Knowledge Base

How to synchronize the time on a Windows 2000-based computer in a Windows NT 4.0 domain

Article ID: 258059

Article Last Modified on 10/31/2006

APPLIES TO

Microsoft Windows 2000 Server
Microsoft Windows 2000 Advanced Server
Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional Edition

This article was previously published under Q258059

For a Microsoft Windows XP version of this article, see 314345.

Important This article contains information about modifying the registry. Before you modify the registry, make sure to back it up and make sure that you understand how to restore the registry if a problem occurs. For information about how to back up, restore, and edit the registry, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

256986 Description of the Microsoft Windows Registry

SYMPTOMS

A Microsoft Windows 2000-based computer that is a member of a Microsoft Windows NT 4.0-based domain may have the following event in the System event log:

Source: W32Time
Type: Warning
Event ID: 64
Description: Because of repeated network problems, the time service has not been able to find a domain controller to synchronize with for a long time. To reduce network traffic, the time service will wait 960 minutes before trying again. No synchronization will take place during this interval, even if network connectivity is restored. Accumulated time errors may cause certain network operations to fail. To tell the time service that network connectivity has been restored and that it should resynchronize, execute "w32tm /s" from the command line.

Additionally, if you stop the Windows Time service (W32Time.exe) and run the w32time -v -once command at the command prompt, you may receive the following error message:

BEGIN:FDoTimeNTPType
W32Time:       BEGIN:ChooseNTPServer
W32Time:       END  Line 2178
W32Time:       BEGIN:GetSocketForSynch
W32Time:          NTP: ntpptrs[0] - DOL-RSRC-BDC2
W32Time:          rgbNTPServer DOL-RSRC-BDC2
W32Time:          Port Pinging to - 123
W32Time:          Connecting to "DOL-RSRC-BDC2" (198.7.83.42)
W32Time:       END:Line 1170
W32Time:       BEGIN:GetDefaultRid
W32Time:       END  Line 2359
W32Time:       BEGIN:ComputeDelay
W32Time:          BEGIN:NTPTry -- init
W32Time:          END  Line 1683
W32Time:          BEGIN:NTPTry -- try
W32Time:             BEGIN:ComputeInterval
W32Time:             END  Line 2479
W32Time:             Sending to server  48 bytes...
W32Time:             NTP: recv failed (SOCKET_ERROR)! - 10054
W32Time:             Logging event 0x8000000B. 15 min until this event is allowed 
again.
W32Time:             0x8000000B reported to System Log in Event Viewer
W32Time:             NTP: didn't receive datagram
W32Time:             Rejecting logging event 0x8000000B. 894 sec until this event 
is allowed.
W32Time:          END  Line 1951
W32Time:          Time source failed to produce usable timestamp.

CAUSE

Windows uses the Windows Time time synchronization service (W32Time) to synchronize the date and time on computers in a Windows 2000-based network. A Windows 2000-based computer attempts to synchronize its time with a Windows 2000-based domain controller. If the computer is unable to find a Windows 2000-based domain controller in the domain, it is unable to synchronize the time.

RESOLUTION

If you have an existing time synchronization hierarchy in your Windows NT 4.0-based domain using W32Time and you want to have the Windows 2000-based computers participate:

On a Windows NT 4.0-based domain controller that is running W32Time, edit the %SystemRoot%\W32time.ini file and set the "LocalNTP=yes" value.
On the same domain controller, at the command prompt, type the following commands, and then press ENTER after each command:

net stop w32time
w32time -update
net start w32time
On the Windows 2000-based computer, at a command prompt, type net time /setsntp:domain controller. Where domain controller is the domain controller you modified in steps 1 and 2.

Note If you are using Timeserv on the Windows NT 4.0-based domain, you must upgrade to W32Time before using this procedure. Timeserv does not support being a Local NTP server.

MORE INFORMATION

Warning If you use Registry Editor incorrectly, you may cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that you can solve problems that result from using Registry Editor incorrectly. Use Registry Editor at your own risk.

Caution Running the net time /setsntp:domain controller command on the Windows 2000-based computer modifies the default parameters for W32Time in the registry. Because time synchronization is critical in a Windows 2000-based domain, set the operation of W32Time back to the default before the Windows 2000-based computer becomes a member of a Windows 2000-based domain.

To set the operation of W32Time back to the default, delete the "ntpserver" value and change the "type" value from "ntp" to "nt5DS". The values are located under the following registry location:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\W32Time\Parameters

For more information Windows Time service, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

246145 Changes to the W32Time and TimeServ utilities

224799 Basic operation of the Windows Time Service

223184 Registry entries for the W32Time service

Additional query words: kbfaqw2kds

Keywords: kbenv kbprb kbtimeserv KB258059

Microsoft KB Archive/258059

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