How do I configure the Windows Time service on the Windows Server 2003 forest root PDC emulator?
if your PDC emulator is running Windows Server 2003.




Jerold Schulman
Windows Server MVP
JSI, Inc.
http://www.jsiinc.com
http://www.jsifaq.com

 

[Will]

Our domain controller is already set to the NoSync value referenced in tip
5414. And we are *still* getting messages in eventviewer that the PDC
cannot synchronize, and claiming that time services are suspended because of
this.

--
Will

See tip 5414 » How do I make my PDC emulator an authoritative time server

for my domain without it synchronizing with a reliable time source?

in the 'Tips & Tricks' at http://www.jsifaq.com

See tip 8266 » How do I configure the Windows Time service on the Windows

Server 2003 forest root PDC emulator?

 

[Jerold Schulman]

Our domain controller is already set to the NoSync value referenced in tip
5414. And we are *still* getting messages in eventviewer that the PDC
cannot synchronize, and claiming that time services are suspended because of
this.

Try

REGEDIT4

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\W32Time\Config]
"AnnounceFlags"=dword:0000000a

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\W32Time\TimeProviders\NtpClient]
"Enabled"=dword:00000000

and then stop and start the W32time service.

Jerold Schulman
Windows Server MVP
JSI, Inc.
http://www.jsiinc.com
http://www.jsifaq.com

 

[Will]

The W32Time\Config is a Windows XP / Windows 2003 registry entry, and my
domain controller is W2K.

I finally solved the problem with a hack, but maybe an acceptable one. I
pointed the domain controller to use itself for the NET TIME /SETSNTP value.
Now I realize that the online documents advise to not do this since it can
create a circular reference that will cause the system to miscalibrate. But
in our case the clock is being updated every minute by a GPS hardware clock,
and the GPS clock really is a valid time reference. Whatever adjustment
Windows Time makes as a result of this self-reference is quickly wiped out
by the hardware clock so there is no real effect from the Windows Time
service occasionally trying to inquire to itself as the NTP reference.

At least now the domain controller is satisfied that it has been updated
against a valid net clock, and that seems to have quieted it down some. I
no longer get the messages about the DC not being able to synchronize.

--
Will

Our domain controller is already set to the NoSync value referenced in tip
5414. And we are *still* getting messages in eventviewer that the PDC
cannot synchronize, and claiming that time services are suspended because of
this.
Try

REGEDIT4

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\W32Time\Config]
"AnnounceFlags"=dword:0000000a

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\W32Time\TimeProviders\
NtpClient]
"Enabled"=dword:00000000

and then stop and start the W32time service.

Jerold Schulman
Windows Server MVP
JSI, Inc.
http://www.jsiinc.com
http://www.jsifaq.com

 

[Jorge de Almeida Pinto]

You might wanna take a look at:
http://blogs.dirteam.com/blogs/jorge/archive/2005/11/20/111.aspx
That explains the reg hacks to point the PDC to its own clock
Cheers,
Jorge
15-Nov-2005 06:17:45

The W32Time\Config is a Windows XP / Windows 2003 registry entry, and my
domain controller is W2K.

I finally solved the problem with a hack, but maybe an acceptable one. I
pointed the domain controller to use itself for the NET TIME /SETSNTP value.
Now I realize that the online documents advise to not do this since it can
create a circular reference that will cause the system to miscalibrate. But
in our case the clock is being updated every minute by a GPS hardware clock,
and the GPS clock really is a valid time reference. Whatever adjustment
Windows Time makes as a result of this self-reference is quickly wiped out
by the hardware clock so there is no real effect from the Windows Time
service occasionally trying to inquire to itself as the NTP reference.

At least now the domain controller is satisfied that it has been updated
against a valid net clock, and that seems to have quieted it down some. I
no longer get the messages about the DC not being able to synchronize.

--
Will

referenced in
tip suspended because
of

this.

Try

REGEDIT4

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\W32Time\Config]
"AnnounceFlags"=dword:0000000a

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\W32Time\TimeProviders\

NtpClient]
"Enabled"=dword:00000000

and then stop and start the W32time service.

Jerold Schulman
Windows Server MVP
JSI, Inc.
http://www.jsiinc.com
http://www.jsifaq.com

Cheers,
# Jorge de Almeida Pinto #