Dell Unity: How to change System Time from 'Set time manually' option to NTP (User Correctable)

Summary: System Time should be set to GMT it is recommend that NTP time server be used. Time can be changed in the Unisphere GUI(Update System Settings) or CLI.

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Instructions

Open Unisphere GUI > Open "Update System Settings" upper right of display.

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Settings > Management > System Time and NTP > Configure System Time > Click Enable NTP synchronization > Click Add Button and enter NTP server address.
The Set time manually is "unavailable" or disabled if using Enable NTP synchronization, this is Normal.

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Additional Information

At the time of install, if the NTP servers are not known, then Configure System Time may be set to "Set time manually."  You are prompted to set the date and time. Use local time settings, and the array will convert the internal clock to GMT by default.
Note: If the time difference between current system time and real time is 17 minutes or greater the service processors (SPs) will be rebooted in a staggered manner as part of the "Set time manually" process.

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Best Practice is to use "Enable NTP synchronization" settings to synchronize the storage system time with other nodes in the domain or network.

Procedure:
  1. Select the Settings icon, and then select Management > System Time and NTP.
  2. To synchronize the storage system time with other nodes in the domain or network, select Enable NTP synchronization, select Add and specify the IP address of the NTP server.
The specified NTP time server must be accessible through the default gateway associated with the Unisphere management interface.
 
Time settings may vary by up to one minute between the storage system and the NTP server. If the difference between the current system (UTC) time and the NTP server time is too large (approximately 17 minutes), you cannot configure an NTP server during initial configuration.  The user will need to adjust the time while in "Set time manually" mode before changing to "Enable NTP synchronization."

In Windows environments, Active Directory domain controllers typically provide the NTP services.
 
  1. To reorder the available NTP servers, select a NTP server in the list and select Move Up or Move Down.
NTP servers are used in the order that they appear in the list. If the top server becomes unavailable, the storage system uses the next one, and so on.
 
  1. To remove a NTP server from the list of available NTP servers, select the NTP server and select Remove.

Note: If the time difference between current system time and real time is 17 minutes or greater the service processors (SPs) will be rebooted in a staggered manner as part of the "Set time manually" process and the "Enable NTP synchronization" process.

If while in "Set time manually," you set the time incorrectly, this can affect replication and CloudIQ log transfers. 

Dell highly recommends that the Best Practice of "Enable NTP synchronization" be used.

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Affected Products

Dell EMC Unity 300F, Dell EMC Unity 400F, Dell EMC Unity 500F, Dell EMC Unity 600F, Dell EMC Unity Family, Dell EMC Unity Hybrid
Article Properties
Article Number: 000022498
Article Type: How To
Last Modified: 25 Jul 2025
Version:  7
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