Nexto XF #79 – Real Time Clock Adjustment via SNTP Server

The purpose of this tutorial is to explain how to adjust the XF real-time clock using the SNTP server via MasterTool X.

Components

Equipment: 1 computer/laptop.

                    1 XF300/315/325/325-W

Software:  MasterTool X

Tutorial Sections

1. ARCHITECTURE
2. DEVELOPMENT

1. ARCHITECTURE

A computer/laptop will be needed to use MasterTool X.

Figure 1. Computer running MasterTool X

2. DEVELOPMENT

Date and time synchronization via SNTP (Simple Network Time Protocol) is used when you want to keep the PLC clock always automatically updated, being widely applied in systems that require temporal precision, such as event logging and integration with supervisory systems.

Prerequisites

To use synchronization via SNTP:

• The PLC must be connected to the internet
• The connection can be made:
  • Via USB port with network adapter, or
  • Connected to a router with internet access

Date and time synchronization via SNTP (Simple Network Time Protocol) is used when you want to keep the PLC clock always automatically updated, being widely applied in systems that require temporal precision, such as event logging and integration with supervisory systems.

Network configuration

A key point is:

• The PLC Gateway must be the router's IP

This allows the PLC to:

• Have external access
• Communicate with time servers (SNTP)

Figure 2. Network configuration for the PLC to have internet access

Accessing the configuration

To configure SNTP:

1. In the project tree, click on CPU
2. Go to the Synchronization tab

Enabling SNTP

Within the tab:

1. Enable the SNTP synchronization option

2. You will need to configure the time servers

   

Figure 3. Enabling synchronization via SNTP server

Server configuration

Use the Brazilian server as a reference:

• ntp.br

Configure:

• Primary Server
• Secondary Server

The IP addresses can be obtained on the NTP.br website itself.

Figure 4. List of IPs for synchronization via SNTP server

Applying the configuration

After configuring:

1. Download the project to the PLC

Operation

After downloading:

• The PLC automatically connects to the SNTP server
• The internal clock will be updated periodically
• No manual intervention is needed

Figure 5. IPs configured for synchronization with the SNTP server

Applications in automation

• Event logging with precision
• Supervisory systems
• Synchronization between devices
• Audit and traceability
• Real-time based control