This article explains how to verify if an NTP server is working at a specified address in the network using the Windows command line or a Linux terminal.
Checking an NTP Server in Windows
To check an NTP server’s functionality in Windows, open the Command Prompt and run the w32tm command with the appropriate parameters. The command format is:
w32tm /stripchart /computer:[NAME OR IP ADDRESS] /dataonly /samples:3
For example, to check the server clock.isc.org, run:
w32tm /stripchart /computer:clock.isc.org /dataonly /samples:3
The response will include the current local time and the time difference with the specified NTP server. Example command execution:
C:\Users\Recluse>w32tm /stripchart /computer:clock.isc.org /dataonly /samples:3
Tracking clock.isc.org [64.62.194.189:123].
Collecting 3 samples.
The current time is 07.06.2020 19:55:28.
19:55:28, +00.0777312s
19:55:30, +00.0786069s
19:55:32, +00.0779390s
Checking an NTP Server in Linux
In Linux, use the ntpdate utility to check an NTP server. The command format is:
ntpdate -q [NAME OR IP ADDRESS]
To check the server clock.isc.org, run:
ntpdate -q clock.isc.org
Example execution:
recluse@sysadmin.ru:~$ ntpdate -q clock.isc.org
After running the command, the terminal will display information about the current time and the time difference between the local time and the time on the specified NTP server.
