# Enable NTP time synchronization on the SMC Appliance

You can configure the SMC Appliance to use external NTP servers so that network devices accurately log events and complete scheduled tasks.

## Before you begin

Create an NTP Server element.

You must have an SMC Appliance to configure NTP in the SMC Client.

##

Note: You cannot configure NTP synchronization from both the command line of the SMC Appliance and the SMC Client. Command line changes persistently override any NTP changes that you configure in the SMC Client.

For more details about the product and how to configure features, click Help or press F1.

## Steps

1. In the SMC Client, select Settings > Global System Properties.
2. On the NTP tab, select Enable time synchronization from NTP server.
3. To add a row to the table, click Add.
4. To add an NTP server, right-click the NTP Server cell, select Select, then select an NTP Server element.
5. (Optional) If there is more than one NTP server, select the preferred NTP server.
6. Click OK.

## Global System Properties dialog box — NTP tab

Use this tab to configure NTP time synchronization for the SMC Appliance.

You must have an SMC Appliance to configure NTP in the SMC Client.

Note: You cannot configure NTP in the SMC Client for SMC installations on third-party hardware or virtualization platforms. On third-party hardware or virtualization platforms, the SMC gets the time from the operating system. When you use third-party hardware or virtualization platforms, you must configure NTP at the operating system level on the third-party hardware or virtualization platform. For more information, see Knowledge Base article 9680.

Option | Definition
--- | ---
Enable time synchronization from NTP server | When selected, the SMC Appliance uses an external NTP server for time synchronization.
Preferred (Optional) | When selected, the SMC Appliance uses the specified NTP server by default.
NTP Server | Lists the available NTP servers. The following right-click actions are available: Select — Allows you to add an NTP Server element to the cell. Opens the Select Element dialog box. Remove — Removes the row from the table. Clear — Removes the NTP Server element from the cell. Click Add to add a row to the table, or Remove to remove the selected row.