All vRealize Suite 2019 and Workspace ONE Access components must be configured to use NTP for time synchronization.

NTP Server Configuration

  • Configure two time sources per region that are external to the SDDC. These sources can be physical radio or GPS time servers, or even NTP servers running on physical routers or servers.

  • Ensure that the external time servers are synchronized to different time sources to ensure desirable NTP dispersion.

DNS Configuration

Configure a DNS Canonical Name (CNAME) record that maps the two time sources to one DNS name.

Table 1. NTP Server FQDN and IP Configuration in Region A

NTP Server FQDN

Mapped IP Address

ntp.sfo01.rainpole.local

  • 172.16.11.251

  • 172.16.11.252

0.ntp.sfo01.rainpole.local

172.16.11.251

1.ntp.sfo01.rainpole.local

172.16.11.252

Time Synchronization on the SDDC Nodes

  • Synchronize time with NTP on the following SDDC components:

    • Active Directory domain controllers

    • SDDC Manager

    • vCenter Server instances

    • ESXi hosts

    • NSX Managers, Edges, and Controllers, as applicable

    • Workspace ONE Access instance and cluster appliances

    • vRealize Suite Lifecycle Manager appliance

    • vRealize Log Insight cluster appliances

    • vRealize Operations Manager cluster appliances

    • vRealize Automation cluster appliances

  • Configure each system with one or more NTP server aliases.

Time Synchronization for Virtual Machines

As a best practice, for time synchronization on virtual machines, enable NTP-based time synchronization instead of the VMware Tools periodic time synchronization. NTP is an industry standard and ensures accurate timekeeping in the guest operating system.