Timeserver problems

[StoutFiles]

I've got three computers. One is a timeserver, one is a Windows Server connected to that timeserver, and one is a Level 2 computer connected to the Windows Server machine but NOT to the timeserver.

How would I get the Level 2 computer to use the timeserver? I thought setting up the Windows Server machine like it was the timeserver would work, but it doesn't.

[Kendo]

For a time server you can use a website and query a page to get a timestamp that can be easier to work with when using expiration to the hour and minute... delivered as YYYY-MM-DD HH-MM.

But then which time zone do you want to use?

[J_RaD]

NET TIME

[\\computername | /DOMAIN[:domainname] | /RTSDOMAIN[:domainname]] [/SET]


use that command to tell your computer 3 to use computer 1 as the time server.

but if the win server is hooked to the time server why not just use the server to push time to the connected clients?

[lammert]

What is the time resolution you want to use and what are the operating systems on the time server and your level 2 computer? Windows cannot reliably synchronize time with other computers at a sub-second level. When accuracy and reliability is an issue using an NTP client would be the right way to go and NTP client software is available for several operating systems.

[StoutFiles]

Computer A: Company timeserver with unknown OS. I don't own it, but am told to use it.
Computer B: Windows Server '03 with two LANs; Level 1 ( where timeserver is) and Level 2(operations).
Computer C,D,E,etc: Windows XP / Windows 7. All on Level 2 LAN, can't connect to Computer A.

What I was hoping to do is connect Computer B to Computer A, then connect all the other computer to Computer B. Times don't need to be exact, just within a 5 minute window. However, when I set up Computers C, D, E, etc to connect to Computer B, they do not get a time back, as if I need to do something to Computer B.

I know how to connect clients to a timeserver, but it appears I don't know what steps I need to take to tell a server (one that is a client of a timeserver) it needs to be a timeserver.

[lammert]

As computers B to E are Windows based, you may want to use the w32tm tool to see what the current status is of the time service on each computer. w32tm is a powerful command line tool which allows you to switch the time service on and off, change the configuration and set the debug level for logging.

Without parameters the tool gives you a list of command line options. More information is available in this Microsoft Technet document [technet.microsoft.com].