[Samba] Time Server? - Answers/Summary

[David Busby]

List,
	This e-mail simply links all the various topics as one...I started
this thread.

Q1- Samba being the PDC thingy
Q2- "time server" option in smb.conf file
Q3- 'net time' command on Windows clients.

A1- Samba doesn't have to be PDC
A2- Samba doesn't need "time server = yes" in smb.conf
A3- Windows clients were not designed to keep proper time so it's a hack

Misc Rambling:

So...here's what I have and hope this confirms/clears:
In my smb.conf file I don't have "time server = yes" anywhere.  It's default
is "no" so for my configuration my Samba server should not be announcing
itself as a time server.  This Samba server is not a PDC (in fact its not
even part of my NT domain, just on the same subnet).  My Windows clients
that logon to the PDC use the command 'net time \\[a-samba=server] /set
/yes' to sync time with my Samba server (which is sync'd from UW
(http://washington.edu) now).  But they only sync on logon (which happens
once a day, if that).  So it seems like if you want your Windows clients to
stay in sync then you must manually do it with a scheduled task that will
issue the correct 'net time' command.  Or you can install a NTP client for
Windows.


Windows NTP clients 
http://www.arachnoid.com/abouttime/.
http://www.kaska.demon.co.uk/

NTP home page
http://www.eecis.udel.edu/~ntp/ (aka: http://www.ntp.org)

Public NTP Servers
http://www.eecis.udel.edu/~mills/ntp/servers.html

Hope this helps everyone out.
/B


-----Original Message-----
From: Jay Ts [mailto:jay at metran.cx] 
Sent: Saturday, June 15, 2002 14:49
To: jmalone at horizonind.com
Cc: samba at lists.samba.org
Subject: Re: [Samba] Time Server?


> an yes you do not to have the  'time server = yes'
> setup in smb.conf on samba server.

Oh ... are you saying that without 'time server = yes'
in smb.conf, the Windows clients can still do the
'net time' command using the Samba server, and it will
work?

I just looked in the smb.conf manual page, and it says:

time server (G)
       This parameter determines if  nmbd(8)advertises
       itself as  a  time  server  to  Windows clients.

       Default: time server = no

So maybe that means that the 'time server' parameter
is just there to make sure that the server is advertised
by the name service.  And since the 'net time' command specifies the server
explicitly, it does not need that.

Can I get an affirmation of this from someone who is
sure about it?  (Samba Team?)

Jay Ts

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