If you support a Windows network that also has Apple Macintosh or Linux computers logging onto the domain, you'll want to ensure that you have your Windows Time Service setup to correctly get time from an external source.
Read on for my notes.
Why? By default, Microsoft Active Directory domains use an authentication method called Kerberos. Kerberos requires the time on the domain controllers and all PCs to be within 5 minutes of each other.
When you have only Windows computers on your network this is taken care of. Regardless of how "incorrect" the time is on the server; that time is rolled out to all of the Windows clients on the network.
Once you add non-Windows clients, you need to ensure that your "PDC emulator" server actually has correct time, as Macintosh and Linux computers can not sync their time from the Windows server.
A great article on how to configure your server resides here:
http://www.windowsnetworking.com/articles_tutorials/Configuring-Windows-Time-Service.html
There is also additional information, if you're interested, here:
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc773263.aspx
Typically, the Macintosh and Linux computers will already be setup to get their time from an external source. If they aren't, you will want to configure them that way.
