CCNA NTP: Authoritative Master and Stratum

Bundle lab · $29.99

Configure a Cisco IOS router as an authoritative NTP master at a chosen stratum and point a neighbor at it as a client. Understand how NTP stratum works and verify deterministically using show commands rather than waiting for live synchronization.

Learning objectives

• Configure an IOS router as an authoritative NTP master using 'ntp master <stratum>'
• Configure an IOS router as an NTP client of a specific server using 'ntp server <ip>'
• Explain NTP stratum and why clients sync at one stratum higher than their source
• Verify NTP state with 'show ntp status' and 'show ntp associations' without relying on real-time convergence

Troubleshooting focus

• Client points to the wrong server IP or cannot reach it
• Authoritative master not configured or configured with the wrong stratum
• Interface down or mismatched addressing preventing NTP reachability
• Misinterpreting 'show ntp status' during the initial unsynchronized period