Resolve clock skew issues affecting Commander integrations
Snow Commander integrates with multiple systems such as Active Directory and vCenter that rely on synchronized time for secure operations. When time differences (clock skew) occur, directory logins may fail even though local Commander accounts still work. This article describes how to diagnose and correct clock skew issues.
- Identify symptoms in Commander:
- Log in to the Commander admin console.
- Navigate to Configuration > Identity and Access and switch to the Authentication tab.
- Check for a caution sign next to integrated directory services—this indicates a potential synchronization issue.
- Confirm by testing configuration:
- Click Edit on the directory service and immediately click Save without making changes.
- If time synchronization prevents saving, you will receive an error.
- Check the
identityservice.logfile for messages related to clock skew errors.
- Correlate errors:
- Match failed configuration attempts with clock skew log entries to confirm the cause.
- Resolve clock skew:
- Configure Commander and all affected systems (including vCenter and directory servers) to use the same time server.
- Prefer an external, trusted time source such as:
time1.google.com time2.google.com time3.google.com time4.google.com - Alternatively, consult your network administrator to determine if your organization has a preferred time server and ensure all systems are aligned to it.
Outcome
Synchronizing all integrated systems with a common time source eliminates clock skew issues and restores normal functionality for directory logins and Commander integration.
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