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Time on Win2k3 server keeps changing

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by scndtnr

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I have a Win2k3 DC/Exchange 2003 server that keeps changing from the correct time to one hour ahead, then back again (the Time Zone does not change); it does this several times an hour. OS and Exchange are both at SP2 and are fully patched (including DST fixes). SNTP is set to sync with north-america.pool.ntp.org, and logging indicates that connections are successful. Since the server is actually a blade in an IBM i5 Series computer, I've suspected that there is some sort of conflict with the IBM host, but the iSeries support tech reports that the time settings are correct on that box. Can anybody shed some light on this?

8 replies

by cg it

Seems like they haven't quite worked out all the bugs yet.

So you don't have an authoritative time server on the network? like a DC?

by scndtnr

The server in question is the authoratative time server on the network; it's also the only DC. One other server exists, but it's a Win2k3 Terminal Server, so it can't be a DC and, by extension, a time server.

by cg it

you can have a plain ole "server" be an authoritative time source for the network.

In a domain, a server with the PDC emulator/operations master roles are often used as the authoritative time sources, but that's simply because it can snyc time through parent/child domains, but they don't have to be.

You should see some application error reports in the Event Viewer if there is a problem with time or time sources on the network.

Sounds to me like you have 2 time sources on the network and one of them happens to have the wrong time zone, if time syncs and there is exactly a 1 hour difference in time.

by scndtnr

The server in question is not a blade server; I had the nomenclature wrong. I've been advised that it is an integrated server.

by pser

your local "time server" can be pointed at a NTP time source (www.time.gov, for example) and then have all of your other servers pointed at your local time source which is pointing to an outside NTP source. Make sense?

So, you have ONE DC and you are using it to run Exchange 2003 as well, correct? (Yikes, but that's just me.)

Did you run the DST patch for Exchange 2003 on the same box as well? Perhaps there is a conflict between the DST Patch for the NOS and the one for Exchange 03??? Perhaps they both need their own respective DST patches installed, or one or the other. Worth looking at ...

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/926666

Is your TS server in the Domain? Does it sync to the DC or to the same 'outside' NTP server? Just curious ...

Much Luck!!

by scndtnr

Thanks, CG IT and PSer, for the input. The iSeries tech and I fixed the issue by turning off the time sync between the iSeries host and the Windows integrated server; time has been stable since then.

by cg it

It's a great idea modeled after the PBX blades, but I'm not a fan of them. First is they cost a bundle. Second, HP in their infinite wisdom creates software to run the damn things which doesn't quite intergrate well with Microsoft stuff. Especially blades that use one NIC and virtual interfaces for each blade. Another great idea copied from Cisco's VLANs, but requires some effort to get it to work right. Anyone mucks with it and you can bring all your servers down.

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