| One of the Windows NT Resource Kit utilities, TimeServ, enables you to configure your Windows NT-based computers (running Windows NT version 3.5 or later) to synchronize their clocks either by modem or over the Internet. TimeServ enables you to configure a computer to synchronize its clock with a number of different time sources including the National Institute of Standards and Technology's Atomic Clock. Before you use this utility, make sure you download the latest version of it from ftp://ftp.microsoft.com/bussys/winnt/winnt-public/
reskit/nt40/i386/ Microsoft has documented a bug with the version of timeserv.exe that originally shipped in the Windows NT Resource Kit. You should configure one computer on your network to act as a primary time server by having it synchronize its clock with an official time server. You can then configure all of the other computers to set their time via your primary time server. To install TimeServ on your primary time server, log on as a user with administrative privileges and copy timeserv.exe and timeserv.dll to your server's \%SystemRoot%\System32 folder. (For example, if you installed Windows NT Server to C:\WINNT, you should copy these two files to C:\WINNT\SYSTEM32.) Next, Copy the file named timeserv.ini to \%SystemRoot%. Finally, start TimeServ by running either timeserv - automatic or timeserv - manual from the command prompt. (If you use the automatic parameter, Windows NT will automatically restart the service whenever you reboot your server. If you use the manual parameter, you must manually restart the TimeServ service yourself.) Note: By default, the timeserv.ini file configures your computer to dial the United States "atomic clock." In addition, it assumes that your computer is using a standard modem on COM1 and doesn't dial a PBX prefix (such as 9). If you want to configure your computer to use different settings, you'll need to edit the timeserv.ini file to reflect those settings. You'll find detailed instructions on how to edit the timeserv.ini file in the TimeServ documentation (TimeServ.htm) included with the Resource Kit. Once you have configured a primary time server to set its time by the Atomic Clock, you can configure your other Windows NT-based computers to set their clocks by the primary time server by using the net time command or by installing TimeServ as a service on their computers. If you use the net time command, you'll need to permit Domain Users to change the date/time on those computers by modifying User Rights in User Manager for Domains. If you use TimeServ to set their clocks, you'll need to edit the timeserv.ini file to indicate that the client obtains its time from your primary time server. |
