Choice of Time Synchronizing Application
CSCF Infrastructure group strongly encourage the use of NTP to
keep non-container systems time in sync with the multiple
security logging
and
network file services
used with in the School.
SNTP is NOT recommended unless it is the only method available.
As RFC2030 SNTP RFC says:
"SNTP is intended for primary servers equipped
with a single reference clock, as well as for clients with a
single upstream server and no dependent clients."
-
CSCF provides
NTP
servers that anyone on Campus is welcome to query.
Currently there are:
-
| Stratum Level 1 Servers |
| 1
| ntp.cs.uwaterloo.ca
| 129.97.15.14
|
| 2
| ntp.cscf.uwaterloo.ca
| 129.97.15.15
|
| 3
| ntp.student.cs.uwaterloo.ca
| 129.97.167.4
|
| 4
| ntp.csclub.uwaterloo.ca
| 129.97.167.12
|
- Linux Debian based systems:
- Make sure the NTP package is installed on your host:
- sudo apt-get -y install ntp
- Install the CSCF ntp.conf file
(if you're on the UW campus network)
and restart the ntp service:
- sudo wget
https://cs.uwaterloo.ca/cscf/internal/infrastructure/setups/services/ntp/etc/ntp.conf
-O /etc/ntp.conf
- sudo service ntp restart
- You can check that it is working with:
- ntpq -p
- MacOS systems:
- NTP is part of the OS and by default it is "on" and references Apple's time services .
- As part of using CSCF time service:
- Select "System Preferences" → "Date and time"
- Confirm that "Set date and time automatically" is "ticked"
- Fill in the "server box" with "ntp.csclub.uwaterloo.ca"
- Finally select "Time Zone"
and if necessary, click on the Map specifying "Toronto - Canada"
to get "Eastern (Daylight) Time"
- Windows systems:
- Windows contains a
simple NTP package
as part of the OS,
the registry just needs the appropriate entry.
- At a "cmd" prompt that has administrator privileges, enter:
-
net time /SETSNTP:ntp.csclub.uwaterloo.ca,ntp.cs.uwaterloo.ca,ntp.student.cs.uwaterloo.ca
- Note that "net time" only accepts a maximum of three time servers.