This page controls the unicast/manycast client portion of Net Time Server & Client operation. In unicast mode, the client sends a request to a designated unicast server and expects a reply from that server in order to synchronize the system clock. In manycast mode, the client sends a request to a designated broadcast or multicast address and expects a reply from one or more manycast servers. The client uses the first reply received to synchronize the system clock. Later replies from this server or any other server are ignored. In the page, you can change many of the global settings that affect unicast/manycast client using the NTP/SNTP, Time or UnixTime protocols. To access this "Client - Unicast/Manycast" page, select the "Client" item then select the "Unicast/Manycast" item from the tree menu on the left side of the "Main window".
The queue contains source time servers definition that they will be used by unicast/manycast client. And displays their synchronization status when unicast/manycast client use these servers to perform synchronization. The context menu will be displayed when you right click in the list box, it contains some submenu items for quick operation. You can provide more than one source time server definition in this queue. When unicast/manycast client is performing synchronization, first source time server that is checked on at the top of the queue will be used. If synchronization fails, next source time server that is checked on will be used and repeat until synchronization successes or last source time server that is checked on at the bottom of the queue has been used.
Pressing the button opens the "New source time server in synchronization queue" dialog box to create a new time server definition to the bottom of the source time servers queue.
You can press the "Predefined source time servers" button to open the "Predefined source time servers" dialog box. And highlight some servers in this dialog box, then press the "Add to synchronization queue" button to append these source time servers definition to the "Source servers time queue".
Pressing the button opens the "Edit source server in synchronization queue" dialog box to modify the definition of source time server that is highlighted in the "Source servers time queue".
This button is available only when one server definition is highlighted in the "Source servers queue".
Pressing the button deletes all of the highlighted source time servers definition from "Source servers time queue".
Pressing the button moves up all of the highlighted source time servers definition in "Source servers time queue".
Pressing the button moves down all of the highlighted source time servers definition in "Source servers time queue".
The section contains many settings for automatically synchronizing your system clock.
Checking the box allows unicast/manycast client to automatically start a synchronization process after starting the program.
Specifies a delay time in seconds between starting the program and starting synchronization process for "Automatic synchronization after starting the program". It can be specified to a custom delay time in seconds, also it can be specified to a random delay time. You can specify the maximum and minimum values of the random delay time in "Miscellaneous" tabsheet on the "Unicast/Manycast clients advanced settings" dialog box.
Using a random delay is to minimize shock when a lot of PCs are rebooted at the same time power is restored after a blackout.
Checking the box allows unicast/manycast client to automatically start a synchronization process periodically according to a certain time interval specified below.
Specifies the interval of time in seconds between two synchronization processes for "Periodical synchronization".
Checking the box allows unicast/manycast client to automatically start a synchronization process at the time specified below.
Specifies the start time of synchronization process for "Automatic synchronization at the appointred time".
Checking the box allows unicast/manycast client to automatically start a synchronization process after establishing dial-up connection specified below.
Specifies the name of dial-up connection for "Automatic synchronization after establishing dial-up connection". If you specified the "Any connection" in this filed, the synchronization process will be started after any dial-up connection is established.
Specifies a delay time in seconds between establishing dial-up connection and starting synchronization process for "Automatic synchronization after establishing dial-up connection".
Checking the box allows unicast/manycast client to automatically start a synchronization process after changing the system clock.
You can use the section to manually start a synchronization process, or to stop the current synchronization process that is started manually or automatically.
Pressing this button is the same as performing the "Synchornize" menu item in the "Tray menu". It causes the unicast/manycast client of Net Time Server & Client to synchronize your PC's clock with a time server that is in the "Source servers time queue" of this page. See also the "Synchornize" menu item of the "Tray menu" in the "Tray icon, tray menu and tray balloon tips".
Pressing this button is the same as performing the "Cancel" menu item in the "Tray menu". It causes the unicast/manycast client of Net Time Server & Client to stop the current synchronization process that is started manually or automatically. See also the "Cancel" menu item of "Tray menu" in the "Tray icon, tray menu and tray balloon tips".
Check the box to retry the synchronization operation if synchronizing with every source time server that is checked on in "Source time servers queue" failed.
Specifies how many times this unicast/manycast client will retry a failed synchronization.
Specifies the interval in seconds between two successive retries attempts. It can be specified to a custom delay time in seconds, also it can be specified to a random delay time in order to avoid impact. You can specify the maximum and minimum values of the random delay time in "Miscellaneous" tabsheet on the "Unicast/Manycast clients advanced settings" dialog box.
The section contains serival fields for displaying the current status, starting mode, starting time, last synchronization result, etc information of the unicast/manycast client. The following table lists the possible values and their meanings for the current status, starting mode, and synchronization result:
| Item | Value | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Current status | Initializing | Indicates that the kernel is initializing itself. The state will be displayed when the "Net Time Server & Client" or the "Net Time Server & Client Service" is starting. |
| Idle | Indicates that the unicast/manycast client is idle. | |
| Synchronizing | Indicates that the unicast/manycast client is synchronizing the local system clock. | |
| Successful | Indicates that the synchronization operation is successful. The state will be displayed for about 1 second after a successful synhronization. | |
| Canceled | Indicates that the synchronization operation is canceled by pressing the "Cancel" button in the "Manual synhronization" box in this page or by performing the "Cancel" menu item in the "Tray menu". The state will be displayed for about 1 second after you cancel a synchronization operation. | |
| Failed | Indicates that the synchronization operation is unsuccessful. The state will be displayed for about 1 second after failed to synchronize the local system clock. | |
| Service:Stop | The state will be displayed if the "Net Time Server & Client Service" is installed but not started. | |
| Service:Pause | If the "Net Time Server & Client Service" is installed, the state will be displayed when the service is paused. | |
| Starting mode | Manual | The synchronization operation is started by pressing the "Manually synchronize" button in this page or performing the "Synchronize" menu item in the "Tray menu". |
| Periodical | The synchronization operation was periodically started when the "Periodical synchronization" box was checked in this page. | |
| At the appointed time | The synchronization operation is started when the current time was equal to the time speccified in the "Synchronization time" field and the "At the appointed time" box was checked in this page. | |
| After starting the program | The synchronization operation was started after the program was launched when the "After starting the program" box was checked in this page. | |
| After establishing dial-up connection | The synchronization operation was started after the dial-up connection specified in "Connection name" field was established when the "After establishing dial-up connection" box was checked in this page. | |
| After changing the system clock | The synchronization operation was started after the local system clock was changed when the "After changing the system clock" box was checked in this page. | |
| Synchronization result | Successful | Indicates that the synchronization operation is successful. |
| Canceled | Indicates that the synchronization operation is canceled by pressing the "Cancel" button in the "Manual synhronization" box in this page or by performing the "Cancel" menu item in the "Tray menu". | |
| Failed | Indicates that the synchronization operation is unsuccessful. |
The field displays the current status of the unicast/manycast client. If the client is synchronizing, the starting mode will be displayed in the field too.
The field displays the starting time, starting mode and synchronization result of the last synchronization.
The field displays the starting time and starting mode of the next automatic synchronization.
Pressing the button opens the "Unicast/Manycast clients advanced settings" dialog box to specify the interface binding settings, timeout values, etc for unicast/manycast clients. See also the "Unicast/Manycast clients advanced settings".
Pressing the button opens the "Predefined source time servers" dialog box to manage predefined source time servers, for example, create new source time server, test, modify or delete existent source time servers, and append existent source time servers to "Source servers time queue" in this page. See also the "Predefined source time servers".
With this button you will accept and save current configuration.
With this button you will cancel current configuration and rollback to previous one.