Networking

Synchronizing time
Cabeat Emptor. Before attempting to modify the boot process of a PC have an Emergency Boot Disk. This is a floppy disk that has the minimum files necessary to boot the PC in a safe mode to allow for system recovery if an error is made during the modification process. In Windows NT this is called an Emergency Repair Boot Disk. Windows 9x names it a Startup Disk. A Windows 3x or DOS disk has both the autoexec.bat and config.sys files on the diskette.

There are no instructions for synchronizing time in a Client/Server Novell network. This action is done automatically by NetWare.

Client/Server NT Network
Windows 3x, 9x and NT workstations that logon to an NT Server can achieve synchronous time by creating a batch file that uses NET commands. The batch file is run when the User authenticates to the NT domain.

1. 1. Use Wordpad to create a batch file with this syntax:
   net time \\servername | /workgroup:workgroupname /set /yes
    
   If translated into English this command would be: "This is a network command. Ask the current time of \\network_device | that is located in a /workgroup different from this PC's called :workgroupname and /set this workstation's time to match. Proceed without asking the user to respond /yes to confirm the action."
    
2. This file in placed in the NT server directory
   C:\WINNT\System32\Repl\Import\Scripts.
3. Open the User Manager for Domains.
4. Select the Username and click on the User menu. Select the Properties option. Or double-click on the Username.
5. Enter the name of the batch file you created in the Logon Script Name box.
6. Click on OK.

Peer Networks
NT Workstation
If the network is consists only of NT workstations, and every workstation will attach to a single PC on that network, the steps use for the NT client/server network above can be used to create synchronous time. The one PC that all others attach to will function as the "server". Use the following steps if no single PC is attached to all other workstations, but synchronous time is still needed.

Windows 3x/9x/ME
Windows 3x/9x/ME workstations do not have the same security features as NT Workstation. The net time command can be manually entered at the DOS prompt, or the batch file can be processed automatically.

To have the time synchronized automatically in Windows 3x the net time command can be placed directly in the autoexec.bat file. Windows 9x/ME can run a batch file on startup by following these steps:

1. Create a batch file, as detailed in the Client/Server section above.
2. Click on the Start button.
3. Select the Setting option.
4. Select the Taskbar sub-option.
5. Select the Start Menu Programs tab.
6. Click on the Add button.
7. Click on the Browse button and navigate to the batch file.
8. Double-click on the batch file.
9. Click on the Next button.
10. Navigate to, and double-click on, the StartUp folder.
11. Click on Finish.