Advanced Options

This page describes Audit Server's Advanced Options.

Audit List Management...
Audit Server can add discovered machines to the Audit list and also remove non-responding systems from the list automatically.

Audit List Management   [Click for smaller size]

Automatic Addition to the Audit List
Check the Add Domain Time Nodes discovered during audit checkbox to add any new machines running Domain Time Server, Client, Windows Time Agent, or the domtimed daemon found on the network to the list of audited machines.

Check the Add NTP Nodes discovered during audit checkbox to add any newly-discovered NTP daemons to the list of audited machines.

Check the Add machines discovered by receipt of startup Real-Time Alerts checkbox (version 5.2.b.20150307 or later) to allow new machines not already in the Manager database to be added upon receipt of a Real-Time Alert upon service start.

For security purposes, Audit Server will not accept Real-Time Alerts from machines that are not already present in the Manager database (appearing in the Domains and Workgroups list) by default. However, in some circumstances, such as adding new machines to the network that don't exist in Active Directory, this will prevent a machine set to "Always audit this machine" on its Status Reports configuration page from being auto-added (since its Real-Time alerts are being rejected). Enabling this checkbox can bypass this restriction. Use only if required.

If checked, and a previously-unknown machine sends a Real-Time Alert shortly after boot or service restart, Audit Server will attempt to add the machine to the audit list. The sending machine must respond to Audit Server's query before it can be added. Audit Server will only try unknown machines a few times before giving up.

Check the Add PTP masters discovered by PTP Monitor checkbox (version 5.2.b.20170101 or later) to add any PTP master servers discovered by PTP Monitor to the audit list.

Check the Add PTP masters discovered by PTP Monitor checkbox (version 5.2.b.20170101 or later) (version 5.2.b.20170101 or later) to add any PTP slaves discovered by PTP Monitor to the audit list.

Check the Add machines that have synchronized with Domain Time II Server checkbox to add those systems to the list of audited machines.

When checked, Audit Server will automatically add systems to the Audit List by contacting Server(s) and retrieving a list of all machines (ephemera) that have synchronized their time with that server using Domain Time II protocols. Multiple servers may be contacted to obtain their machine lists, if desired.

This method is a reliable method for populating the Audit List, and it has the added advantage of adding machines that are not currently online. However, it cannot discover any Domain Time II components that are not synchronizing with a Domain Time II Server. Those machines must be discovered using Domain Time Manager list discovery and/or entered manually and added to the list.

Notes:

• The "Adding machines that have synchronized with Server" function requires Domain Time II Server version 3.1 and later.

• Only systems that synchronize with Domain Time Server(s) using the DT2 protocol can be auto-discovered.

• The Audit Server must use credentials with sufficient rights to connect to the administrative share on the remote Server(s). See the Service Credentials... and IP Restrictions sections below for details on those settings.

• Machines may also be manually added to the audit list using Domain Time II Manager, either one-at-a-time or in a batch. See the Select machines to audit with Audit Server section of the "How to Manage Domain Time Remotely" page of the Manager documentation.

Foreground - collection must finish before audit completes
Background - collection finishes independent of scheduled audits
    Run background collection periodically, not just at audit time

These choices determine whether Audit Server will collect the server ephemera data in a separate thread from the audit run itself. Collecting ephemera data records from each Server can take an extended amount of time, particularly if you have a large number of synchronization events, since Audit Server must parse each event to determine whether or not it represents a new machine to be added.

Choosing Background allows collection of the basic audit data very quickly, and then the collection of the ephemera logs can complete in the background. Running the collection in the background periodically can make collection even more efficient.

Obtain records from this machine only
Specify a list of servers


Collection of the list of machines that synchronize with Domain Time II Server is enabled by default only on the Domain Time II Server on which Audit Server itself is installed. Other Domain Time II Servers will not keep a record of synchronizing machines until you enable data collection on them by entering them in the Server List. You will see a confirmation dialog when the server is successfully added to the list.

Automatic Removal from the Audit List

Stop auditing machines that haven't responded in over days will trim the audit list of any machines that have not been contacted in the specified period. Uncheck the box if you do not want to trim the list.

Reset last contact date and failure count when a machine is added manually sets the failure counters to defaults when manually adding machines.

Data Folders...
Choose where Audit Server stores records, reports, and logs.