XP clients getting bad time from Novell server 1

[GrnEyedLdy]

My clients are XP syncing time with a Novell server. The time is always wrong. I don't have access to the Novell server to try to correct this problem. Is there a way from the workstations to have them get their time elsewhere or will the Novell server override this when the clients log in?


Thanks in advance,

Patty

 

[bcastner]

Configure the Time Service to use an internal clock:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/314054

 

[GrnEyedLdy]

Thanks, boy you are quick Bcastner!

I will give it a go.

Patty

 

[GrnEyedLdy]

I ran through the steps and after the attempt to resync the time I got the following message,

The computer did not resync because no time data was available.

Any ideas off the top of your head?

Thanks

 

[GrnEyedLdy]

Anyone have any ideas about how to correct this?


Thanks,

Patty

 

[jimp56]

do the computers have an active internet connection?

do you know what version of netware the server is running? are you using novell's separate client software on the PCs when logging in? (i.e. is there a novell logo when logging in?)

I would need to research (havent used a netware client since around '99-'2k) but it may be a setting buried deep in the netware client to prevent time sync from the server.. unless its in the logon script(s).

 

[GrnEyedLdy]

Don't know the Netware version, but I will find out. We are using the Novell Client 4.90 SP2 on all the Windows boxes and we definetly logon via Novell as to have access to the network resources.

I would love to take a look at the Novell server and simply solve the problem from there but we have a remote admin who currently handles the server and I don't have access. At this point I maintain only the workstaions and printers in the office. My background is strickly Windows, but I am sure the fix on the Server side can't be that difficult.

At any rate, I tried Bcastner's suggestion but still have the wrong time as the clients obviously pull their time from the Novell server.

There may not be a way for the workstations to work around this, I don't know.

Any thoughts you may have on this will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Patty

 

[J741]

Is the time out by an arbitrary ammount, or a specific number of hours?

Time sync will usually be in GMT, and will be offset by each local machine based on the time zone.

So if your Novel Server does not have the time zone set correctly, but does have the correct time (as far as it knows), then each workstation will be inaccurate by a specific number of hours, but the minutes should still be correct.

In this situation, the best method would be to correct the time zone situation on the Novel server, but since you indicated that you can't do that then you will need to give false time zone information to the Windows worksations.

For example, if the real time is 2:37pm, and your Windows PC says that it's 1:37pm, and the Time Zone is currently set to '(GMT-07:00) Mountain Time (US & Canada)' then you can add 1 hour by changing the time zone to '(GMT-06:00) Central Time (US & Canada)'. You will see the efect the next time the PC time syncs with the Novel Server (usually during execution of a logon script).

- James.

My memory is not as good as it should be, and neither is my memory.

I have forgotten more than I can remember

 

[GrnEyedLdy]

Hi James,

Thanks for your help. It is not an issue with the time zone. It is an issue with the Novell server gaining time over time. If that makes sense. All of the workstations are off by about 16 minutes right now. I don't know with whom the Novell server synchs or how often.

I'll keep digging or just ask the remote admin to look into it. It's just that she's so busy already I hate to seem petty about this small time issue.

Thanks again and have a great day!

Patty

 

[Mike2287]

If you have access to the Netware console follow the link. Or you can call your tech and have him rconsole in and set it. If it makes you feel any better my netware server doesn't keep good time.

http://support.novell.com/cgi-bin/search/searchtid.cgi?/10015372.htm

Mike

 

[HMarcBower]

The easiest thing to do is to right-click on the Novell icon in the system tray and select Novell Client Properties. From there, go to the Advanced Settings tab, scroll down to Set Station Time, and change the setting to Off. By default this is enabled, because I guess Novell assumes that we'll have the time set correctly on the Novell server (mine isn't either).

Marc

 

[HMarcBower]

Oh, and then you'll be free to manage the time on the workstation however you wish - you will need to manually change the time once you turn off Set Station Time, and it won't grab the time from the Novell server anymore. The time won't fix itself (until the built-in Windows XP Time service does an update, anyway).

 

[GrnEyedLdy]

Thanks so much HMarcBower,

This is the simple fix I was looking for. I can do it on each workstation without bothering the remote admin.


I would like to say to everyone here that I really appreciate all of the help and insight provided on this board.

Patty

 

[franklin97355]

If you turn off the time sync. you may have a problem with time stamps on the server.

 

[GrnEyedLdy]

Hi Franklin, can you elaborate? I certainly don't want to cause any network problems over this issue.


Thanks,

Patty

 

[HMarcBower]

What Franklin says is not really going to affect client-side at all. If it was vital to have the clients at the same time as the server, Novell wouldn't have provided functionality for disabling it. Changing the time on the server can be a gigantic headache because it can affect a lot of server-side apps. Having a different time on the client shouldn't have any effect at all on how the server runs (The network where I work has been running with a wrong server time since before I started... but granted the server fills a role as file storage and backup only... nothing all that major happening on it). When you save/modify files on the server, they take the time and date at the client, not the server, and if you're installing modules to NetWare this may have an impact - but it sounds like you won't be doing that as you have a server admin.

Marc

 

[terry712]

i would hassle the netware guy

time is very simple to set on a netware server - and it really should be correct - as time is very important

there are hundreds of tids on it on novell's site but it's really as simple as give it the ntp time source address and point it at it

 

[GrnEyedLdy]

Thanks guys,

Just curious, if correcting the time problem on a Novell server is as simple as proposed, why do I seem to read about time inconsistancies so often with Novell?

Just wondering as I know with clients in a Windows domain time is a big issue.

Thanks for all your time,

Patty