Quick Reference

Error Time Synchronization Error
Severity Medium
Component Web

Time Synchronization Error

What Causes This Error

The VICIdial server’s system clock is out of sync with NTP time servers. This causes issues with scheduled callbacks, timezone filtering, call recording timestamps, reporting accuracy, and STIR/SHAKEN certificate validation which requires time accuracy within 60 seconds.

How to Fix It

  • 1 Check current time sync status: timedatectl status

  • 2 Check NTP sync: ntpq -p

  • 3 If NTP is not synchronized, restart the NTP service: sudo systemctl restart ntp

  • 4 Force immediate sync: sudo ntpdate -u pool.ntp.org

  • 5 Verify timezone is set correctly for your operation: timedatectl set-timezone America/Chicago

  • 6 If using AWS or cloud: ensure instance time sync is enabled in hypervisor settings

  • 7 After fix, verify VICIdial scheduled callbacks are firing at correct times

How to Prevent It

Configure NTP to synchronize against multiple reliable time servers. Monitor time drift alerts. Use cloud-native time sync (AWS Time Sync Service, Azure time sync) in cloud deployments. Include time sync status in daily server health checks.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What causes the VICIdial "Time Synchronization Error" error? +

The VICIdial server's system clock is out of sync with NTP time servers. This causes issues with scheduled callbacks, timezone filtering, call recording timestamps, reporting accuracy, and STIR/SHAKEN certificate validation which requires time accuracy within 60 seconds.

How do I fix the VICIdial "Time Synchronization Error" error? +

Check current time sync status: timedatectl status Then: Check NTP sync: ntpq -p Then: If NTP is not synchronized, restart the NTP service: sudo systemctl restart ntp Then: Force immediate sync: sudo ntpdate -u pool.ntp.org Then: Verify timezone is set correctly for your operation: timedatectl set-timezone America/Chicago Then: If using AWS or cloud: ensure instance time sync is enabled in hypervisor settings Then: After fix, verify VICIdial scheduled callbacks are firing at correct times

How can I prevent the "Time Synchronization Error" error in VICIdial? +

Configure NTP to synchronize against multiple reliable time servers. Monitor time drift alerts. Use cloud-native time sync (AWS Time Sync Service, Azure time sync) in cloud deployments. Include time sync status in daily server health checks.

Related Errors

Callback Not Firing View error → Report Timeout View error →

Part of the Complete VICIdial Implementation Guide

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