Setting the checkinterval Attribute for Connection to a Time Provider

If a server is connected to a time-provider, set its checkinterval attribute. DTS uses the checkinterval attribute to periodically check all the servers on a LAN to make sure that they remain synchronized with the time-provider. When the amount of time specified by the checkinterval attribute setting has elapsed, the server with the time-provider (the TP server) performs the following procedure:

1. The TP server requests time values from all the other servers on the LAN.

2. The TP server starts the synchronization process.

3. The TP server identifies the server time intervals that do not intersect with its own.

4. The TP server issues event messages for each faulty server it detects.

In the previous sequence, note that the TP server does not actually set the system clock after it starts the synchronization process. The TP server merely runs the process to detect faulty servers. The DTS software assumes that the time value at the TP server is the most accurate available, so the TP server does not use the values it collects from other servers to change its clock. Instead, the TP server functions as a reference timekeeper for the other servers.

You can set the check interval to a lower value for a more rapid notification of faulty servers, but be aware that lower settings can increase the load on network resources. The following example shows how to set the checkinterval attribute value:

dcecp> dts modify /.:/hosts -change {checkinterval 00-00:00:30.0000]
dcecp>