Chapter 7: System Time; System Time Options - Cisco SF500-24 Administration Manual

System Time
NOTE

System Time Options

Cisco 500 Series Stackable Managed Switch Administration Guide
Synchronized system clocks provide a frame of reference between all devices on
the network. Network time synchronization is critical because every aspect of
managing, securing, planning, and debugging a network involves determining
when events occur. Without synchronized clocks, accurately correlating log files
between devices when tracking security breaches or network usage is
impossible.
Time also reduces confusion in shared file systems, as it is important for the
modification times to be consistent, regardless of the machine on which the files
systems reside.
For these reasons, it is important that the time configured on the all devices on the
network be accurate.
The switch supports Simple Network Time Protocol (SNTP) and when enabled, the
switch dynamically synchronizes the switch time with time from an SNTP server.
The switch operates only as an SNTP client, and cannot provide time services to
other devices.
This section describes the options for configuring system time, time zone, and
Daylight Savings Time (DST). It covers the following topics:
• System Time Options
• SNTP Modes
• Configuring System Time
System time can be set manually by the user, dynamically from an SNTP server, or
synchronized from the PC running the GUI. If an SNTP server is chosen, the manual
time settings are overwritten when communications with the server are
established.
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