Synchronizing a Windows 2003 domain controller or Windows XP client (SP2) to a time server

The following section describes the procedure to synchronize a Windows 2003 Server and XP clients to the IP address of the time server.

1. Stop the W32Time Service. W32Time service starts automatically at system startup. The time service should be stopped prior to defining the authorative time server. Failure to do so could cause an error in the event log. The W32Time service can be stopped two different ways. It can be controlled from "Services" or from the command prompt.
   1. Controlling the W32Time Service from Services
      Go to Start > Settings > Control Panel > Administrative Tools. Find a shortcut for Services. Select W32Time Service. Click Stop.
      Note: Make sure the time service is set to "automatic". The "manual" selection requires the service to be manually started every time the PC is rebooted.
   2. Controlling the W32Time Service from the command prompt
      At the command prompt, type: net stop w32time, press ENTER(stops the time service)
2. Set the time of the Windows 2003 Server back by several minutes or hours after the service is stopped, if this is feasible. This will help verify the PC is successfully syncing to the time server. Once the service is restarted, the time should jump to the correct time. Manually change the time to an incorrect value using the Date/Time properties screen in the lower right-hand corner of the screen (Set the time of the PC back by a minimum of 3 minutes).
3. Define the authoritative time server and configure the windows 2003 domain controller or XP workstation for NTP client mode.
   
   The Windows 2003 and XP (service pack 2 and above) versions of W32Time require an NTP authoritative time server defined and enabled as the source of external time synchronization. By default, Windows Server 2003 and XP (service pack 2 and above) are configured as time servers and use symmetric active mode to send synchronization requests to the workstations. NTP time servers respond only to requests that use client mode. Configure Windows Time to use client mode when it synchronizes with the time server. To do this, follow these steps:
   1. Click Start, click Run, type cmd, and then press ENTER.
   2. At the command prompt, type the following command, then press ENTER.
      w32tm /config /manualpeerlist:xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx,0x8 /syncfromflags:MANUAL
      (Where: xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx is the IP address of the time server)
      
      Note: all three forward slashes have a space in front of them.

    

4. Re-start the W32Time service
   After the Authoritative Time Server is defined and enabled, the service needs to be re-started for the changes to be updated.  Also, a one-time command must be entered at the command prompt (W32tm /resync). This command only needs to be entered the first time the service is started. Subsequent starts and stops can be controlled from "Services" alone. Check to make sure that you have reset the time in step 2 to verify the system is syncing.
   
   
   1. Re-start the W32Time service. At the command prompt, type:
      
      Net start w32time, press ENTER
      w32tm /resync, press ENTER
      
      If the time was not accurate before re-starting the service, once the Time Service is restarted, the Windows 2003 Server should jump to the right time. Windows 2000 and Windows XP workstations under the Domain Controller will sync at their next periodic interval.

If the time doesn't jump to the correct time, refer to Troubleshooting.

Back to: Time Adjustment

Next to: Set-up or verify Windows 2000 server or workstations sync to the DC Set-up Windows XP (pre-SP2) and verify Windows XP workstations sync to the DC