14 DAY TRIAL // The Windows Time Service Technical Reference was published on TechNet earlier this year and is accessible free of charge to all IT professionals interested in getting a deeper insight into W32Time. According to the Redmond company, the Windows Time Service Technical Reference offers info on W32Time for Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2, but also older releases of Windows, including Windows Server 2008 and Windows Server 2003. A member of the Directory Services team explained that the Technical Reference offered through TechNet was designed to consolidate the information available on Windows Time (w32time) in all of the company’s operating systems.
“The Windows Time service, also known as W32Time, synchronizes the date and time for all computers running in an AD DS domain. Time synchronization is critical for the proper operation of many Windows services and line-of-business applications. The Windows Time service uses the Network Time Protocol (NTP) to synchronize computer clocks on the network so that an accurate clock value, or time stamp, can be assigned to network validation and resource access requests. The service integrates NTP and time providers, making it a reliable and scalable time service for enterprise administrators,” Microsoft revealed.
With W32Time, Microsoft wants to ensure that customers can take advantage of network clock synchronization for machines in the same IT environment, while cutting down the amount of effort required for extensive configuration work. Of course, configuration of the Windows Time service is still possible. The Redmond company is offering a comprehensive list of resources designed to streamline Windows Time Service Configuration. However, the Windows Time Service Technical Reference guide does not offer this info itself.
“Windows Time Service Technical Reference includes updated info on: where to Find Windows Time Service Configuration Information; what is the Windows Time Service; importance of Time Protocols; how the Windows Time Service works; Windows Time Service Tools and Settings,” the Directory Services team representative added.