Many small businesses operate perfectly well without Active Directory. They may have a handful of Windows PCs, a standalone Windows Server, a NAS, a firewall and perhaps a Hyper-V host. Because there is no domain controller, there is also no automatic Windows time hierarchy.

The obvious solution is to configure each computer independently, but that often leads to a mixture of Internet time servers, factory defaults and manually entered addresses that nobody remembers configuring.

A better approach is to decide on a single trusted source and configure every Windows computer to use it.

Choose a suitable time source

There is no single correct design for every workgroup. The best choice depends on the size of the environment, the equipment already available and how much infrastructure you want to maintain.

Option 1 - Every computer uses the Internet

For a home office or a small business with only a few computers, the simplest solution is often the best. Configure every Windows computer with the same external NTP servers, such as the UK NTP Pool.

This avoids creating a dependency on a local server and requires very little administration. The amount of Internet traffic generated by Windows Time Service is extremely small, so there is little practical disadvantage for a small environment.

The important point is consistency. Every computer should use the same peer list rather than a mixture of factory defaults and manually configured servers.

Option 2 - Use a local time server

Once a business already has infrastructure that operates continuously, it often makes sense to use that as the common source. This could be:

  • A business firewall that already synchronises with the Internet.
  • A NAS providing NTP services.
  • A standalone Windows Server.
  • A Linux server running Chrony.
  • A dedicated NTP appliance.
  • A GPS-backed local time server.

This approach means only one device needs to communicate with external NTP servers. It also makes it easier to change upstream providers because every workstation continues using the same internal source.

The trade-off is that the chosen device becomes part of the infrastructure. It should therefore be reliable, monitored and expected to remain available.

Neither approach is inherently better. A three-PC home office is unlikely to benefit from a dedicated local time server, whereas a business with servers, virtualisation hosts and network appliances may benefit from having a single trusted local source.

Avoid creating unnecessary dependencies

Choosing one local source simplifies administration, but that source also becomes important to the business. Before deciding that every workstation should use the office firewall, ask a simple question:

If this device fails tomorrow morning, what happens to the clocks on every computer?

For many businesses, the answer is "nothing immediately". Windows continues using its existing time until synchronisation resumes. Nevertheless, understanding where the dependency exists makes future troubleshooting much easier.

Where resilience is important, consider configuring the local device with several upstream NTP sources or providing a second internal time server.

Should one Windows server provide time?

It is perfectly reasonable for a standalone Windows Server to act as the common source for a workgroup, particularly where other Windows systems already depend on it for file sharing or application services.

In that situation, configure the server with several reliable external peers and verify that it is synchronising correctly before pointing the workstations towards it.

The configuration is very similar to the forest root PDC Emulator in an Active Directory environment, although the server is authoritative only for the workgroup rather than an entire forest.

See Configuring Windows Time on a Standalone Server for further guidance.

Using a Linux server

A Linux server running Chrony is an increasingly common choice for small environments. Chrony is lightweight, accurate and works well with GPS receivers, virtual machines and systems that experience intermittent network connectivity.

Windows treats a Chrony server exactly like any other NTP server. It does not matter that the service is running on Linux rather than Windows.

If you want to see which clients are currently using the Chrony server, utilities such as TICC-DASH provide a simple web interface showing connected clients and activity. This can be a useful monitoring tool, but each Windows computer should still be checked with w32tm /query /source to confirm the source actually selected by Windows.

Configuring the workstations

Once a suitable source has been chosen, configure every workstation to use the same peer list. This keeps the environment consistent and makes future troubleshooting considerably easier.

w32tm /config /manualpeerlist:"time.company.local,0x8" /syncfromflags:manual /update
net stop w32time
net start w32time
w32tm /resync

Replace time.company.local with the chosen local or external source.

Verify every system

After configuration, confirm that each workstation has actually selected the intended source.

w32tm /query /source
w32tm /query /status

Checking one computer is not enough. Verify several representative systems before considering the deployment complete.

Common mistakes

  • Every workstation using a different public NTP server.
  • Assuming the firewall or NAS is providing accurate time without verifying it.
  • Creating a dependency on a server that is rarely switched on.
  • Using a workstation as the common time source.
  • Changing advanced registry settings when the default configuration is sufficient.

A simple design

For most workgroups, a straightforward design is all that is required:

  1. Select one reliable local source, or one common set of external NTP servers.
  2. Configure every Windows computer consistently.
  3. Verify that every computer has selected the intended source.
  4. Review the configuration whenever the chosen source is replaced or decommissioned.

Keeping the design simple makes the environment easier to support and avoids the confusion that develops when every computer follows a different clock.

Related information