Hey everyone! I have a couple of questions about syncing time across multiple Windows machines in a network. Should I sync them based on a set frequency no matter how much drift there is, or should I only sync if the drift exceeds a certain limit, like 30 seconds?
Also, how does daylight savings affect systems that are continuously collecting time-stamped data? Appreciate any insights on these topics. Thanks!
3 Answers
We use a simple utility called Time Sync Tool on all our servers and workstations to keep everything synchronized. It's pretty effective and saves a lot of headaches! You can check it out [here](https://www.timesynctool.com/).
For syncing Windows systems, the best practice is to stick with the default settings unless you're managing an Active Directory domain. If that's the case, you should configure the PDC Emulator to sync with a reliable external time source like pool.ntp.org. This way, all other domain-joined machines will get their time automatically.
Regarding daylight savings, Windows usually logs in UTC, which you can verify in Event Viewer. If you change the time zone settings, the logged events will reflect that change accordingly. Be sure to check with your developers whether they are saving time in UTC or local time to prevent any discrepancies.
In a Windows domain, all the machines typically sync their time automatically with a domain controller. The syncing schedule isn’t always clear, so generally leaving the default settings works well. As for daylight savings, Windows handles that by applying local offsets to the actual time. Ideally, your logging software should use UTC to avoid confusion, but many programs don’t do this properly. Make sure to check if your system logs in UTC to keep your timestamps consistent!
That makes sense, thank you! We really need to ensure our systems are logging in UTC.
Thanks for the suggestion!