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  • #2320452

    Time difference between client & server

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    by jet1415 ·

    I have a windows 2000 domain with AD running – 3 domain controllers and have never set up any time solution on the servers. Whenever a client reboots, when it comes back up and tries to login to my W2K domain, the user gets an error that there is atime difference between the client and server and you can not be logged into the domain. I have read every possible white paper and knowledge base article on this and can not figure out why it keeps happening. When the client gets the error one ofour sysadmins has to go to their desk and log into a local admin account and run the w32tm cmd to force the workstation to sync up it’s time. Once we run the command we can shut down the system and reboot it and they can login fine. Once they reboot again they will get the error again. I would like to know if anyone has had this problem before and if so how did you pinpoint it and/or solve it? Thanks.

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    • #3488316

      Time difference between client & server

      by jet1415 ·

      In reply to Time difference between client & server

      Point value changed by question poster.

    • #3488305

      Time difference between client & server

      by dklippert ·

      In reply to Time difference between client & server

      Time Difference Exists Between the Client and the Server Q297234

      http://tinyurl.com/2drx

      Verify that the Windows Time Service is running on the clients and the servers. The clients should get their time updated when they boot up and the machine’s contact a domain controller for machine account authentication.

      How to Configure an Authoritative Time Server in Windows 2000 Q216734

      http://tinyurl.com/2ds0

      • #3484927

        Time difference between client & server

        by jet1415 ·

        In reply to Time difference between client & server

        I’ve done this and it didn’t help. I have read every knowledge base article and white paper on this issue and I can’t figure out why it continues to happen. All of a sudden we got this error for no reason – everything had been working fine and then all of sudden…. any other ideas you have please let me know. Thanks for responding.

    • #3488251

      Time difference between client & server

      by ann777 ·

      In reply to Time difference between client & server

      You might also want to view MSKB Q321290

      I ran into this problem when one Win2000 machine would not increment correctly (the longer the computer was used, the greater the time would lag — but it would only lag in Windows. When I went to a command prompt to see what the system time was, it’d be correct).

      After editing the registry key from the above Q article, all the time problems went away.


      See if your client computer’s system time (BIOS) matches the Windows time. If the WIndows time is off, edit the registry key or remove it entirely. Then test and see if that makes any difference.

    • #3495485

      Time difference between client & server

      by maxwell edison ·

      In reply to Time difference between client & server

      Windows 2000 and XP have a built-in time synchronization service called Windows Time or W32Time. Unlike previous versions of Windows or NT, Windows 2000 requires that the machine clocks within a domain be roughly synchronized. The identification tokens generated by the Kerberos 5 authentication method have a built-in expiration. If the machine clocks are not synchronized, a client could generate an identification token that appears, to a server, to have expired by the time it was generated. This is what you may be experiencing. Microsoft addressed this problem by including the Windows Time service with Windows 2000, but Windows Time (W32Time) was never intended to be an enterprise time solution. It is “good enough” for Kerberos on Windows 2000, but does not attempt to address timing needs beyond that (see The Windows Time Service, Microsoft, April 2001).

      http://www.microsoft.com/WINDOWS2000/techinfo/howitworks/security/wintimeserv.asp

      REMOVE SPACES from the pasted URL.

      (A link to download/view the entire article is on the upper right of that Web page.)

      The Windows 2000 Windows Time (W32Time) service only works on Windows 2000 and XP machines. For a pure-Microsoft solution, you can use a combination of batch files andlogon scripts for WfWG and Win9x machines, and TimeServ or W32Time for NT4 for NT machines. (Do not confuse the W32Time for NT4 with the W32Time that ships with Windows 2000. The original W32Time for NT4 works like TimeServ. The new one for Windows 2000 has additional features.)

      (continued…)

      • #3495484

        Time difference between client & server

        by maxwell edison ·

        In reply to Time difference between client & server

        However, there are significant drawbacks to using a pure-Microsoft solution. First, the NET TIME command-line tool, required for WfWG, Win95, Win98, and ME, does not meet the requirements for a modern time solution. Second, while the new Windows Time service for Windows 2000/XP addresses some of NET TIME’s problems, it has problems of its own (see entire article – link provided below).

        Domain Time II is much more robust and easier to manage than the native W32Time Time Service, and it is designed to replace it seamlessly. It also has special features to co-exist with the service when necessary. Read more.

        ———-

        The preceding is only an excerpt from the article, “Overview of Windows Time Service” found at the following link:

        http://www.greyware.com/software/domaintime/product/w32time.asp

        REMOVE SPACES from the pasted URL.

        It’s a very thorough and descriptive article with several additional links to related information.

      • #3484930

        Time difference between client & server

        by jet1415 ·

        In reply to Time difference between client & server

        I’ve actually been using the Domain Time II trial product and we still have issues with clients not being able to log into the domain. There is no rhyme or reason to it….. It’s not the same client every time or the same subnet – I can’t pinpoint the problem. If you have any additional ideas please let me know. Thanks for your input.

    • #3498341

      Time difference between client & server

      by shmaltz ·

      In reply to Time difference between client & server

      I have had this problem, by me it was gone after I ran NET TIME /CONFIG command on the PDC (FSMO/DC in Windows 2K lingo)

    • #3484874

      Time difference between client & server

      by greybeard770 ·

      In reply to Time difference between client & server

      With Windows2000 you don’t need third party time management. We have one server that synchronizes with the US Naval Observatory and everybody else gets their time from that server. Articles Q232255, Q224799, Q216734 give you information about setting up a domain controller. I find it nice to let the time sync process make an entry to the system log when it happens. Use the command:
      net time /setsntp:192.5.41.209
      instead of the DNS name for the USNO server.

      If this problem is only happening on one client, it could be the CMOS battery getting weak. I have seen clocks run a little fast when that happens.

      • #3484845

        Time difference between client & server

        by jet1415 ·

        In reply to Time difference between client & server

        Been there, tried that – it’s not happening on only one client – it’s happened on at least every client in the domain at least once if not more than once. Thanks for your input – any other ideas, please let me know.

    • #3484798

      Time difference between client & server

      by maxwell edison ·

      In reply to Time difference between client & server

      Microsoft Knowledge Base Article – Q120944

      “Using NET TIME for all Workstations and Servers”

      SUMMARY:
      In a network with different network client software, different workgroups, and different domains, maintaining a logon script that issues a NET TIME command can become complex. This article offers a simple solution to keep the time for all clients in the network synchronized.

      MORE INFORMATION:
      The solution to keeping all workstations’ time synchronized with a particular server can besolved by either running a logon script for each workstation or by having each workstation run a batch file on their own after logging on to the network.

      For example, assume you have a server named TIMESRV that has a reliable system clock. An example batch file that would run either from the workstation, or get called from or be part of a logon script, would look like this:

      NET TIME \\TIMESRV /SET /YES

      Using just a server name instead of the /DOMAIN or /WORKGROUP parameter avoids the complexity of maintaining different logon scripts or batch files for the different types of network client software. Please keep in mind that if all of your workstations are running the same type of network client software, you may choose instead to use the /DOMAIN or /WORKGROUP parameter. But, in a network with a variety of network client software, it might be easiest to use the “\\computername” (without quotation marks) parameter.

      NOTE: NET TIME is enabled by default on all Windows NT workstations and servers.

      LINK:
      http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=KB;EN-US;q120944&

    • #3484762

      Time difference between client & server

      by ctmoore1998 ·

      In reply to Time difference between client & server

      You could create a login script for your workstations with the this cmd
      NET TIME \\SERVER /set /y
      This will set the client workstation to the login server. You should set up a time server for the 3 domain controller’s or put this same cmd in the admin login script and use just one of the domain servers as a time server.

    • #3500310

      Time difference between client & server

      by alpha-male ·

      In reply to Time difference between client & server

      http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=KB;EN-US;Q232386&

      SYMPTOMS

      When you attempt to log on to the network, you may receive the following error message:

      The system cannot log you on due to the following error:
      There is a time difference between the Client and Server.
      Please try again or consult your system administrator.
      CAUSE
      This behavior can occur if the time or date is not synchronized between your computer and the domain to which you are attempting to log on. If the client computer’s time or date is not synchronized with the authenticating domain controller, Kerberos validation does not succeed. This occurs because of the variation in the time stamps between the AS_Req and AS_reply between the client and server. Because Kerberos is the only form of logon authentication between two Windows 2000-based computers, the logon does not succeed.
      RESOLUTION
      To resolve this issue, log on to your computer locally using an account with administrative privileges and set the time and date to match the time and date on the domain controller that validates your logon. Below is list of steps that can be used to synchronize the time.

      Click Start, Run
      Type in CMD and click OK
      At the command prompt type something similar to the following:NET TIME /DOMAIN:name /SET

      Where “name” is the domain name being used by the computer. If you are not certain what the domain name should be replace name with “%userdomain%” without the quotes.

      Here is anothergood resource for issues like this:

      http://www.labmice.net/Windows2000/timesynch.htm

      Good luck, hope this helps!

    • #3514620

      Time difference between client & server

      by jack republic ·

      In reply to Time difference between client & server

      You can also modify the domain group policy under
      windows settings/security settings/kerberos policy
      Maximum tolerance for computer clock synchronization (the default value is 5 minuts)
      you can increase it up to 9999 minuts.

      • #3474815

        Time difference between client & server

        by jet1415 ·

        In reply to Time difference between client & server

        I have changed this registry setting to the maximum – this seems to have helped. Thanks to everyone who assisted me with this problem and of course, to you jack republic for giving a solution (I think 🙂 ).

        Jennifer

    • #3513782

      Time difference between client & server

      by cg it ·

      In reply to Time difference between client & server

      Windows & .NET magazine volume 8 # 11 page 73 has a nice article on Windows Time Service including Keberos’s requirement for accurate time in ticket generation [not more than 5 minutes apart from client to DC]. Note Windows NT 4.0 & Windows 9X don’tautomatically sync up with a DC. one must do this manually. ” You can put the command net time \\>computer name> /set /yes in a batch file and place a shortcut to the batch file in the startup folder to sync time every time the computer starts up” {quoted verbatum from Windows & .NET magazine].

      • #3513781

        Time difference between client & server

        by cg it ·

        In reply to Time difference between client & server

        There is this interesting editorial in Windows & .NET magazine in the “Ask Dr. Bob” column about upgrading RAID 1 configuration Very similar to a question someone posted here on Technet about not to long ago about upgrading 2 9GB HDD’s on RAID 1 with 2 18 GB HDD’s. Try grabbing a copy of the Windows mag with the Time service article.

      • #3513780

        Time difference between client & server

        by cg it ·

        In reply to Time difference between client & server

        Seems that if a question is asked here, chances are Windows & .Net mag just might have an article on it.

      • #3474816

        Time difference between client & server

        by jet1415 ·

        In reply to Time difference between client & server

        Poster rated this answer

    • #3511972

      Time difference between client & server

      by leehellcat ·

      In reply to Time difference between client & server

      I’m not sure how relevant this will be, but I had exactly the same problem.
      Certain users could not log in, as the system said their time was not synchronized. Even after running the command prompt and synching the time, it wouldn’t log on.
      What it actually turned out to be was that the only computers in affected were the users from our Accounts department. They were turning the DATE back on their machines to enter all the transactions for month A into our accounts system whilst actually being in the next month.
      This was confusing at first, because when you sync the time, it does exactly that, it doesn’t do the date as well, and normally windows is not too strict on the actual time, but will only give you a couple of days difference indate.

      May be worth checking out.

    • #3512818

      Time difference between client & server

      by int ·

      In reply to Time difference between client & server

      run regedit
      search time
      change key datetimesetting.1

      do y use a quotation on the hdd’s or a time-out setting in the policy
      change that

      should work

      INT

    • #3474121

      Time difference between client & server

      by bentgellerich ·

      In reply to Time difference between client & server

      Have you considered investigating your domain controllers? Are you sure all AD data is being replicted properly? Are all clients and servers in the same site? What is the physical makeup of your network infrastructure.

      Try using repadmin to seeif everything is running smoothly. Also netdiag will alert you on any connectivity issues.

      Try replicating your domain in a small test lab using some spare desktop machines.

      It sounds to me that you will need to reinstall Active Directory, sorry.

    • #3474811

      Time difference between client & server

      by jet1415 ·

      In reply to Time difference between client & server

      This question was closed by the author

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