Edit W32Time.ini to sync Windows NT workstations to a domain controller

This section describes how to edit W32Time.ini for enabling Windows NT workstations to sync to either the Domain Controller. The REM statements and unnecessary changes have been deleted from these sections to simplify the application note.

1. "Type=" is used to specify what type of service the computer is working as. When the workstation is designated as "Primary", the time is derived from the Primary Server.
   ;Type=NTP
   Type=PRIMARY (Remove the semicolon from this statement)
   ;Type=SECONDARY
2. "Period =" is used to determine the delay between each Time Set. Initially, an attempt to sync will occur once every 45 minutes until initial sync. Thereafter, two to three times a day by default. The period can be set to a specific number of times per day. For example "Period=1" for every 24 hours, "Period=2" for every 12 hours or "Period=3" for every 8 hours. Enter the number of times daily that you desire the service to update the system clock if you have a preference. A high value can cause errors so we do not recommend using more than about 3 times per day.
   Period=3 (No semicolon)
3. "TAsync=" means to use the TimeAdjustment API to disable CMOS synchronization. Tasync=no (No semicolon)
4. "NTPServer=" is the name(s) or numeric address(es) of the Model 8188 or 8189 CHECK. Since Workstations get their time from the Primary Server, this statement is not used. ; NTPServer= (Has semicolon)
5. "Log=yes" places an entry in the Application event log for only the first successful sync with an NTP Server. Failures are always logged no matter what the "Log= "statement is set to. ;Log=no
   Log=yes (No semicolon)
6. "LocalNTP" indicates whether to start an NTP server on the local machine.
   LocalNTP=no (No semicolon)
7. "PrimarySource" lists all known Master Time Servers in your network. Since the Workstation syncs only to the Primary Server, this line is not used.
   ;PrimarySource=\\MYNTPSERVER (Has semicolon)
8. "RandomPrimary=" is used to randomly choose NTP servers. Since the Workstation syncs only to the Primary Server, this line is not used.
   ;RandomPrimary=yes (Has semicolon)
9. Timesource= is used to listen for broadcasts by Secondary clients. Since the workstation does not need to listen for broadcasts, set the "timesource=" to"no".
   timesource=no (Remove the semicolon from this statement)
   ;timesource=yes
10. SecondaryDomain tells the workstations which domain to broadcast their time requests to. If this entry is empty or missing, these clients will query the current domain for a Primary Time Server. If the PDC is in another domain, specify it here.
    SecondaryDomain= (No semicolon. Leave blank if workstation is in same domain as the PDC)

Back to:
Synchronizing Windows NT servers or workstations to either a domain controller or a time server