Configuring a Time Provider Group in a Voted Scenario

In a Voted scenario configuration, you plan and customize the time synchronization on the servers. In this configuration, identify the servers on the network that will be time sources and the servers that will follow the identified time source.

This server configuration is adequate for networks with the following conditions:

• More than 30 NetWare servers
• Needs to be customized and is not configured by default, during installation.

To customize time synchronization, follow this approach:

• Create a hierarchical structure for the servers.
• The time servers at the topmost-level are closely synchronized.
• The servers at each lower level are synchronized to servers at the next-level up.

The voted configuration for time synchronization:

• Allows complete control of the time synchronization hierarchy
• Optimizes the network traffic and distribute time sources around the network
• Adds robustness to the synchronization hierarchy by adding alternate time sources that servers should use in case of network failures
• More than one Reference time server can coexist on a Timesync network, but both the servers must be synchronized with each other. An external time source may be used for this purpose.

Voted configuration requires careful planning, especially on a large network. You should also consider that adding new time sources requires that the configuration files on several other servers should be updated.

Checklist for Voted Time Synchronization: Follow this checklist for a custom configuration.

• If more than one eDirectory^TM tree is on the same network, will the trees be time synchronized independently or together?
• Which servers will be time sources (Primary and Reference time servers) and which servers will be Secondary time servers?
• Will time synchronization rely on SAP/SLP, a configured sources list, or a combination of the two?

  In a custom configuration, eliminate the use of SAP/SLP by using the following parameters in the configuration file:

  service advertising = off

  configured sources = on

• If the servers will use a configured sources list, which servers will contact which time sources?
• Will more than one Reference time server be required? If so, what external time sources will be used to synchronize these servers?