Synchronizing Local Time with an NTP Server on Ancor Server

Modified on Sun, 16 Mar at 1:38 PM

Overview

Accurate time synchronization is critical for ensuring the seamless operation of servers, maintaining accurate logs, and coordinating time-sensitive tasks. This guide provides a step-by-step process to install, configure, and verify the systemd-timesyncd service on Ancor servers. With this setup, your server will synchronize its local clock with the specified Network Time Protocol (NTP) servers, ensuring precise timekeeping for your on-premise deployment.

Applicable Platform:
On-Premises Deployment

Solution:
Steps to Install and Configure the NTP Client on your Ancor Server
Follow the steps below to install, configure, and verify the NTP client setup.

Step 1: Install the systemd-timesyncd Service
The systemd-timesyncd service is a minimalistic NTP client that synchronizes the system time with specified NTP servers.

Run the following command to install the service
sudo apt install systemd-timesyncd

Once the installation completes, the service will start automatically. No additional action is required at this stage.

Step 2: Verify the Service Status
After installation, confirm that the service is running as expected

Use the following command to check the service status
sudo systemctl status systemd-timesyncd

The output should display the status as "active (running)." If it does not, troubleshoot by restarting the service using below command:
sudo systemctl restart systemd-timesyncd

Step 3: Configure NTP Servers:
The systemd-timesyncd service uses the configuration file located at /etc/systemd/timesyncd.conf to define NTP servers.

Open the configuration file for editing

sudo vim /etc/systemd/timesyncd.conf

Locate the NTP= line:
This line specifies the NTP servers. Add the hostnames or IP addresses of your NTP servers, separated by a space. For example
NTP=ntp.server1.com ntp.server2.com

Save and close the file:
After making changes, save the file and exit the editor.

Restart the service to apply changes
sudo systemctl restart systemd-timesyncd

Step 4: Set the Time Zone:
To ensure time synchronization works accurately, you need to set the correct time zone for your system.

List all available time zones:
Run the following command to view all supported time zones:
timedatectl list-timezones

Filter time zones (optional):
If the list is too long, you can filter it to display time zones for a specific continent or region. For example
timedatectl list-timezones | grep Europe

Set your desired time zone:
Use the following command to set the time zone. Replace <timezone> with the desired time zone name (e.g., Europe/London):
timedatectl set-timezone <timezone>

Verify the time zone setting:
To confirm the time zone is set correctly, use
timedatectl

Step 5: Enable Clock Synchronization

To ensure your system synchronizes time with the specified NTP servers, enable NTP synchronization.

Run the following command
sudo timedatectl set-ntp true

This command enables automatic synchronization with the NTP servers defined in /etc/systemd/timesyncd.conf

Verify that NTP synchronization is enabled by checking the service status (detailed in the next step).

Step 6: Verify NTP Configuration
After completing the setup, verify that the system is synchronizing with the specified NTP servers.

View the system time and synchronization status:

Timedatectl

Note that ensure the output includes NTP synchronized: yes

Check systemd-timesyncd properties

timedatectl show-timesync

This command displays the properties of the synchronization service, including the servers being used.

View detailed synchronization status:

timedatectl timesync-status

This provides a more in-depth view of the synchronization status.

A screenshot of a computer

Conclusion

By completing the steps in this guide, your Ancor server is now configured to synchronize with designated NTP servers, ensuring accurate system time. This configuration supports proper scheduling, reliable logging, and efficient system operations.