Can a cRIO-9042 be set as an NTP Server source?

[StevenHowell]

Good morning,

I have an application that will be deployed in a remote location with intermittent connection to the cellular network. I have multiple instruments that I would like to time synchronize and these instruments can utilize NTP.

I would like to know if it is possible to setup the cRIO controller to be the NTP Server source for the system as all devices in the system will be connnected through an ethernet switch. At present I have the NTP software installed and enabled on the cRIO but I am not at all familiar with how to set the NTP up. I followed some of the tutorials on NI website that I found for installing and setting up the cRIO to connect to the NTP servers and that seems to work.

[ManuelSebald]

Hi Steven,

we have a site in our Doku-Wiki about NTP on cRIOs: https://dokuwiki.hampel-soft.com/kb/ni-rt/linuxrt/ntp, this may help you.

Cheers

[StevenHowell]

Thank you I will give it a look!

[gpmathis]

Hi Steven,

Any luck getting your cRIO to be an NTP server?

I'm trying to do the same thing. I have a DAQ system that could wind up in the middle of nowhere, so I have a NI-9467 GPS module, which gets the time and then I use that GPS time to set the RT Linux system time (fairly accurately). But like you, I then want the cRIO to be an NTP server for some other devices in the DAQ system.

I find it hard to believe we are the first ones to want this. But I suspect I'm finding what you found: all of the discussion is about having a cRIO GET time from an NTP server ... that part already works for me. But I suspect the RT Linux only has the NTP client installed by default. I'll start googling for a solution, but I was hoping you already found one ...

Thanks,

Greg

[crossrulz]

Just to throw out an alternative at a decent price: GPS NTP Network Time Server (TM1000A) 

[gpmathis]

Thanks for the link. This certainly looks easier than me spending more time trying to make a cRIO into an NTP server. Have you personally used this model?

Thanks again,

Greg

[crossrulz]

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@gpmathis wrote:

Thanks for the link. This certainly looks easier than me spending more time trying to make a cRIO into an NTP server. Have you personally used this model?

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Yes I have.  It is simple to setup.  It was more effort to get my Windows machine to see it properly ("internet time", and Windows 10 hides it more than Windows XP and Windows 7).  You just need to make sure it has a good GPS signal.

[ManuelSebald]

I guess my first post to this topic was a bit short. To elaborate it a bit more: it is possible to configure the NTP-Software on a cRIO to work as a server. As described in this link (https://dokuwiki.hampel-soft.com/kb/ni-rt/linuxrt/ntp#permissions) it's a matter of the permission configuration. In the default configuration, only the localhost has permission to query the time. But you can set it to the whole subnet, then every device in this subnet can query the time.

For example, with the following line in the NTP configuration (/etc/ntp.conf), every device in "192.186.0.0" can access it:

restrict 192.168.0.0 mask 255.255.255.0 nomodify notrap nopeer

 For more background information, have a look at the links at the bottom of the linked site.

[gpmathis]

I haven't yet been able to give this a shot, but I will soon.

Thanks for the information,

Greg

[gpmathis]

I did purchase the TM 1000A model, and setting it up and getting both my Win 10 PC and Linux machine to use it was pretty easy. Thanks!