How to make Windows and Cisco Router as NTP Server

Today i am writing an article on how do you make Windows machine as NTP Server or Cisco Router as NTP Server. Many newcomers to Cisco VoIP asks this question specially when they try to install Cisco Unified Communications Manager.

There are couple of ways you can configure NTP Server so that you can complete your Cisco Unified Communications Manager installation. They are as follows:

We would recommend to watch this Youtube Video – How to make Windows as NTP Server | Make Cisco Router as NTP Server

How to make windows as NTP Server

The machine where you are running VMWare Workstation (bare metal) could be either WIndows 7 or Windows 10 most likely or could be Windows 2003 Server or Windows 2008 Server or Windows 2012 server.

Choose either of the way to make NTP Server

• Manually adding the registry keys
• or Run an exe file to make the machine as NTP Server

Manually adding the Registry keys:

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\W32Time\TimeProviders\NtpServer]
“Enabled”=dword:00000001

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\W32Time\Config]
“AnnounceFlags”=dword:00000005

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\W32Time\Parameters]
“LocalNTP”=dword:00000001

Restart Windows Time and you should be good to go!

Run an EXE file to make Windows as NTP Server

So, instead of doing this manually, we have created an EXE file which you have to run as Administrator and it does the same job in just couple of seconds.

Download NTPServer.exe

You can download the NTPServer.exe file from this location.

How to make Cisco Router as NTP Server

To make Cisco Router as NTP Server for your lab – You can use GNS3 or CSR1000v series router on VMWare Workstation or ESXi. For Production purpose, ofcourse, you can use a real router which is 2800/2900/2800/3900/43XX/44XX series router or CSR1000V router on ESXi.

To configure the router as NTP,  here are the commands:

configure terminal

clock timezone IST 5 30  >> This command is just to set your timezone

ntp master 1  >> This command is to set the router as NTP Server

ntp source gigabitethernet 1 >> This command sets the source interface for all NTP packets based on the address of the interface through which the NTP packets are sent

end

The above commands are sufficient to make your Cisco Router as NTP Server.

Hope this helps!

Avinash Karnani

I am working in an IT company and having 10+ years of experience into Cisco IP Telephony and Contact Center. I have worked on products like CUCM, CUC, UCCX, CME/CUE, IM&P, Voice Gateways, VG224, Gatekeepers, Attendant Console, Expressway, Mediasense, Asterisk, Microsoft Teams, Zoom etc. I am not an expert but i keep exploring whenever and wherever i can and share whatever i know. You can visit my LinkedIn profile by clicking on the icon below.

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