How to Setup NTP on a 2003 Server
Time is a very valuable resource and we all wish we had more of it to do the things we enjoy. Time is also a very important part of the work of the computer applications that are so much a part of our lives. When you purchase an item online the purchase transaction time is recorded as is the subsequent debit on your bank card. The company that ships the item to you tracks its progress across the country and records the time at each check point along the way. This is just one example of the many computer applications that affect our lives and require the accurate time to properly do their jobs. Windows 2003 is able to facilitate distribution of the correct time by accessing global time servers and then providing that time to the devices on your network.
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Instructions
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1
Set the server parameter type to NTP (Network Time Protocol).
Click "Start," "Run," key "regedit," and click "OK." Locate the "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\W32Time\Parameters\Type" subkey in the registry. Right-click "Type" and click "Modify." Set the value to NTP. Click "OK."
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2
Set the "AnnounceFlags" value.
Locate the the "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\W32Time\Config\AnnounceFlags" subkey in the registry. Right-click "AnnounceFlags," click "Modify," key "5" in the value field and click "OK."
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3
Set the NTPServer service status to enabled.
Locate the "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\W32Time\TimeProviders\NtpServer" subkey in the registry. Right-click "Enabled," click "Modify," type "1" in the value field and click "OK."
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4
Enter the list of time servers that your NTP server will access for the correct time. The names should be unique and each should have ".0x1" appended so that your changes will become effective.
Locate the "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\W32Time\Parameters" subkey in the registry. Right-click on "NtpServer," click "Modify," key the list of "servers" in the value field and click "OK."
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5
Set the polling interval for the time server. The value is decimal and represents the number of seconds between polls. For instance, a value of 300 would indicate a five minute polling interval.
Locate the "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\W32Time\TimeProviders\NtpClient\SpecialPollInterval" subkey in the registry. Right-click "SpecialPollInterval," click "Modify," key a value for the poll interval in the value field and click "OK."
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6
Set the maximum positive time adjustment for the time server. A value of 1800 would mean that the server cannot make a forward adjustment of time greater than one half hour.
Locate the "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\W32Time\Config\MaxPosPhaseCorrection" subkey in the registry. Right-click "MaxPosPhaseCorrection," click "Modify," select "Decimal" in the Base box, and key a decimal value in the value field. Click "OK."
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7
Set the maximum negative time adjustment for the time server. A value of 1800 would mean that the server cannot make a backward adjustment of time greater than one half hour.
Locate the "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\W32Time\Config\MaxNegPhaseCorrection" subkey in the registry. Right-click "MaxNegPhaseCorrection," click "Modify," select "Decimal" in the Base box, and key a decimal number in the value field. Click "OK."
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8
Close the Registry Editor and open a command prompt window. Stop and start the time service with these commands:
net stop w32time
net start w32time
When the time service restarts, the Windows 2003 NTP server should begin to acquire the accurate time from the servers you specified earlier and distribute the time to your network devices.
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References
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