Wednesday 4 December 2013

How to find NTP server in your Active directory domain

Use the following command from any domain joined server/client. you will receive out put like bellow

C:\Users\user>w32tm /monitor
DC02.domain.local[10.255.5.7:123]:
    ICMP: 9ms delay
    NTP: +0.0466250s offset from DC.domain.local
        RefID: DC.domain.local [10.255.24.10]
        Stratum: 2
ADC01.domain.local[10.192.10.15:123]:
    ICMP: 14ms delay
    NTP: -0.0239011s offset from DC.domain.local
        RefID: DC.domain.local [10.25.2.12]
        Stratum: 2
DC02.domain.local[10.11.20.7:123]:
    ICMP: 17ms delay
    NTP: +0.0111994s offset from DC.domain.local
        RefID: DC.domain.local [10.25.20.12]
        Stratum: 2
DC03.domain.local *** PDC ***[10.20.58.40:123]:
    ICMP: 3ms delay
    NTP: +0.0000000s offset from DC03.domain.local
        RefID: DC03.domain.local [10.255.240.102]
        Stratum: 2

In above out put the red highlighted DC is your NTP server, from which your all DCs getting time.

and DC03 is your PDC, from which all other DCs sync their time, is your main source of time, you should care about DC03 time, if its time got incorrect then all other DCs and client will also get the wrong time. So PDC should be a reliable and will be better if it is a physical machine. per my experience the Virtual machines don't have reliable clock.