Question 1
An administrator logs into the VMware NSX Manager UI and discovers a time sync issue that has been reported in the VMWare Cloud Foundation (VCF) installer.
The administrator performs the following steps:
1. Validates that the NTP server IP addresses are present in the NTP configuration on the VCF Installer.
2. Validates that the DNS records are correctly set for the FQDN and IP address of the two NTP servers.
3. Validates that the NTP servers can be pinged by name and IP address from the VCF Installer.
4. Validates that the time between the NTP servers and the VCF Installer is synchronized successfully.
What additional step should the administrator perform to help identify the cause of the error?
- AOption A:
Confirm that the ESX hosts have been configured to use host time synchronization.
- BOption B:
Confirm that the NTP service has an allowed rule in the iptables on the VCF Installer.
- COption C:
Confirm that the NTP server details have been specified in the deployment parameter workbook using the
required FQDN format.
- DOption D:
Confirm that the time on the ESX hosts allocated for the management domain is synchronized with the same
NTP servers as the VCF Installer.
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: D
During VMware Cloud Foundation bring-up, time synchronization across all management components is mandatory .
The VCF Installer, ESXi hosts, NSX Manager nodes, and vCenter must all sync to the same NTP servers .
If even one host or component has a time skew exceeding VMware’s allowed limits, VCF will report time sync
errors during bring-up or post-deployment.
The administrator validated NTP configuration, DNS resolution, ping connectivity, and time sync only on the VCF Installer appliance ,
but did not verify the ESXi hosts' time synchronization . NSX Manager obtains its time reference from the underlying ESXi host during
deployment, so if the ESXi hosts are not synchronized with the same NTP sources, NSX Manager will drift, triggering the exact error described.
Option B (iptables) does not apply—the VCF Installer does not block outbound NTP by default.
Option C refers to workbook formatting, which would fail earlier in deployment—not after NSX Manager is running.
Option A is incorrect because ESXi should never use “host time sync”; NTP must be used.