: Configure NTP for Prisma SD-WAN
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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.
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.
    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
    .

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