Synchronizing your KnoppMyth V5A10 system clock with an NTP time server

* apt-get update
* apt-get install ntp-server
* Verify /etc/ntp.conf

server pool.ntp.org

* To start NTPD immediately

/etc/init.d/ntp-server start

* To start NTPD on boot

update-rc.d ntp-server defaults

rp05

The wiki page recently changed and refers to "ntpdate" not "ntp-server" for R5Ax. Is one preferable over the other? Was there an error?

I'd like to implement something that keeps track of and compensates for the drift on my remote frontend, which has developed quite a problem with maintaining accurate time (maybe the HD3000 card?).

My master backend is fine with a once-a-day ntpdate.

unless it's been changed there is a long writeup on the virtues of ntpdate and ntp on the wiki page.

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Xsecrets

That's the one I'm referring to:

http://knoppmythwiki.homelinux.org/inde ... onizeHowTo

It discusses the virtues of time synchronization overall, but not really why one would use ntpdate vs ntpd. (This looks like a more relevant discussion, actually: http://rgrjr.dyndns.org/linux/ntp.html .)

And as I mentioned, the recent edits that discuss changes in R5A10 deal with ntpdate and not ntpd. I'm not sure what the new R5A10 instructions on the wiki page actually do for you, if anything.

sorry I thought it was on that page, maybe another wiki page or here on the forums some where, but I know I saw a rather longwinded debate about the merits of the two, but it's been a long time.

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Xsecrets

OK, I think I've sorted this out and will be updating the wiki page accordingly...

I think ntpdate is a program that will sync your computer once, as a client of an ntp server. On the other hand, ntpd makes your computer a time server for itself and others. I set up mine with ntpd and then pointed the other computers in my house toward it as the time server, and it keeps all my computers in sync.

Also, I put four instances of pool.ntp.org in my conf file:

This gives it four "peer" computers to check time against. It chooses the "best" one as its main peer and checks the others and itself against it.

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Hey, is it just me or have others noticed a lot of clock creep/drift with R5A1x?

Ever since upgrading on Sunday I've seen the clock run fast, often as much as 5 minutes in 12 hours! In R4V5 it ran a little slow, say 10 seconds a week, but nothing like this...

I've read that chrony is a good solution for this problem. It appears to be available via apt-get (and I apt-get'd the source, to take a look at it).

-brendan

I upgraded my backend to R5A10 and haven't noticed any change in its clock accuracy. My Shuttle frontend (R5A10), however, which used to keep perfectly good time, does indeed creep dramatically. I thought it was due to the HD3000 in it, actually.

I've updated the wiki page to discuss why you'd use ntpdate (occasional slight time adjustments) vs ntpd (continual time adjustments compensating for creep). If anyone would like to add chrony to that page and discuss advantages/disadvantages over ntpd, that'd be great.

Aha! I sense a pattern here because my problem box is a Shuttle too... I'm guessing that this is some kind of overcompensation in the kernel...

Edit - Found this:

http://www.ussg.iu.edu/hypermail/linux/kernel/0410.1/1505.html

Sigh...

Adding " noapic noioapic" to the append setting in /etc/lilo.conf, running "lilo" and rebooting, looks like a possible solution. It seems to have halted the clock drift for me so far...

http://www.ntp.org/ntpfaq/NTP-s-config.htm
The NTP FAQ and HOWTO: 6.1. Can't I become happy with ntpdate alone?

tjc: Thanx, adding that to lilo.conf fixed my problem also. I got the problem when updating from R4V4.1 to R5A12.

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