Prisma SD-WAN Administrator’s Guide
    : Configure NTP for Prisma SD-WAN
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    Prisma SD-WAN Administrator’s Guide

    Configure NTP for Prisma SD-WAN

    Table of Contents

    Configure NTP for
    Prisma SD-WAN

    The ION device acts as an NTP Client and synchronizes its time with the configured NTP Servers. This involves several packet exchanges, each exchange consists of a request and reply.
    Where Can I Use This?
    What Do I Need?
    • Prisma SD-WAN
    • Active
      Prisma SD-WAN
       license
    Network Time Protocol (NTP) is used to synchronize time between distributed time servers and clients.
    NTP Client has the capability to receive time from one or more time sources (NTP servers) using Network Time Protocol (NTP). An NTP Client can synchronize time by polling an NTP server. The ION device acts as an NTP Client and synchronizes its time with the configured NTP Servers. Synchronizing a client with an NTP server involves several packet exchanges, wherein each exchange consists of a request and a reply. NTP uses UDP/IP packets for data transfer due to faster connection and response times.
    In addition to NTP configuration, the
    Prisma SD-WAN
     web interface provides NTP configuration templates at the tenant level. When you claim a device, it creates an NTP configuration by default. The NTP configuration will have the following pre-configured set of time sources. The maximum number of time sources or NTP servers supported per ION device is 10.
    Host
    Version
    Minpoll
    Maxpoll
    0.cloudgenix.pool.ntp.org
    4
    9
    10
    1.cloudgenix.pool.ntp.org
    4
    9
    10
    2.cloudgenix.pool.ntp.org
    4
    9
    10
    3.cloudgenix.pool.ntp.org
    4
    9
    10
    time.nist.gov
    4
    13
    15
    Prisma SD-WAN
     also provides an implicit Controller Time Source (CTS) which is available for use as a system fail-safe in cases where there is no time source. This is because the accuracy of time from the Controller is very low compared to typical Stratum 1 or Stratum 2 clocks that can supply time using NTP.

    Create NTP Configuration Templates

    1. Select
      Manage
      Resources
      Configuration Profiles
      NTP Templates
      .
    2. Click
      Create NTP Template
      .
    3. On the
      Create New NTP Template
       screen, enter a
      Name
      ,
      (Optional)
      Description
      , and
      (Optional)
       add a
      Tag
      .
      You may add new NTP servers or edit information for existing NTP servers.
    4. Click
      Save
      .

    Add or Edit NTP Server Configuration

    1. Select
      Workflows
      Devices
      Claimed
      , select a device and select the option
      Configure the device
       from the ellipsis menu.
    2. Select
      Manage > Resources > Configuration Profiles > NTP Client
       tab.
    3. Click
      Add NTP Server
       to add a new NTP server, or click
      Edit
       for an NTP server record to change information for an existing NTP server.
      You can remove a time source by clicking
      Remove
       at the time source record.
    4. On the
      Edit NTP Server
       screen, you can add or change the host IP address or domain name in the
      Host
       field.
    5. Change the NTP versions if needed in the
      Version
       field.
      NTP versions 2, 3 and 4 are supported.
    6. Enter values for minimum polling interval in the
      Min Poll
      field and maximum polling interval in the
      Max Poll
       field.
      The Min Poll and Max poll values specify the minimum and maximum polling intervals for NTP messages in seconds as a power of two.
      For example, a
      Min Poll
       value of
      4
       indicates a polling interval of 16 seconds. The values of Min Poll and Max Poll can be set between 4 and 17.
      You can force an NTP client to poll an NTP server instantly by clicking the refresh button on the
      NTP Client
       screen. This is an on-demand synchronization, after which polling will continue as per the values set in the
      Min Poll
       and
      Max Poll
       fields.
    7. Click
      Save
      .

    Configure NTP Servers

    1. Select
      Workflows
      Devices
      Claimed
      , select a device and select the option
      Configure the device
       from the ellipsis menu.
    2. Select the
      NTP Client
       tab.
    3. Enter a name for the NTP configuration in the
      Name
       field.
      You can create NTP configuration from an existing template by clicking
      Load from Template
      .
    4. (Optional)
      Select one or more source interfaces from the
      Source Interfaces
       drop-down.
      You can now select the associated VRF interfaces (global or custom).
      A source interface is the interface used for sending a request to an NTP server. A source interface can include PPPoE or sub-interfaces with IP addresses. This does not include VPN interfaces. Up to 10 source interfaces are supported.
      You cannot delete a sub-interface or PPPoE that is configured as a source interface. If a port is configured as a member of a bypass pair, it cannot be used as a source interface for NTP.
    5. Add a
      (Optional)
      Description
       and enter a
      (Optional)
      Tag
       in the respective fields.
    6. Add additional NTP sources by clicking
      Add NTP Server
      .
      To
      Edit
       information for an NTP Server, select
      NTP Server Record
       from the ellipsis menu. You may also view the status of the configured NTP servers.
    7. Click
      Save
      .
      You may save the created NTP client configuration as a template by clicking
      Save As Template
      . This template can be used to create an NTP configuration by using the
      Load from Template
       option.

    Load NTP Configuration from a Template

    1. Select
      Workflows
      Devices
      Claimed
      , select a device and select the option
      Configure the device
       from the ellipsis menu.
    2. Select the
      NTP Client
       tab.
    3. Click
      Load from Template
      .
    4. Select
       the required template from the drop-down.
      Information from the selected NTP template is displayed in the NTP configuration.
    5. Click
      Save
      .