Synchronize Time Without Access to a Network NTP Server

If your devices cannot directly reach the network NTP server, or your organization does not have a network NTP server, a physical-hardware management center can serve as an NTP server.

Important

Do not use this procedure unless you have no other NTP server. Instead, use the procedure in Synchronize Time on the Management Center with an NTP Server.
Do not use a virtual management center as an NTP server.

To change the time manually after configuring the management center as an NTP server, you must disable the NTP option, change the time manually, and then re-enable the NTP option.

Procedure

Step 1

Manually set the system time on the management center:

Choose System > Configuration.
Click Time Synchronization.
If Serve Time via NTP is Enabled, choose Disabled.
Click Save.
For Set My Clock, choose Manually in Local Configuration.
Click Save.
In the navigation panel at the left side of the screen, click Time.
Use the Set Time drop-down lists to set the time.
If the time zone displayed is not UTC, click it and set the time zone to UTC.
Click Save.
Click Done.
Click Apply.

Step 2

Set the management center to serve as an NTP server:

In the navigation panel at the left side of the screen, click Time Synchronization.
For Serve Time via NTP, choose Enabled.
Click Save.

Step 3

Set managed devices to synchronize with the management center NTP server:

In the Time Synchronization settings for the platform settings policy assigned to your managed devices, set the clock to synchronize Via NTP from Management Center.
Deploy the change to managed devices.

For instructions:

For threat defense devices, see Configure NTP Time Synchronization for Threat Defense.
For all other devices, see Synchronize Time on Classic Devices with an NTP Server.