Domain Time II Windows Time Agent: Client tab

The Windows Time service can be set to a variety of methods to obtain the time and set the local clock. Use the radio buttons to select the method you prefer. Consult the Microsoft Windows Time documentation for a description of each of these options.

Disabled
The client portion of Windows Time service will not be loaded.

NoSync
The client portion of the Windows Time service is loaded, but does not attempt to obtain the time or synchronize the clock. (Note, on Windows Server 2003, the service takes control of the NTP port 123 UDP, the Windows XP & 2000 versions do not).

NT5DS
This is the mode selected by default when a machine is a member of an Active Directory domain. It uses Active Directory to discover a time server (called the "inbound time partner"), then uses either SNTP or LAN Manager to retrieve the time. NT5DS mode does not allow you to specify the server, and on XP or above, the server must be a Windows Domain Controller that provides signed time packets.

AllSync
This mode uses either the NT5DS and NTP methods to synchronize with a server. It tries NT5DS first, and if that fails (perhaps because your machine isn't a member of a domain, or your machine's logon server is not available), it falls back to the list of manually-configured NTP/SNTP servers.

NTP


Special Interval: seconds
If Special Interval is selected as the NTP sync mode (see below), this field allows you to specify the number of seconds to wait between attempts to synchronize the system clock. This setting corresponds to the SpecialPollInterval value in the [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\W32Time\TimeProviders\NtpClient] registry key.

Use the time source fields to enter the IP address or DNS name of NTP time sources you want the Windows Time service to synchronize with.

The Sync Mode dropdown box allows you to select the NTP sync mode to use:


• Special Interval: As mentioned above, synchronizes using the Special Poll Interval setting
  
• Fallback Only: Specifies this entry should be only used for fallback in the event other methods fail
  
• Symmetric Active: Sends NTP sync requests using symmetric active packets (not compatible with all NTP servers)
  
• NTP Client: Sends NTP sync requests using standard NTP Client packets
  

Visual status indicators and Sync Now

The Sync Now button will instruct the Windows Time service to resynchronize with its time source. The sync may not occur immediately, it happens according to the internal schedule of the time service.

The applet will constanly display the current clock variance of each selected source, as well as an idicator light showing the sync status of the local clock. The currently selected time source (inbound time partner) is displayed as well.

    Co-existing with the Windows Time Service
    Windows Time Service and Internet Communication - Microsoft whitepaper

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