Synchronizing system time with my time server (w2k3)

[Yogeeraj_1]

dear experts!

i am currently trying to setup configure our server so that it automatically sychronises its time from our time server.

i have already gone through the steps listed by Rita at the following URL:
http://forums1.itrc.hp.com/service/forums/questionanswer.do?threadId=88427

It is still not OK!

how do i go about troubleshooting this problem?

thanking you in advance for your replies.

kind regards
yogeeraj

[Pedro Cirne]

Hi,

You must check if the time diference between you server and time server is not too big, otherwise you must first adust de time manually and then restart ntp sync.

Check syslog when starting xntpd, any messages?

Enjoy :)

Pedro

[Pete Randall]

Yogeeraj,

Have you tried going through the troubleshooting steps outlined here:

http://docs.hp.com/en/B2355-90685/ch07s03.html


Pete

[Steven E. Protter]

Windows 2003 may have to be updated. Windows over the last decade has used an ntp server system that is not standard and will not interact properly with Unix systems.

If this is the case, it may be a W2K3 bug.

It can be fixed a few ways:

1) Contact microsoft support and give them the ntpq -p results and don't take no for an answer.
2) go to http://www.ntp.org

They have working time server software for Windows NT/2000/2003 that actually follows the standards set by the International organization.

SEP

[Yogeeraj_1]

hi,

Thank you all for your replies.

A few clarifications, my time server is running on the Windows 2003 server (i have also tried to install a demo time server software on a PC - PresenTense Server (evaluation))

On my HP-UX server, i ma just trying to synchronise with the time server.

below the output of the "ntpq" and "ntpdate" when run on my hp-ux server:

# /usr/sbin/ntpq -p
remote refid st t when poll reach delay offset disp
==============================================================================
mytimeserver 0.0.0.0 16 - - 64 0 0.00 0.000 16000.0
#
# /usr/sbin/ntpdate -d mytimeserver
transmit(mytimeserver)
transmit(mytimeserver)
transmit(mytimeserver)
transmit(mytimeserver)
transmit(mytimeserver)
server mytimeserver, port 123
stratum 0, precision 0, leap 00, trust 000
refid [0.0.0.0], delay 0.00000, dispersion 64.00000
transmitted 4, in filter 4
reference time: 00000000.00000000 Thu, Feb 7 2036 10:28:16.000
originate timestamp: 00000000.00000000 Thu, Feb 7 2036 10:28:16.000
transmit timestamp: c6a5bf4f.385a7000 Thu, Aug 11 2005 16:13:03.220
filter delay: 0.00000 0.00000 0.00000 0.00000
0.00000 0.00000 0.00000 0.00000
filter offset: 0.000000 0.000000 0.000000 0.000000
0.000000 0.000000 0.000000 0.000000
delay 0.00000, dispersion 64.00000
offset 0.000000

11 Aug 16:13:04 ntpdate[6668]: no server suitable for synchronization found
#


thanks for further guidances

kind regards
yogeeraj

[john korterman]

Hi,

perhaps the server you try to sync up to is not itself sync'ed up(!?)
Hmmm, better take a look at Doc. ID KBRC00001983 in the tech base yourself.

regards,
John K.

[Pedro Cirne]

Hi,

You can see in your debugg information that the "reference time" and "originate timestamp" are in the future :)

What's the output of the "date" command on you hp-ux server? Is the time correctly set on your time server?

Pedro

[Florian Heigl (new acc)]

judging by the ntpdate -v I dare to point out to following problem:

Your timeserver is not working.
It does not reply.

[Yogeeraj_1]

dear all,

thank you for your replies.

A few clarifications:
1. Date on my hp-ux server is ok
2. Date on my time server is ok too!

I have also tried to install a 3rd party time server (PresenTense) and it is still not ok.

giving me the following error message:
# ntpq -p mypresentense
192.168.150.208: timed out, nothing received
***Request timed out
#

any more insights would be most appreciated.

kind regards
yogeeraj

[john korterman]

Hi again,

could you show us the content of /etc/ntp.conf?

regards,
John K.

[Yogeeraj_1]

hi John,

attached the file you asked.

regards
yogeeraj

[john korterman]

Thanks Yogeeraj,

disappointingly, it holds an entry like the one I use myself, which works ok.

doc. ID UOTHKBRC00010203 in the Tech Base suggests a different minimum use, but - as mentioned - I can get along with a single "server entry", so the doc. may not help.

regards,
John K.

[Yogeeraj_1]

hi again,

thanks for your reply john.

any recommended ways for trying something afresh?

thanks
yogeeraj

[RAC_1]

Are the time zones same on both systems?? Both set to day light saveing?? or both not??

[Yogeeraj_1]

hi,

time zones are not the same!
on hp-ux:
# echo $TZ
MRU-4

on windows:
(GMT+4:00)Abu Dhabi, Muscat

anything issues concerning time zones?

regards
yogeeraj

[RAC_1]

Aha,

That is why you see follows.-->

Thu, Feb 7 2036 10:28:16.000

Thu, Aug 11 2005 16:13:03.220

reference time: 00000000.00000000 Thu, Feb 7 2036 10:28:16.000
originate timestamp: 00000000.00000000 Thu, Feb 7 2036 10:28:16.000
transmit timestamp: c6a5bf4f.385a7000 Thu, Aug 11 2005 16:13:03.220

They have to be same.

[Yogeeraj_1]

hi,

thank you for your reply.

1. do that mean that we gmt settings must be the same?

2. why does the "ntpq -p" command fail?
timed out, nothing received
***Request timed out

please guide.

kind regards
yogeeraj

[Yogeeraj_1]

hi again!

I changed my time zone settings and it is still not OK. Am i missing something?

# echo $TZ
GMT-04:00
# /usr/sbin/ntpdate -d mytimeserver
transmit(mytimeserver)
transmit(mytimeserver)
transmit(mytimeserver)
transmit(mytimeserver)
transmit(mytimeserver)
server mytimeserver, port 123
stratum 0, precision 0, leap 00, trust 000
refid [0.0.0.0], delay 0.00000, dispersion 64.00000
transmitted 4, in filter 4
reference time: 00000000.00000000 Thu, Feb 7 2036 10:28:16.000
originate timestamp: 00000000.00000000 Thu, Feb 7 2036 10:28:16.000
transmit timestamp: c6a80207.a3e13000 Sat, Aug 13 2005 9:22:15.640
filter delay: 0.00000 0.00000 0.00000 0.00000
0.00000 0.00000 0.00000 0.00000
filter offset: 0.000000 0.000000 0.000000 0.000000
0.000000 0.000000 0.000000 0.000000
delay 0.00000, dispersion 64.00000
offset 0.000000

13 Aug 09:22:16 ntpdate[4798]: no server suitable for synchronization found
#

thanking you in advance for your replies.

kind regards
yogeeraj

[Ermin Borovac]

I think you should check if firewall is enabled on the windows system (unless you have done so already).

You can run ntpq with debug option -d as in

# /usr/sbin/ntpq -d -p

To increase debugging level specify 'debug more' command multiple times.

# /usr/sbin/ntpq -c 'debug more' -c 'debug more' -p

[Yogeeraj_1]

hi Ermin,

this does not help either!

below the output of these commands:
# /usr/sbin/ntpq -d -p mytimeserver
select() returns 0
select() returns 0
mytimeserver: timed out, nothing received
***Request timed out
# /usr/sbin/ntpq -c 'debug more' -c 'debug more' -p mytimeserver
debug level set to 1
debug level set to 2
select() returns 0
select() returns 0
mytimeserver: timed out, nothing received
***Request timed out


thank you for further insights

kind regards
yogeeraj

[Ermin Borovac]

Do you have firewall enabled on the w2k3 system? Maybe it's blocking your query with ntpq from the hp-ux box.

Check if your third-party product has some utility similar to ntpq so you can verify that timeserver software on the windows system is functional.

[Yogeeraj_1]

hi,

>>Do you have firewall enabled on the w2k3 system? Maybe it's blocking your query with ntpq from the hp-ux box.

No such firewall on my server. In fact, all the PCs on the domain get their time synchronised there!


>>Check if your third-party product has some utility similar to ntpq so you can verify that timeserver software on the windows system is functional.
I tried the third-party software "PresenTense" time server query utility against the timeserver running on W2k3 server, but it is not replying.

However, i have a third-party time server install on my PC which is responding properly to the time query from the utility.

I have tried to query this 3rd-party time server from the hp-ux server as well, but no success!!


any further ideas?

thanking you in advance for your reply.

regards
yogeeraj

[Ermin Borovac]

Microsoft Windows systems tend to use protocol called SNTP (simple network time protocol) for time synchronisation. This is not compatible with hp-ux implementation (NTP).

Check if your time server on W2k3 is using SNTP or NTP.

[Yogeeraj_1]

Dear Ermin,

made a few changes (use NTP ver3, etc) to the configuration of the Evaluation Time server (PresenTense) and below is the output i am getting now:

# /usr/sbin/ntpq -c 'debug more' -c 'debug more' -p mytimeserver
debug level set to 1
debug level set to 2
select() returns 1
Got packet, size = 12
Packet okay
No association ID's returned
#
# /usr/sbin/ntpq -d -p mytimeserver
select() returns 1
No association ID's returned
# /usr/sbin/ntpq -p mytimeserver
No association ID's returned
# /usr/sbin/ntpdate -d mytimeserver
transmit(mytimeserver)
receive(mytimeserver)
transmit(mytimeserver)
receive(mytimeserver)
transmit(mytimeserver)
receive(mytimeserver)
transmit(mytimeserver)
receive(mytimeserver)
transmit(mytimeserver)
server mytimeserver, port 123
stratum 16, precision -18, leap 11, trust 000
refid [0.0.0.0], delay 0.03049, dispersion 0.00008
transmitted 4, in filter 4
reference time: 00000000.00000000 Thu, Feb 7 2036 10:28:16.000
originate timestamp: c6aac612.2587d6f9 Mon, Aug 15 2005 11:43:14.146
transmit timestamp: c6aac68e.4e5c1000 Mon, Aug 15 2005 11:45:18.306
filter delay: 0.03049 0.03078 0.03081 0.03076
0.00000 0.00000 0.00000 0.00000
filter offset: -124.162 -124.162 -124.162 -124.162
0.000000 0.000000 0.000000 0.000000
delay 0.03049, dispersion 0.00008
offset -124.162226

15 Aug 11:45:18 ntpdate[22801]: no server suitable for synchronization found
#

do you see anything wrong now?

thanking you in advance for a reply!

kind regards
yogeeraj

[Yogeeraj_1]

hi again,

and now i changed the setting on my Evaluation "PresenTense" time server as follows:
#--------------------------------------------------------------------
#
# PresenTense NTP4 Plug-In Configuration
#
#--------------------------------------------------------------------

tinker panic 7200
server Myw2k3timeserver prefer version 3 minpoll 6 maxpoll 10
server Myw2k3timeserver version 3 minpoll 6 maxpoll 10
driftfile C:\PROGRA~1\PTServer\ntp.drift
statsdir C:\PROGRA~1\PTServer\
logconfig syncall +clockall
keys C:\PROGRA~1\PTServer\NTP~1.KEY
trustedkey 1
trustedkey 2
trustedkey 3
trustedkey 4
...

and below is the output am getting when running a query:

# /usr/sbin/ntpq -d -p myPresenTenseTimeSrv
select() returns 1
remote refid st t when poll reach delay offset disp
==============================================================================
select() returns 1
select() returns 1
Myw2k3timeserver.corp.co. 0.0.0.0 16 u - 64 0 0.00 0.000 0.00
select() returns 1
select() returns 1
Myw2k3timeserver.corp.co. 0.0.0.0 16 u - 64 0 0.00 0.000 0.00
#


Something seems to be working...

what's next?

thanking you in advance for a reply

kind regards
yogeeraj