Start/notes.ini Parameters/CLIENT_CLOCK

CLIENT_CLOCK

Parameter: CLIENT_CLOCK
Short description: Notes client tracing: logs time, call stack, and server response times per transaction — a standard tool for diagnosing slow client operations and authentication problems.

Profile

Parameter
CLIENT_CLOCK
Category
Logging / Debug
Component
Client, Server
Available since
9.0.1 (and earlier)
Supported versions
9.0.1, 10.0, 11.0, 12.0, 14.0, 14.5, 14.5.1
GUI equivalent
notes.ini only (no GUI)
Possible values
0 = off (default) • 1 = enabled (basic tracing) • 30 / 32 = extended tracing including call stack (per HCL KB0038983)

Description

CLIENT_CLOCK enables detailed NRPC transaction tracing on the Notes client and Domino server side. For every transaction between client and server (opening a database, reading a note, authentication, replication …) a log entry is generated, typically containing:
  • timestamps for the start and end of the transaction
  • the measured server response time
  • the function/call stack of the triggering operation (at higher values)
  • target server / database information
The parameter is a standard tool from the HCL support catalog — in KB0038983 "Debug settings for Notes Federated Login", CLIENT_CLOCK=32 is set together with DEBUG_OUTFILE=… and DEBUG_CONSOLE=1 to measure authentication round trips of a Notes client against the identity provider and Domino server. The parameter is also regularly recommended for diagnosing server hangs, slow "client operations", cluster failover problems, and unexpectedly long login times.
In the console log / debug outfile, entries then appear like:
CLIENT_CLOCK <transaction>: server <name> took <ms> ms

Example configuration

Client-side (Notes Federated Login debug — KB0038983):
CLIENT_CLOCK=32
client_clock_server_format=1
DEBUG_CONSOLE=1
DEBUG_OUTFILE=c:\debug\client_clock.txt
Server-side for diagnosing slow NRPC operations:
CLIENT_CLOCK=1
Debug_Outfile=c:\debug\nrpc.txt
CONSOLE_LOG_MAX_KBYTES=256000
Runtime activation:
set config CLIENT_CLOCK=1
Deactivate again after analysis:
set config CLIENT_CLOCK=0

Notes & pitfalls

  • Generates very high log volume (every NRPC transaction appears in the log) — always set Debug_Outfile=… and a generous CONSOLE_LOG_MAX_KBYTES, and never leave permanently active.
  • For persistent output, DEBUG_CONSOLE=1 and/or Debug_Outfile=… is additionally required.
  • client_clock_server_format=1 extends CLIENT_CLOCK with a more parseable per-server output.
  • Affects performance — every NRPC call is additionally measured and logged.
  • Takes effect immediately via set config CLIENT_CLOCK=…; no restart required.
  • Often used in combination with LogStatusBar=1 and DEBUG_THREADID=1 for deeper client diagnostics.

Sources (HCL Product Documentation)