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Event ID 131 — Domain Hierarchy Time Source Acquisition

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Applies To: Windows Server 2008

An Active Directory forest has a predetermined time synchronization hierarchy. The Windows Time service (W32time) synchronizes time between computers within the hierarchy, with the most accurate reference clocks at the top. If more than one time source is configured on a computer, the Windows Time service uses Network Time Protocol (NTP) algorithms to select the best time source from the configured sources, based on the computer’s ability to synchronize with that time source. Currently, the Windows Time service is synchronizing time with a time source peer from the domain heirarchy.

Event Details

Product: Windows Operating System
ID: 131
Source: Microsoft-Windows-Time-Service
Version: 6.0
Symbolic Name: MSG_DOMAIN_PEER_DNS_ERROR
Message: NtpClient was unable to set a domain peer to use as a time source because of DNS resolution error on '%3'. NtpClient will try again in %2 minutes and double the reattempt interval thereafter. The error was: %1.

Resolve

Address DNS issues

The computer running the Windows Time service client cannot locate the time source peer in Domain Name System (DNS). Resolve issues as necessary on the DNS Server service, and then resynchronize the client with the time source peer. Perform the following procedure on the computer that is logging the event to be resolved.

To perform this procedure, you must have membership in Administrators, or you must have been delegated the appropriate authority.

To resynchronize the client with the time source peer:

  1. Open a command prompt as an administrator. To open a command prompt as an administrator, click Start. In Start Search, type Command Prompt. At the top of the Start menu, right-click Command Prompt, and then click Run as administrator. If the User Account Control dialog box appears, confirm that the action it displays is what you want, and then click Continue.
  2. At the command prompt, type w32tm /resync, and then press ENTER. The command output indicates whether the synchronization was successful.

To learn more about the Windows Time service and related tools, see Windows Time Service Tools and Settings (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=42984).

Verify

To perform this procedure, you must have membership in Administrators, or you must have been delegated the appropriate authority.

To verify that the Windows Time service is synchronizing correctly:

  1. Open a command prompt as an administrator. To open a command prompt as an administrator, click Start. In Start Search, type Command Prompt. At the top of the Start menu, right-click Command Prompt, and then click Run as administrator. If the User Account Control dialog box appears, confirm that the action it displays is what you want, and then click Continue.

  2. At the command prompt, type W32TM /resync, and then press ENTER.

  3. At the command prompt, type W32TM /query /status, and then press ENTER.

    This command displays the status of the Windows Time service synchronization. The Last Successful Sync Time line of the output displays the date and time that you ran the W32TM /resync command in the previous step. Also, check the computer name that is shown as the Source. This should be the name of a domain controller (or an administrator-configured time server) in the same Active Directory domain as the local computer.

To verify that the Windows Time service synchronized successfully with its time source, confirm that Event IDs 35 and 37 appear in Event Viewer. If there was a recovery from a previous failure to synchronize with the time source, you also see Event ID 138, which indicates that the Windows Time service is synchronized correctly.

For more information about the Windows Time service, see the Windows Time Service Technical Reference (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=25393).

Domain Hierarchy Time Source Acquisition

Active Directory