[Samba] Re: Time server

[Matthew J. DiBattista]

I may have missed something prior, but don't you need the time server
program running on your server?

Sincerely, 

Matthew J. DiBattista

Matthew J. DiBattista
Information Technology Technicians


-----Original Message-----
From: Mac [mailto:mac at nibsc.ac.uk] 
Sent: Thursday, April 29, 2004 8:13 AM
To: mike at powys-training.co.uk
Cc: samba at lists.samba.org
Subject: Re: [Samba] Re: Time server

Hi all,

>
>Thanks.  I've set that up but it doesn't seem to be doing anything :-(
>
>I found other, very similar instructions on the 'net...
>
>Under "my computer", "manage", "services & applications", "services" made
>sure that Windows Time was set to start automatically.  Then in a DOS box
>ran the following commands
>
>net stop "Windows Time"
>net time /setsntp:172.16.15.4  (my samba server)
>net start "Windows Time"
>
>
>I *can* use the DOS command:    net time \\172.16.15.4 /SET /y   and the
>clock
>does sync to the server.
>


I've just been fighting with this myself, and I _think_ I've got a firm
understanding.


There are _two_ ways that a modern (W2K, XP) box can talk to time servers,
NetBIOS and SNTP.

_Both_ are accessed with the 'net time' command, but unconnected to each
other.

So, if you use `net time \\someserver /set /yes'  then that will use the
NetBIOS
style of getting the time (i.e from an SMB server).

But, if you use `net time /setsntp:some-other-server'. then that will
configure which SNTP server(s) the "Windows Time" (w32time) service will
talk
to.


Obviously 'some-other-server' must speak NTP (which Samba, naturally)
doesn't
do.  You need (something like) xntpd instead.  (You can of course rrun Samba
and an NTP serer on the same server.


In XP the 'w32tm' command is expanded to allow you to update the config of
the
"Windows Time" service on the fly ('w32tm /config /update').  Note that you
_must_ either use this command or stop and start the w32time service for any
changes to take effect (that includes changes made by 'net time /setsntp:')!


Also, some useful info is available from (XP's) 'w32tm /monitor' and
'w32tm /dumpreg /subkey:parameters'


Right, enough of this off-topic nonsense......


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