NTP (Network Time Protocol) synchronizes clocks across network devices so that log timestamps are consistent and meaningful. Without NTP, a single incident's logs spread across 10 routers might look like 10 unrelated events at unrelated times. This lab configures R1 as an NTP master and R2 as a client.
What you will learn
- Configure NTP master and client on Cisco IOS XE
- The stratum concept (1 = closest to reference; 16 = unsynchronized)
- How to read
show ntp statusandshow ntp associations - Why every router in your network should sync to NTP
What this lab does NOT cover
- NTP authentication (similar to OSPF MD5)
- PTP (Precision Time Protocol) for higher-accuracy use cases
Topology
Download the CCNA Base Topology .yaml
3 iol-xe routers + 1 alpine + 1 ioll2-xe managed switch.
