External Time services set-up

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I am at a loss as to how to successfully set up the external time
synchronization for my domain controller. It is a W2K, sp 4 DC. I've been
trying to follow MS article 216734, the second part that talks about
accessing external time sources.

The main problem I'm having is a W2K3 member server is one hour off on its
set time and, I'm assuming this is the reason, it will run for about 10 to 15
minutes and then start and execute a system shutdown, normal shutdown, thank
God. But the only thing I can think of that's doing this is that it's
looking to the DC for its time synchronization, finding that it's way off and
shutting down as a result. I've tried to manually change the time on the
W2K3 server but it changes right back to one hour ahead.

In following the article's instructions for the external time source I found
that many of the keys it tells you to modify are not there under HKEY LOCAL
MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\W32Time\Parameters. Because of
this I've been creating them as I go.

Each time I stopped and started the w32time service and then ran the command
w32tm -s I get the result back "RPC to local server returned 0x0" which, I'm
guessing, means it didn't contact the external server it was set to contact
(nist1.symmetricom.com).

The DC is behind our Proxy Server running ISA Server 2000. I made a rule
allowing for SNTP on UDP port 123 but this doesn't help either as I still get
the "RPC to local server returned 0x0" when I run the w32tm -s command on the
DC.

Please let me know what's going on if any of this makes sense.

Thanks,
Dana
 
DanaK said:
I am at a loss as to how to successfully set up the external time
synchronization for my domain controller. It is a W2K, sp 4 DC. I've been
trying to follow MS article 216734, the second part that talks about
accessing external time sources.

The main problem I'm having is a W2K3 member server is one hour off on its
set time and, I'm assuming this is the reason, it will run for about 10 to 15
minutes and then start and execute a system shutdown, normal shutdown, thank
God. But the only thing I can think of that's doing this is that it's
looking to the DC for its time synchronization, finding that it's way off and
shutting down as a result. I've tried to manually change the time on the
W2K3 server but it changes right back to one hour ahead.

In following the article's instructions for the external time source I found
that many of the keys it tells you to modify are not there under HKEY LOCAL
MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\W32Time\Parameters. Because of
this I've been creating them as I go.

Each time I stopped and started the w32time service and then ran the command
w32tm -s I get the result back "RPC to local server returned 0x0" which, I'm
guessing, means it didn't contact the external server it was set to contact
(nist1.symmetricom.com).

The DC is behind our Proxy Server running ISA Server 2000. I made a rule
allowing for SNTP on UDP port 123 but this doesn't help either as I still get
the "RPC to local server returned 0x0" when I run the w32tm -s command on the
DC.

Please let me know what's going on if any of this makes sense.

Thanks,
Dana
Click to expand...


In a Windows Active Directory domain, the DC with the PDC emulator role
controls time, and is the default time server for the domain. It is the
only server you need to sync to an external time source. To do that, all
you need is to open a cmd session and enter

net time /setsntp:timeserver

where time server is the external public time server of your choice.

All member servers and workstations will sync to the PDC emulator by
default, there are no parameters to set. But when did this start to
occur? After the change to daylight time? Could it be that your servers
are not patched? Server 2003 will be patched as long as you have the
latest service pack and all subsequent updates. Windows 2000 will have
to be patched manually, there is no patch from Microsoft. (see
www.intelliadmin.com).

....kurt
 
Hi Kurt and thanks for your reply.

All available Critical Updates for the two W2K servers (the DC and our Proxy
Server) and the member server running W2K3 Server were updated by me the
previous Saturday. The only one that needed updating was the proxy server.
The other two reported back from Windows Update site that no critical updates
were available. 20 criticals were downloaded and installed on the Proxy,
however.

If all that is required for the DC to synch to an external time source is
the one line command you gave me why does MS have the long drawn-out
instructions for the article I referenced? Not that I don't believe you, not
that at all. It's just another one of the crazy double talk incidinces that
frustrates people.

As far as the problem with the W2K3 server shutting itself down I'll post
that question elsewhere as it doesn't belong here. I just was grasping at
straws as to the possibility that this was some kind of 'normal' behavior for
W2K3 when it's out of time synch - although it's a rather extreme one if so.
One person at another site suggested that the server might be infected with
something like the Sasser worm.

Thanks,
Dana
 
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