Have you ever wondered how you could assign a specific time zone or time and apply it to all domain computers that are available in the active directory? Here we will detail the steps to follow to integrate that change on each and every one of these computers using Group Policy Options (GPOs).
GPOs are a set of settings that network administrators use to control and manage the working environment of users and computers in an Active Directory-based network.
GPOs allow administrators to:
- Define security policies.
- Configure software.
- Assign user permissions.
- Apply desktop and other system settings to specific users or groups.
These policies can be applied at both the user and computer level, and can be centrally managed to maintain a secure and efficient network environment.
Here are the steps to follow:
On the domain controller, open the Group Policy Management tool.
When we access the tool, we will have to highlight the specific domain, click the right button of the mouse and select "Create a GPO in this domain, and Link it here..."
Once we have selected this option, a new windows will be opened and therefore we will write a custom name for our new GPO. In this example, the GPO's name will be "New timezone".
When we have the GPO created, we will have to right-click on the new Group Policy object and select the Edit option.
In the Group Policy Editor screen, expand the Computer Configuration folder and locate the following item.
Computer Configuration > Policies > Administrative Templates > System > Windows Time Service > Time Providers
Enable the named item: Configure the Windows NTP client and configure the parameters like this:
Warning
If you wish to obtain another time zone through the NTP server, you must access the web site NTP Pool project and select the time zone of the specific country.
In the example, you will see that Costa Rica is selected (cr.pool.ntp.org).
Once the NTP Server item is configured, enable the named item: Enable the Windows NTP client
Close the policies folder and then locate the following item.
Computer Configuration > Preferences > Windows Configuration > Registry
When the Registry tab is opened, you will have to create an Update registry with these features:
Warning
You must change "Value Data" section according the NTP server you have added before.
If you run the command tzutil /l in a CMD tab you will get a complete list of time zones, choose the one that suits you best.
When all the configuration is completed, we recommend you to open a CMD console and execute the command below:
gpupdate /force
To wrap it up, once the gpupdate is completed, you will check if the GPO is succesfully applied with the next command:
gpresult /r
If you have any questions about your cloud server configuration or any other issue, please contact us at soporte@clouding.io. Our Technical Support team will be happy to help you with anything you need!