How do you synchronize your clocks?
Submitted by dkg on Wed 17 Oct 2007
| chrony package |
   5% | 60 votes |
| ntpdate package |
31% | 333 votes |
| ntp package |
43% | 463 votes |
| openntpd package |
5% | 56 votes |
| Manually with a clock |
7% | 78 votes |
| I don't |
7% | 84 votes |
| Total 1074 votes |
Mostly using ntp, a lovely install and forget package. Although some of my machines are virtual, and can synchronise with the host machine they're running on.
This brings back horrible memories of the Windows network I once supported where the desktops simply wouldn't synchronise clocks with the servers no matter what we tried. Eventually we got them syncing using logon scripts, but if the local clocks were so far out you couldn't log in then it required a visit to the machine.
This brings back horrible memories of the Windows network I once supported where the desktops simply wouldn't synchronise clocks with the servers no matter what we tried. Eventually we got them syncing using logon scripts, but if the local clocks were so far out you couldn't log in then it required a visit to the machine.
[ Parent ]
Posted by Anonymous (213.164.xx.xx) on Tue 23 Oct 2007 at 09:35
Well chrony is for dial-ups, openntpd is from openbsd so has been designed with better security in mind and easier config (but see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OpenNTPD#Criticism )
[ Parent ]
Posted by dkg (216.254.xx.xx) on Fri 19 Oct 2007 at 00:42
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I use the ntp package, but it's mainly out of habit (it's "the standard"). This isn't really a good reason, other than that it Just Works (so far, for me, anyway). People who use other packages, why do you prefer them? are there features (protocol, interface, or other) that make them better for your purposes? Are there bugs in ntp that you're trying to avoid?
[ Parent ]
Posted by Anonymous (201.47.xx.xx) on Sat 20 Oct 2007 at 00:42
I use "net time -S <server> set" from samba package to sync with my AD server.
[ Parent ]
Posted by Anonymous (213.164.xx.xx) on Tue 23 Oct 2007 at 09:28
Beware! This is a good example of the *wrong* way to do it.
You never want your clock going backwards, ever. This is why you use ntp. ntp will slow or speed up your clock so that no programs get confused. Time goes forward.
If you find your system clock is wrong, then it is because you are not using ntpd, or because you need to sync with a time server (using ntpdate, etc) BEFORE starting ntpd.
Never use a cron.hourly job to run ntpdate or "net time" against a server, this causes spikes in load on the time servers, and does the wrong thing with your clock.
You never want your clock going backwards, ever. This is why you use ntp. ntp will slow or speed up your clock so that no programs get confused. Time goes forward.
If you find your system clock is wrong, then it is because you are not using ntpd, or because you need to sync with a time server (using ntpdate, etc) BEFORE starting ntpd.
Never use a cron.hourly job to run ntpdate or "net time" against a server, this causes spikes in load on the time servers, and does the wrong thing with your clock.
[ Parent ]
Posted by Anonymous (71.241.xx.xx) on Tue 30 Oct 2007 at 23:21
Chrony is O.K. as specified in its documentation.
It appears to work much like Debian's ntpdate.
Which follows the state of the ETH0.
However my machines are always ETH0 up.
Just the patch cord from the switch to the internet is occasionally plugged in.
So I have decided to use ntpdate, and manually.
Is there a better way?
It appears to work much like Debian's ntpdate.
Which follows the state of the ETH0.
However my machines are always ETH0 up.
Just the patch cord from the switch to the internet is occasionally plugged in.
So I have decided to use ntpdate, and manually.
Is there a better way?
[ Parent ]
Posted by Anonymous (71.198.xx.xx) on Sun 28 Oct 2007 at 20:52
Clockspeed! I use djb's clockspeed which you should add to your poll.
[ Parent ]
Posted by dkg (216.254.xx.xx) on Tue 30 Oct 2007 at 15:00
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I didn't even know about clockspeed. Given djb's typical licensing difficulties, it's hard to imagine clockspeed getting into debian, but it's good to know it's available. Will it run on non-i386 hardware?
[ Parent ]
Posted by Anonymous (68.84.xx.xx) on Fri 2 Nov 2007 at 16:02
30% of the votes are for NTPDATE? Those people need to be <bleep>!
Because of the abuse of ntpdate, it is now deprecated in favor of NTPd which doesn't slam/abuse the time servers. As is mentioned it can even train your clock to be more accurate by slowing or speeding it.
I'm trying to be nice here, but DO NOT, DO NOT, DO NOT use ntpdate to sync your clocks! Set up an NTP server for your domain and put it into the pool while you're at it, http://www.pool.ntp.org.
Because of the abuse of ntpdate, it is now deprecated in favor of NTPd which doesn't slam/abuse the time servers. As is mentioned it can even train your clock to be more accurate by slowing or speeding it.
I'm trying to be nice here, but DO NOT, DO NOT, DO NOT use ntpdate to sync your clocks! Set up an NTP server for your domain and put it into the pool while you're at it, http://www.pool.ntp.org.
[ Parent ]
Amen! There is no good reason to use ntpdate instead of ntpd just because of intermittent Internet access. Ntpd is designed to cope with that automatically.
[ Parent ]