Configuring Network Time Protocol (NTP)

Accurate time within networks is an important requirement. The ability to have log files with accurate time stamps essential in order to perform troubleshooting effectively as well as having network hosts such as Cameras and NVR’s accurately timestamping video for effective searching and playback. By default a switch will operate a free running clock which starts upon boot and utilises time ticks to count time up from 00:00:00:01 on the 1st January 1970.  

NTP or Network Time Protocol is an industry standard way to distributing time accurately across a network.  

An NTP server can be one of many hosts for example this could be a dedicated stratum 1 time  GPS and GNSS time source which provides NTP locally to a network/s or could in fact be an intermediary device which retrieves it’s time stamp from another remote time source i.e the internet.  

NTP hosts are allocated a Stratum number which is defined by the number of hops the device is away from the original Source. For example a GPS NTP server itself would be allocated a stratum 1 time source however a server that takes its time from this Stratum 1 would be allocated a stratum 2 reference.  

Here is a guide on  configuring AMG510 & AMG570 Switches with NTP:

Step 1: On the left-hand side of the Web GUI, Navigate to System > NTP 

Step 2: Set 'Mode' to enabled and specify IP address or hostname of NTP servers to be used (up to 5 can be configured) 

An example of an NTP Configuration via Web GUI:

Note: Time will  be derived from all of the sources and the most accurate will be selected as the primary. The remaining servers will be used as backups should the primary become unavailable or less accurate

Step 1: Enter configuration mode by entering the command “configure terminal” 

configure terminal

Step 2: Now proceed to enter the command “ntp server [Index_Number] ip-address [x_x_x_x]"  

ntp server [Index_Number] ip-address x_x_x_x

Step 3: To save your configurations, exit the configuration mode by typing the command “exit” and then proceed to enter the command “copy runnining-config startup-config"

exit

copy running-config startup-config