Properly set a Cisco router’s clock and time zone

Does setting the correct time on a router really matter? Actually, it does. In this edition of Cisco Routers and Switches, David Davis reviews the benefits of setting the correct time on your router, and he walks you through the three-step process to configure the correct time.

Last year, I wrote an article about why Cisco devices shoulduse Network Time Protocol (NTP) for their time synchronization needs, in whichI explained how to configure NTP on your Cisco devices (“Synchronizea Cisco router’s clock with Network Time Protocol (NTP)”). Using NTPis the ideal method for medium to large-scale networks.

However, if you have only a handful of routers, manuallysetting the clock may be the easiest way to properly configure your devices’times. Let’s walk through the process.

If a Cisco router boots up before you’ve configured a localtime or network time source, it will display the date as March 1, 1993. Here’san example:

This date’s appearance on log files is a good indicationthat no one has set the router’s time source or local time. This is much morelikely than the router’s log entries actually dating back to 1993.

Does setting the correct time on a router really matter? While proper timeconfiguration isn’t necessary for a router to fully operate, that doesn’t meanyou shouldn’t set the right time. Here are some of the benefits of setting thecorrect time on a router:

When setting a router’s (or switch’s) correct time, thefirst step is configuring the proper time zone. This is the first step for areason: If you set the time first and then try to set to the time zone, you’llhave to reset the time again.

The key point to remember is that it’s not enough to know thatyou’re in the Eastern or Pacific time zone. You need to know how many hours youare from Greenwich Mean Time (GMT).

For example, if you’re in the Eastern Standard Time zone inthe United States, you’re five hours behind GMT. You would indicate this to therouter with -5. If you’re unsure how many hours you are from GMT, the U.S.Navy’s Web site offers a great resource—the World Time Zone Map.

After you’ve determined your time zone value, you can setthe time zone. For example, I live in the Central Standard Time (CST) zone, sohere’s how I would configure the router:

After setting the appropriate time zone, you need toconfigure the router to adjust for Daylight SavingTime. You can use the summer-timecommand to accomplish this. Using their CST zone example, here’s how to configurethe router to use Daylight Saving Time:

The summer-timecommand tells the router to refer to Daylight Saving Time as Central Daylight Time(CDT), which will automatically occur according to predefined dates and times onthe router. (You can use the same command to manually set the date and time forDaylight Saving Time.) The recurringoption tells the router to use the accepted U.S. Daylight Saving Time rules forthe annual time changes in April and October.

After configuring the time zone and Daylight Saving Time, thelast step is to configure the router’s clock. You must do this while in PrivilegedMode—not Global Configuration Mode.

If you’ve never done this before, the format can be a bittricky. Here are some things to keep in mind:

Here’s an example:

After configuring the time zone, Daylight Saving Time, andthe clock, you can view the clock using the showclock command. Here’s an example:

Keep in mind that most Cisco routers and switches don’t haveinternal clocks that store the time when you power them off. That means rebootinga device will lose the set local time. However, the time zone will remain set becausethe router stores it in its configuration.

For more information on Cisco IOS time configuration, checkout Cisco’sdocumentation for the various clockcommands. How do you set the time on routers or switches? Do you set itmanually or use NTP? What other router and switch Topics would you like to see covered?Share your comments in this article’s discussion.

Check out the Cisco Routers and SwitchesArchive, and catch up on David Davis’ most latest columns.

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David Davis has workedin the IT industry for 12 years and holds several certifications, includingCCIE, MCSE+I, CISSP, CCNA, CCDA, and CCNP. He currently manages a group ofsystems/network administrators for a privately owned retail company andperforms networking/systems consulting on a part-time basis.

Cisco Live 2023

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Bookmark this page for the latest news and exclusive interviews with top executives and channel partners.

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Is Cisco Systems Stock Ready to Soar?

While many tech companies that serve enterprises are experiencing increasing caution from their customer bases, networking-hardware giant Cisco Systems (CSCO 0.94%) has been an exception. The company handily beat analyst expectations for the fiscal fourth quarter, which ended on July 29. Total revenue grew 16% year over year to $15.2 billion, while adjusted earnings per share shot up 37% to $1.14.

Shares of Cisco rose Thursday morning on the good news. Despite solid growth from the company over the past year, Cisco stock has barely edged out the S&P 500 in 2023. And over the past five years, it has lost badly to the broad stock market index.

With Cisco's business booming, should investors bet on a market-beating rally?

One of Cisco's core strategies over the past few years has been to grow its software business. While Cisco's security and collaboration segments are software-heavy, software has also become a more important piece of the core networking segment.

Software revenue grew by 17% year over year in the fourth quarter, and subscription software revenue was up 20%. By adding sources of recurring revenue, Cisco ultimately makes its revenue more predictable and less prone to big swings driven by economic conditions.

It was the core networking segment that did most of the heavy lifting for Cisco in the fourth quarter. Revenue in this segment soared 33% year over year and accounted for more than half of total revenue. The rest of Cisco's bigger segments were less impressive.

Internet for the Future, which includes optical networking and 5G-related products, grew by just 3%, while the security segment was flat. The collaboration segment suffered a 12% decline.

Soaring demand for artificial intelligence (AI) should help Cisco in the long run. Training advanced AI models involves building vast clusters of GPUs or other AI chips, and moving data fast enough across the cluster is critical. Cisco's Silicon One family of chips is designed for extreme data throughput. Although this AI-centric business isn't contributing much to the top and bottom lines right now, Cisco views it as a significant long-term opportunity.

While Cisco's fourth-quarter results were impressive, the company expects a significant slowdown entering fiscal 2024. It sees full-year revenue between $57 billion and $58.2 billion, up just 0% to 2%, compared to fiscal 2023. Profit will grow faster, with adjusted earnings per share (EPS) guidance of $4.01 to $4.08, representing 4% growth at the midpoint.

Cisco's product backlog exploded during the pandemic due to supply chain constraints, and now the backlog is being worked down as the situation improves. The backlog was still double the normal level at the end of the fourth quarter, although the company expects much of the excess to be worked off in the first quarter of fiscal 2024. As the backlog normalizes, so will Cisco's growth rate.

Cisco's growth will ebb and flow, depending on economic conditions and other factors. The company's sluggish forecast for fiscal 2024 shouldn't be a concern for long-term investors.

At around $55 per share, Cisco stock trades for about 14x adjusted earnings. That looks reasonable and perhaps attractive, as long as the company can accelerate growth past fiscal 2024. The company also pays a solid dividend that currently yields about 3%.

While Cisco stock looks like a solid investment, a huge rally doesn't look like it's in the cards. Fiscal 2024 will be a relatively tough year, compared to fiscal 2023, and there's always a chance that worsening economic conditions will cause Cisco to come up short of its guidance. Also, the stock's valuation isn't so low that a big multiple expansion looks likely anytime soon.

The bottom line: Cisco stock is a buy, but don't expect it to trounce the broader market.

Timothy Green has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Cisco Systems. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.