Synchronizing Windows Time Services Across Domain Controllers and Servers

Overview

This guide explains how to properly configure and synchronize time services across Windows domain controllers (DCs) and servers using the Windows Time Service (w32time).

Primary Domain Controller Configuration

Execute these commands on the PDC first:

# Configure NTP peer and set as reliable time source
w32tm /config /manualpeerlist:"your-ntp-server" /syncfromflags:manual /reliable:yes /update

# Apply configuration changes
w32tm /config /update

# Restart Windows Time service
net stop w32time
net start w32time

# Force time resynchronization
w32tm /resync

Secondary Domain Controllers

Apply the same configuration steps on all remaining DCs.

Server Configuration

After configuring DCs, synchronize time on all servers:

w32tm /resync

Important Notes

• Time synchronization may take 10-15 minutes to complete
• Verify synchronization status using w32tm /query /status
• Ensure network connectivity between servers and DCs
• Configure firewalls to allow NTP traffic (UDP port 123)