Description:
Display time server client status.
Display server addresses.
Set time server addresses.
Form:
Command Handler: SYSD
NTPSVRIPADDRESS|NIP|NI [[INDEX (0 - 3)] ADDRESS]
NTPSVRIPADDRESS|NIP|NI STATUS
NTPSVRIPADDRESS|NIP|NI RESTART
Argument List:
STATUS: Argument to get a response if unit synchronized to TIME SERVER
RESTART: Restarts the Time Server and Client.
INDEX: Index of TIME SERVER. Optional. Assumes zero [0] if not used.
ADDRESS: Time Server. Hostname, Fully Qualified Domain Name, or decimal
dotted notation (nnn.nnn.nnn.nnn).
Setting the [0] ADDRESS to "0.0.0.0" turns off external client sychronization.
Response:
MODIFY NTPSVRIPADDRESS RESPONSE
Verbose- "OK\r\n" to acknowledge receipt of command, or
"ERROR- [Description]\r\n" if error, ending command
Terse- "0\r\n" to acknowledge receipt of command, or
"[NON-ZERO NUMERIC VALUE]\r\n" if error, ending command
"\r\n" concludes modify responses (empty line)
DISPLAY NTPSVRIPADDRESS RESPONSE
Verbose- "OK\r\n" to acknowledge receipt of command, followed by
"NIP= [STANDARD]\r\n", or
"ERROR- [Description]\r\n" if error, ending command
Terse- "0\r\n" to acknowledge receipt of command, followed by
"[TERSE NUMERIC VALUE]\r\n", or
"[NON-ZERO NUMERIC VALUE]\r\n" if error, ending command
"\r\n" concludes display responses (empty line)
Examples:
Verbose command to retrieve current setting:
*.SYSD NTPSVRIPADDRESS <enter>
Response is: OK\r\n
NtpServerIPAddress= 192.168.5.48, 0.0.0.0, 0.0.0.0, 0.0.0.0\r\n
Terse command to retrieve current setting:
*.SYSD NI <enter>
Response is: 0\r\n
192.168.5.48\r\n
Verbose command to set the first TIME SERVER address:
*.SYSD NTPSVRIPADDRESS 0 192.168.5.48 <enter>
Response is: OK\r\n
Verbose command to turn off TIME SERVER client mode:
*.SYSD NTPSVRIPADDRESS 0 0.0.0.0 <enter>
Response is: OK\r\n
Terse command to change setting:
*.SYSD NI 0 192.168.5.48 <enter>
Response is: OK\r\n
Terse command to change [0] setting (alternate):
*.SYSD NI 192.168.5.48 <enter>
Response is: OK\r\n
Verbose command to get TIME SERVER status:
*.SYSD NIP STATUS <enter>
Response is: OK\r\n
IN SYNC\r\n
Verbose command to Restart Time Services:
*.SYSD NIP RESTART <enter>
Response is: OK\r\n
IN SYNC\r\n
Notes:
There are two components to the Time Service on Adtec Hardware.
The first is a Time Server which allows Time Clients to connect and
synchronize their clock. This service is always on and available. The
second component is the Time Client. The Time Client can be set to
synchronize to other Time Servers or set "OFF" with the command
"NIP 0 0.0.0.0". It is possible for Adtec Devices to be both
server and client. It is normally suggested that only one device
on a network be a client to a server outside the network while that
one device acts as a server to the rest of the clients on that local
network. This distributed chain reduces the bandwidth required and
work load of the publicly available Time Servers.
At this time only a single Time Server is supported:
NTPSVRIPADDRESS 0
The time server waits about a minute to settle and acquire
the synchronization status. The status may stay in an alarm
(or not alarm) status for a short while after changing the time
server address or after starting the system.
The RESTART command may be needed if set to synchronize to external
Time Server and that Time Server was not available at system boot.
A system start attempts to step the system clock close to the the
time of the external server so that the time service can can maintian
synchronization. If the time server is not available at boot and the
system clock is significantly off, once the external Time Server
becomes available the drift may be such that the system is not able
to fully adjust to the time into synchrozation. The RESTART command
provides the "step" to bring the time close to the external time.
Windows time Service:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Network_Time_Protocol#Microsoft_Windows
Beginning with Windows Server 2003, the Microsoft documentation
states that Windows Time Service implements the full NTPv3 protocol
as specified in RFC 1305. However, the Windows Time Service cannot
maintain the system time more accurately than about a 1-2 second range.
Microsoft "[does] not guarantee and [does] not support the accuracy
of the W32Time service between nodes on a network. The W32Time
service is not a full-featured NTP solution that meets time-sensitive
application needs."
Adtec does not recommend using the built-in Windows time service
as a time server. GNU/Linux servers include a robust and accurate
time server. Proper (and free) time servers for Windows can be found
at http://support.ntp.org/bin/view/Main/ExternalTimeRelatedLinks