Configuring Network Time Protocol (NTP) on ESX/ESXi hosts using the vSphere Client

Products

• VMware vCenter Server
• VMware vSphere ESXi

Issue/Introduction

This article provides steps to enable Network Time Protocol (NTP) on an ESX/ESXi host using the vSphere Client.

Note: If the ESX/ESXi host is part of a vSphere Storage Appliance (VSA) cluster, the host must be brought offline before any changes are made. If this is not done the polling packets may fail and cause an outage.


Symptoms:

Environment

VMware vSphere ESXi 5.0
VMware ESXi 4.1.x Embedded
VMware ESXi 4.1.x Installable
VMware vCenter Server 5.0.x
VMware vCenter Server 4.1.x
VMware vCenter Server 5.1.x
VMware vCenter Server 5.5.x
VMware vSphere ESXi 5.1
VMware ESX 4.1.x

Resolution

To configure NTP on ESX/ESXi 4.1 and ESXi 5.x hosts using the vSphere Client:

1. Connect to the ESX/ESXi host using the vSphere Client.
2. Select a host in the inventory.
3. Click the Configuration tab.
4. Click Time Configuration.
5. Click Properties.
6. Click Options.
7. Click NTP Settings.
8. Click Add.
9. Enter the NTP Server name. For example, pool.ntp.org.
   
   Note: When entering the multiple NTP Server names, use a comma (,) followed by a space ( ) between the entries.
   
   
10. Click OK.
11. Click the General tab.
12. Click Start automatically under Startup Policy.
    
    Note: It is recommended to set the time manually prior to starting the service.
    
    
13. Click Start and click OK.
14. Click OK to exit.

Additional Information

For more information, see Troubleshooting NTP on ESX and ESXi (1005092).

For information on configuring NTP on ESX hosts, see Guide to configure NTP on ESX servers (1003063).

Guide to configure NTP on ESX servers
Troubleshooting NTP on ESX and ESXi 4.x / 5.x / 6.x
Configurando o protocolo de sincronização de rede (NTP) em hosts ESX/ESXi 4.1 e ESXi 5.0 com vSphere Client
Configurar Network Time Protocol (NTP) en servidores ESX/ESXi 4.1 y ESXi 5.0 usando el cliente vSphere
使用 vSphere Client 在 ESX/ESXi 主机上配置网络时间协议 (NTP)
vSphere Client を使用した ESX/ESXi ホスト上でのネットワーク タイム プロトコル (NTP) の構成