This document outlines the steps to configure a Network Time Protocol (NTP) server using Group Policy in a Windows domain environment. It also includes commands to verify synchronization status.

1. Configure NTP Server via Group Policy

Follow these steps to configure the NTP server using Group Policy:

• Open the Group Policy Management Console (GPMC) on a domain controller.
• Create a new GPO or edit an existing one linked to the appropriate Organizational Unit (OU).
• Navigate to: Computer Configuration → Administrative Templates → System → Windows Time Service → Time Providers.
• Enable the policy ‘Enable Windows NTP Client’.
• Enable the policy ‘Configure Windows NTP Client’ and set the following values:

Recommended configuration values:

2. Apply and Verify the Configuration

To apply the new GPO settings and verify time synchronization, follow these steps:

• Run the following command to force a Group Policy update:

gpupdate /force

• Check the current time synchronization status:

w32tm /query /status

w32tm /query /configuration

• If the source shows ‘Local CMOS Clock’ or ‘Free-running system clock’, manually configure the time server:

w32tm /config /manualpeerlist:”time.google.com time.cloudflare.com” /syncfromflags:manual /reliable:YES /update

net stop w32time

net start w32time

w32tm /resync

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