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EqualLogic group time off by 20 minutes - NTP servers ignored
Hello,
I have noticed that the EqualLogic group does not seem to be keeping time with our NTP servers. We are running firmware v7.1.4 and using a dedicated management subnet (different from iSCSI subnets). We have configured the management default gateway properly, and we can connect to the EqualLogic group from any subnet without issues. Our NTP servers are on a different subnet. We have many devices using our NTP servers with no issues (VMware, Windows AD, network devices, etc.) so we know the NTP servers are good and the subnets are good and the routing is good. I noticed the following statement in the Dell EqualLogic Group Manager Admin Guide:
If you are using a dedicated management network, Dell recommends that your NTP server be on the same subnet as the dedicated management network.
Does this mean that NTP does not work if it is on a different subnet? I would think Dell would say that they "require" NTP on the same subnet, rather than "recommend" NTP on the same subnet if that were the case. But it does make me wonder why this statement exists. What's wrong with routing NTP traffic? It's pretty normal for NTP servers to be on a different subnet...
Anonymous
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July 22nd, 2015 16:00
Is this a standalone group, or are you replicating to another PS group?
Don
boyler05
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July 23rd, 2015 07:00
Hi Don,
This is a standalone group (single member). No replication. Also, we have another standalone group running firmware v7.0.9 (same subnet, connecting to same NTP servers), and it sync time just fine. We also have a single group running v7.1.5, and it seems to have the same NTP bug that v7.1.4 has. The clocks are off by nearly 20 minutes on one of the groups. It seems there might be an issue with NTP on the v7.1.4 and v7.1.5 code releases.
Bill
Anonymous
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July 23rd, 2015 08:00
Hello Bill,
I suspect I know what's going on. NTP is picking up the iSCSI default GW instead of the Mgmt network gateway. If you're not replicating or need to route the iSCSI network you can remove the iSCSI gateway. You'll likely need to restart the array to get the immediate affect of the change.
I have also seen where if NTP is very far off, it won't sync up.. So I would suggest you also manually set the time on the groups first before removing the iSCSI subnet default GW
Regards,
Don
boyler05
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July 23rd, 2015 13:00
So far, based on our testing, with time set off 1-2 minutes, and the iSCSI gateway removed, NTP is still not functioning in 7.1.4 and 7.1.5... we'll keep testing...
Anonymous
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July 23rd, 2015 13:00
Did you restart the arrays after removing the iSCSI gateway? Also I would suggest you set the time manually as close as possible then see if it's keeping the time sync'd.
Don