W32time - Highly accurate time sync needed

[Luc-A]

Hi there,

I'm setting up a environement that need an highly accurate time sync. I have
1 PDC that own the FSMO role, 14 DC in 14 distants sites (56k wan) (all Win
2k3 Sp1) in which I have workstations running under Windows XP Pro Sp2.

I have try many configuration in W32time registry setting on both servers
and workstations but I can't manage to have an accurate time on a long time
basis. Mostly, after couple of hours, the time drift on random machine that
makes the whole domain glitch and our SQL entries and replication
(bi-directional) just goes messed up. Sometime, the time glitch to about 10
secs which is totally unsuable for us. We need to have config that permit the
whole domain to get under 1 sec or accurency.

Can someone post or send me registry configs or tips that can help me with
this problem? I have read a lot about w32time, I tried a lot of
configurations yet but nothing seems to work so far.

thx,

 

[Newell White]

I suspect you may be asking too much.

Since installing SP2 of Win2k3 to both DCs in our LAN, we have been
experiencing time glitches on the PDC emulator - even though it is not
externally synched! It used to gain a steady 1.8sec/day, now it varies from 0
to 4sec/day.

Even if this is recognised as a problem and fixed, trying to keep 14 sites
in sync via 56kbaud WAN, where workstations are shut down and started up
daily, and servers occasionally, without clogging the WAN by time checks
every minute is probably not achievable.

I suggest you investigate equipping one DC on each site with a
radio-broadcast time standard.
--
Newell White


"Luc-A" wrote:

> Hi there,
>
> I'm setting up a environement that need an highly accurate time sync. I have
> 1 PDC that own the FSMO role, 14 DC in 14 distants sites (56k wan) (all Win
> 2k3 Sp1) in which I have workstations running under Windows XP Pro Sp2.
>
> I have try many configuration in W32time registry setting on both servers
> and workstations but I can't manage to have an accurate time on a long time
> basis. Mostly, after couple of hours, the time drift on random machine that
> makes the whole domain glitch and our SQL entries and replication
> (bi-directional) just goes messed up. Sometime, the time glitch to about 10
> secs which is totally unsuable for us. We need to have config that permit the
> whole domain to get under 1 sec or accurency.
>
> Can someone post or send me registry configs or tips that can help me with
> this problem? I have read a lot about w32time, I tried a lot of
> configurations yet but nothing seems to work so far.
>
> thx,

 

[Luc-A]

In fact, our PDC emulator synch perfectly with outside time source. Each DC
in 14 distants sites are synching quiet well either. The problem is about
synching our 4 SQL server on each site and our 10 workstations or so in each
site either. The workstation and the SQL server have to be perfectly synch
since operator are inputing data from those WKS and we have some radar
extractor and stuff plugged on the server that generate a lot of data itself.

Is it possible to have this whole thing synch?

"Newell White" wrote:

> I suspect you may be asking too much.
>
> Since installing SP2 of Win2k3 to both DCs in our LAN, we have been
> experiencing time glitches on the PDC emulator - even though it is not
> externally synched! It used to gain a steady 1.8sec/day, now it varies from 0
> to 4sec/day.
>
> Even if this is recognised as a problem and fixed, trying to keep 14 sites
> in sync via 56kbaud WAN, where workstations are shut down and started up
> daily, and servers occasionally, without clogging the WAN by time checks
> every minute is probably not achievable.
>
> I suggest you investigate equipping one DC on each site with a
> radio-broadcast time standard.
> --
> Newell White
>
>
> "Luc-A" wrote:
>
> > Hi there,
> >
> > I'm setting up a environement that need an highly accurate time sync. I have
> > 1 PDC that own the FSMO role, 14 DC in 14 distants sites (56k wan) (all Win
> > 2k3 Sp1) in which I have workstations running under Windows XP Pro Sp2.
> >
> > I have try many configuration in W32time registry setting on both servers
> > and workstations but I can't manage to have an accurate time on a long time
> > basis. Mostly, after couple of hours, the time drift on random machine that
> > makes the whole domain glitch and our SQL entries and replication
> > (bi-directional) just goes messed up. Sometime, the time glitch to about 10
> > secs which is totally unsuable for us. We need to have config that permit the
> > whole domain to get under 1 sec or accurency.
> >
> > Can someone post or send me registry configs or tips that can help me with
> > this problem? I have read a lot about w32time, I tried a lot of
> > configurations yet but nothing seems to work so far.
> >
> > thx,

 

[Newell White]

The only thing I can suggest is what you are probably already trying.

1) Each site DC is explicitly synched to PDC using HKLM\...\parameters\type
= NTP.

2) All SQL servers and workstations on a site are explicitly synched to the
local site DC in the same way.

3) SQL servers and workstations left running continuously so as not to lose
synch.

But I often find a workstation is unable to access the DC NTP server in our
LAN for up to 4 hours at a stretch. If time can be synched by command line,
maybe better to do this in a batch file scheduled to run every hour, which
does not give up until it gets a result.

I run our LAN in two modes - PDC in NoSynch, gaining 2 secs/day, all others
in NT5DS which effectively synchs to PDC - or my workstation in NoSynch
(loses 9 secs/day) and PDC synched to it via NTP. switching modes a few
times a month keeps us close to GMT.
Point is, PDC never fails to access NTP server on my workstation - why this
asymmetry?
Upshot is, may be better to make a 24/7 workstation the authoritative time
server for each site.
--
Newell White


"Luc-A" wrote:

> In fact, our PDC emulator synch perfectly with outside time source. Each DC
> in 14 distants sites are synching quiet well either. The problem is about
> synching our 4 SQL server on each site and our 10 workstations or so in each
> site either. The workstation and the SQL server have to be perfectly synch
> since operator are inputing data from those WKS and we have some radar
> extractor and stuff plugged on the server that generate a lot of data itself.
>
> Is it possible to have this whole thing synch?
>

 

[Greg O]

On Jul 10, 5:42 am, Luc-A <L...@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote:
> In fact, our PDC emulator synch perfectly with outside time source. Each DC
> in 14 distants sites are synching quiet well either. The problem is about
> synching our 4 SQL server on each site and our 10 workstations or so in each
> site either. The workstation and the SQL server have to be perfectly synch
> since operator are inputing data from those WKS and we have some radar
> extractor and stuff plugged on the server that generate a lot of data itself.
>
> Is it possible to have this whole thing synch?
>
>
>
> "Newell White" wrote:
> > I suspect you may be asking too much.
>
> > Since installing SP2 of Win2k3 to both DCs in our LAN, we have been
> > experiencing time glitches on the PDC emulator - even though it is not
> > externally synched! It used to gain a steady 1.8sec/day, now it varies from 0
> > to 4sec/day.
>
> > Even if this is recognised as a problem and fixed, trying to keep 14 sites
> > in sync via 56kbaud WAN, where workstations are shut down and started up
> > daily, and servers occasionally, without clogging the WAN by time checks
> > every minute is probably not achievable.
>
> > I suggest you investigate equipping one DC on each site with a
> > radio-broadcast time standard.
> > --
> > Newell White
>
> > "Luc-A" wrote:
>
> > > Hi there,
>
> > > I'm setting up a environement that need an highly accurate time sync. I have
> > > 1 PDC that own the FSMO role, 14 DC in 14 distants sites (56k wan) (all Win
> > > 2k3 Sp1) in which I have workstations running under Windows XP Pro Sp2.
>
> > > I have try many configuration in W32time registry setting on both servers
> > > and workstations but I can't manage to have an accurate time on a long time
> > > basis. Mostly, after couple of hours, the time drift on random machine that
> > > makes the whole domain glitch and our SQL entries and replication
> > > (bi-directional) just goes messed up. Sometime, the time glitch to about 10
> > > secs which is totally unsuable for us. We need to have config that permit the
> > > whole domain to get under 1 sec or accurency.
>
> > > Can someone post or send me registry configs or tips that can help me with
> > > this problem? I have read a lot about w32time, I tried a lot of
> > > configurations yet but nothing seems to work so far.
>
> > > thx,- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

Couldn't you synch each server directly to a time server. If they all
synch to that source then they will be in sync with each other.

http://support.ntp.org/bin/view/Servers/WebHome