I’ve recently started to implement NTP services on my network, and in my lab. NTP stands for Network Time Protocol, and is used in a network to synchronize the clock between all devices in use. It’s mandatory for good logging. I’ve set up a simple free syslog server on my computer, but without NTP, clock settings are lost each time a device restarts. So after starting up my lab devices one at a time and doing tests, I get weird results on syslog, e.g. a ping was sent at 00:18:23 on device A and received on device B at 00:06:49. You can’t properly test stuff if your clocks are suggesting time travel is possible.
Hence NTP. Setting it up to receive the correct time is fairly easy: first find an NTP source server. You can find a list of stratum 1 servers on the ntp.org site. NTP servers use a hierarchy of strata, where zero means the highest source. A stratum 0 server is often an atomic clock. Stratum 1 servers update from stratum 0 servers, stratum 2 from stratum 1, and so on. NTP supports up to 256 strata according to wikipedia, but most devices I’ve worked with only go up to strata 16. It’s obvious that the lower the strata, the more precise the time will be, so I don’t see the point beyond 16 either.
NTP is supposed to synchronize time in the microsecond range, so it’s accurately enough for my lab tests, and even most company logging systems. It runs on UDP port 123, on top of IP. For IP-less connections, you can use Precision Time Protocol, which runs directly on layer 2, but it’s mostly supported on Unix systems only. You can find a deamon for it here.
Making devices update with the NTP server is simple. In Windows there’s a tab in the time settings for it. A similar situation in most GUI Linux distro’s and Mac OSX. In the IP Phone there’s an option for it in the settings menu. In Cisco devices, it’s ‘ntp server <ip>’, in Vyatta ‘set system ntp server <ip>’. Since NTP servers always give UTC time, you will also have to configure the time zone: ‘clock timezone <num>’ in Cisco, ‘set system time-zone <num>’ in Vyatta. Cisco asks for a timezone referenced to GMT (e.g. +1), Vyatta for an absolute timezone (e.g. 2 for Western Europe).
That synchronizes all devices. For end devices, especially IP Phones, you can make this task easier by using DHCP to include the NTP server in it’s messages. DHCP supports a number of options which you can add to the DHCP server configuration, for various services. NTP is option 42. After adding the command ‘option 42 ip ip-address‘ to my Cisco router’s DHCP config, my IP Phones automatically receive this information and start synchronizing time. Windows Server has a similar option.
That’s one solution to the problem, but according to the rules of engagement of ntp.org, it’s best that I contact the stratum 1 NTP server as few as possible to decrease the load. I understand that, and I’d like to set up an NTP server internally, acting as a stratum 2 NTP source. You can do this on Windows Server, but the method is quite elaborate. On a Cisco router, the command is ‘ntp master 2’, where 2 is the stratum number. On Vyatta, it is even easier: since version 6 it is on by default after configuring the NTP client. Older versions of Vyatta don’t support it.
Now I have one server contacting the external stratum 1 source, which in turn distributes the information to all my other devices. Simple and efficient.
Reggle 
There is a better way to do this, as far as syncing your router goes: use pool.ntp.org to spread the load around to various ntp servers geographically close to you.
ntp server ip 0.us.pool.ntp.org
ntp server ip 1.us.pool.ntp.org
ntp server ip 2.us.pool.ntp.org
ntp server ip 3.us.pool.ntp.org
US.pool.ntp.org . Of course, in the US, but in other parts of the world, I like a server geographically closer to me. Nevertheless, the pool thing is nice, thanks.
This doesn’t work for the routers. When you enter the FQDN into IOS like that it will do a lookup on the DNS record once and cache it indefinitely. I find it better to pick stratum 2 servers from different areas of the region (ie, in the US pick one from the East and West coasts and one from the Midwest) and configure each of them with the ‘ntp server’ command and sub-options.