Note:
SNMP is disabled by default, because of the potentially sensitive nature of the information involved.
Do not enable SNMP on a VCS on the public internet or in any other environment where you do not want to
expose internal system information.
Configuring time settings
The
Time
page (
System > Time
) is used to configure the VCS's NTP servers and to specify the local time
zone.
An NTP server is a remote server with which the VCS synchronizes in order to ensure its time is accurate.
The NTP server provides the VCS with UTC time.
Accurate time is necessary for correct system operation.
Configuring the NTP servers
To configure the VCS with one or more NTP servers to be used when synchronizing system time, enter the
Address
of up to five servers in one of the following formats, depending on the system's DNS settings (you
can check these settings on the
DNS
page,
System > DNS
):
n
if there are no
DNS servers
configured, you must use an IP address for the NTP server
n
if there are one or more
DNS servers
configured, you can use an FQDN or IP address for the NTP server
n
if there is a DNS
Domain name
configured in addition to one or more
DNS servers
, you can use the
server name, FQDN or IP address for the NTP server
Three of the
Address
fields default to NTP servers provided by Cisco.
You can configure the
Authentication
method used by the VCS when connecting to an NTP server. Use one
of the following options for each NTP server connection:
Authentication
method
Description
Disabled
No authentication is used.
Symmetric key
Symmetric key authentication. When using this method a
Key ID
,
Hash
method and
Pass
phrase
must be specified. The values entered here must match exactly the equivalent settings
on the NTP server. You can use the same symmetric key settings across multiple NTP servers.
However, if you want to configure each server with a different pass phrase, you must also ensure
that each server has a unique key ID.
Private key
Private key authentication. This method uses an automatically generated private key with which
to authenticate messages sent to the NTP server.
Displaying NTP status information
The synchronization status between the NTP server and the VCS is shown in the
Status
area as follows:
n
Starting
: the NTP service is starting.
n
Synchronized
: the VCS has successfully obtained accurate system time from an NTP server.
n
Unsynchronized
: the VCS is unable to obtain accurate system time from an NTP server.
n
Down
: the VCS's NTP client is not running.
n
Reject
: the NTP service is not accepting NTP responses.
Cisco VCS Administrator Guide (X8.1.1)
Page 45 of 507
Network and system settings
Network services