diff --git a/sys/conf/NOTES b/sys/conf/NOTES
index 7fbb2ec7ace6..c3db6602cd7b 100644
--- a/sys/conf/NOTES
+++ b/sys/conf/NOTES
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 # LINT -- config file for checking all the sources, tries to pull in
 #	as much of the source tree as it can.
 #
-#	$Id: LINT,v 1.503 1998/11/11 21:29:09 msmith Exp $
+#	$Id: LINT,v 1.504 1998/11/15 20:08:49 eivind Exp $
 #
 # NB: You probably don't want to try running a kernel built from this
 # file.  Instead, you should start from GENERIC, and add options from
@@ -792,6 +792,14 @@ options 	"TUNE_1542"
 
 options		PPS_SYNC
 
+# If you see the "calcru: negative time of %ld usec for pid %d (%s)\n"
+# message you probably have some broken sw/hw which disables interrupts
+# for too long.  You can make the system more resistant to this by
+# choosing a high value for NTIMECOUNTER.  The default is 5, there
+# is no upper limit but more than a couple of hundred are not productive.
+
+options		"NTIMECOUNTER=20"
+
 # Enable PnP support in the kernel.  This allows you to automaticly
 # attach to PnP cards for drivers that support it and allows you to
 # configure cards from USERCONFIG.  See pnp(4) for more info.
diff --git a/sys/conf/options b/sys/conf/options
index a664af2b0a0e..00944849b86f 100644
--- a/sys/conf/options
+++ b/sys/conf/options
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-#	$Id: options,v 1.106 1998/10/28 08:37:10 dfr Exp $
+#	$Id: options,v 1.107 1998/11/05 14:28:17 dg Exp $
 #
 #        On the handling of kernel options   
 # 
@@ -54,6 +54,7 @@ KTRACE
 MD5
 MFS_ROOT	opt_mfs.h
 MFS_ROOT_SIZE	opt_mfs.h
+NTIMECOUNTER	opt_ntp.h
 EXPORTMFS	opt_mfs.h
 NO_LKM
 NSWAPDEV	opt_swap.h
diff --git a/sys/i386/conf/LINT b/sys/i386/conf/LINT
index 7fbb2ec7ace6..c3db6602cd7b 100644
--- a/sys/i386/conf/LINT
+++ b/sys/i386/conf/LINT
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 # LINT -- config file for checking all the sources, tries to pull in
 #	as much of the source tree as it can.
 #
-#	$Id: LINT,v 1.503 1998/11/11 21:29:09 msmith Exp $
+#	$Id: LINT,v 1.504 1998/11/15 20:08:49 eivind Exp $
 #
 # NB: You probably don't want to try running a kernel built from this
 # file.  Instead, you should start from GENERIC, and add options from
@@ -792,6 +792,14 @@ options 	"TUNE_1542"
 
 options		PPS_SYNC
 
+# If you see the "calcru: negative time of %ld usec for pid %d (%s)\n"
+# message you probably have some broken sw/hw which disables interrupts
+# for too long.  You can make the system more resistant to this by
+# choosing a high value for NTIMECOUNTER.  The default is 5, there
+# is no upper limit but more than a couple of hundred are not productive.
+
+options		"NTIMECOUNTER=20"
+
 # Enable PnP support in the kernel.  This allows you to automaticly
 # attach to PnP cards for drivers that support it and allows you to
 # configure cards from USERCONFIG.  See pnp(4) for more info.
diff --git a/sys/i386/conf/NOTES b/sys/i386/conf/NOTES
index 7fbb2ec7ace6..c3db6602cd7b 100644
--- a/sys/i386/conf/NOTES
+++ b/sys/i386/conf/NOTES
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 # LINT -- config file for checking all the sources, tries to pull in
 #	as much of the source tree as it can.
 #
-#	$Id: LINT,v 1.503 1998/11/11 21:29:09 msmith Exp $
+#	$Id: LINT,v 1.504 1998/11/15 20:08:49 eivind Exp $
 #
 # NB: You probably don't want to try running a kernel built from this
 # file.  Instead, you should start from GENERIC, and add options from
@@ -792,6 +792,14 @@ options 	"TUNE_1542"
 
 options		PPS_SYNC
 
+# If you see the "calcru: negative time of %ld usec for pid %d (%s)\n"
+# message you probably have some broken sw/hw which disables interrupts
+# for too long.  You can make the system more resistant to this by
+# choosing a high value for NTIMECOUNTER.  The default is 5, there
+# is no upper limit but more than a couple of hundred are not productive.
+
+options		"NTIMECOUNTER=20"
+
 # Enable PnP support in the kernel.  This allows you to automaticly
 # attach to PnP cards for drivers that support it and allows you to
 # configure cards from USERCONFIG.  See pnp(4) for more info.
diff --git a/sys/kern/kern_clock.c b/sys/kern/kern_clock.c
index c7122456b38b..22005c2e2a71 100644
--- a/sys/kern/kern_clock.c
+++ b/sys/kern/kern_clock.c
@@ -37,7 +37,7 @@
  * SUCH DAMAGE.
  *
  *	@(#)kern_clock.c	8.5 (Berkeley) 1/21/94
- * $Id: kern_clock.c,v 1.83 1998/10/26 06:13:18 bde Exp $
+ * $Id: kern_clock.c,v 1.84 1998/11/23 09:34:19 sos Exp $
  */
 
 #include <sys/param.h>
@@ -67,11 +67,14 @@
 #include <machine/smp.h>
 #endif
 
+/* This is where the NTIMECOUNTER option hangs out */
+#include "opt_ntp.h"
+
 /*
  * Number of timecounters used to implement stable storage
  */
 #ifndef NTIMECOUNTER
-#define NTIMECOUNTER	2
+#define NTIMECOUNTER	5
 #endif
 
 static MALLOC_DEFINE(M_TIMECOUNTER, "timecounter", 
@@ -80,7 +83,7 @@ static MALLOC_DEFINE(M_TIMECOUNTER, "timecounter",
 static void initclocks __P((void *dummy));
 SYSINIT(clocks, SI_SUB_CLOCKS, SI_ORDER_FIRST, initclocks, NULL)
 
-static void tco_forward __P((void));
+static void tco_forward __P((int force));
 static void tco_setscales __P((struct timecounter *tc));
 static __inline unsigned tco_delta __P((struct timecounter *tc));
 
@@ -222,7 +225,7 @@ hardclock(frame)
 	if (stathz == 0)
 		statclock(frame);
 
-	tco_forward();
+	tco_forward(0);
 	ticks++;
 
 	/*
@@ -624,14 +627,14 @@ microuptime(struct timeval *tv)
 }
 
 void
-nanouptime(struct timespec *tv)
+nanouptime(struct timespec *ts)
 {
 	unsigned count;
 	u_int64_t delta;
 	struct timecounter *tc;
 
 	tc = (struct timecounter *)timecounter;
-	tv->tv_sec = tc->tc_offset_sec;
+	ts->tv_sec = tc->tc_offset_sec;
 	count = tco_delta(tc);
 	delta = tc->tc_offset_nano;
 	delta += ((u_int64_t)count * tc->tc_scale_nano_f);
@@ -639,9 +642,9 @@ nanouptime(struct timespec *tv)
 	delta += ((u_int64_t)count * tc->tc_scale_nano_i);
 	if (delta >= 1000000000) {
 		delta -= 1000000000;
-		tv->tv_sec++;
+		ts->tv_sec++;
 	}
-	tv->tv_nsec = delta;
+	ts->tv_nsec = delta;
 }
 
 static void
@@ -709,7 +712,7 @@ set_timecounter(struct timespec *ts)
 		boottime.tv_sec--;
 	}
 	/* fiddle all the little crinkly bits around the fiords... */
-	tco_forward();
+	tco_forward(1);
 }
 
 
@@ -757,7 +760,7 @@ sync_other_counter(void)
 }
 
 static void
-tco_forward(void)
+tco_forward(int force)
 {
 	struct timecounter *tc, *tco;
 
@@ -777,6 +780,7 @@ tco_forward(void)
 	if (timedelta != 0) {
 		tc->tc_offset_nano += (u_int64_t)(tickdelta * 1000) << 32;
 		timedelta -= tickdelta;
+		force++;
 	}
 
 	while (tc->tc_offset_nano >= 1000000000ULL << 32) {
@@ -786,8 +790,12 @@ tco_forward(void)
 		tc->tc_adjustment = tc->tc_tweak->tc_adjustment;
 		ntp_update_second(tc);	/* XXX only needed if xntpd runs */
 		tco_setscales(tc);
+		force++;
 	}
 
+	if (!force)
+		return;
+
 	tc->tc_offset_micro = (tc->tc_offset_nano / 1000) >> 32;
 
 	/* Figure out the wall-clock time */
diff --git a/sys/kern/kern_tc.c b/sys/kern/kern_tc.c
index c7122456b38b..22005c2e2a71 100644
--- a/sys/kern/kern_tc.c
+++ b/sys/kern/kern_tc.c
@@ -37,7 +37,7 @@
  * SUCH DAMAGE.
  *
  *	@(#)kern_clock.c	8.5 (Berkeley) 1/21/94
- * $Id: kern_clock.c,v 1.83 1998/10/26 06:13:18 bde Exp $
+ * $Id: kern_clock.c,v 1.84 1998/11/23 09:34:19 sos Exp $
  */
 
 #include <sys/param.h>
@@ -67,11 +67,14 @@
 #include <machine/smp.h>
 #endif
 
+/* This is where the NTIMECOUNTER option hangs out */
+#include "opt_ntp.h"
+
 /*
  * Number of timecounters used to implement stable storage
  */
 #ifndef NTIMECOUNTER
-#define NTIMECOUNTER	2
+#define NTIMECOUNTER	5
 #endif
 
 static MALLOC_DEFINE(M_TIMECOUNTER, "timecounter", 
@@ -80,7 +83,7 @@ static MALLOC_DEFINE(M_TIMECOUNTER, "timecounter",
 static void initclocks __P((void *dummy));
 SYSINIT(clocks, SI_SUB_CLOCKS, SI_ORDER_FIRST, initclocks, NULL)
 
-static void tco_forward __P((void));
+static void tco_forward __P((int force));
 static void tco_setscales __P((struct timecounter *tc));
 static __inline unsigned tco_delta __P((struct timecounter *tc));
 
@@ -222,7 +225,7 @@ hardclock(frame)
 	if (stathz == 0)
 		statclock(frame);
 
-	tco_forward();
+	tco_forward(0);
 	ticks++;
 
 	/*
@@ -624,14 +627,14 @@ microuptime(struct timeval *tv)
 }
 
 void
-nanouptime(struct timespec *tv)
+nanouptime(struct timespec *ts)
 {
 	unsigned count;
 	u_int64_t delta;
 	struct timecounter *tc;
 
 	tc = (struct timecounter *)timecounter;
-	tv->tv_sec = tc->tc_offset_sec;
+	ts->tv_sec = tc->tc_offset_sec;
 	count = tco_delta(tc);
 	delta = tc->tc_offset_nano;
 	delta += ((u_int64_t)count * tc->tc_scale_nano_f);
@@ -639,9 +642,9 @@ nanouptime(struct timespec *tv)
 	delta += ((u_int64_t)count * tc->tc_scale_nano_i);
 	if (delta >= 1000000000) {
 		delta -= 1000000000;
-		tv->tv_sec++;
+		ts->tv_sec++;
 	}
-	tv->tv_nsec = delta;
+	ts->tv_nsec = delta;
 }
 
 static void
@@ -709,7 +712,7 @@ set_timecounter(struct timespec *ts)
 		boottime.tv_sec--;
 	}
 	/* fiddle all the little crinkly bits around the fiords... */
-	tco_forward();
+	tco_forward(1);
 }
 
 
@@ -757,7 +760,7 @@ sync_other_counter(void)
 }
 
 static void
-tco_forward(void)
+tco_forward(int force)
 {
 	struct timecounter *tc, *tco;
 
@@ -777,6 +780,7 @@ tco_forward(void)
 	if (timedelta != 0) {
 		tc->tc_offset_nano += (u_int64_t)(tickdelta * 1000) << 32;
 		timedelta -= tickdelta;
+		force++;
 	}
 
 	while (tc->tc_offset_nano >= 1000000000ULL << 32) {
@@ -786,8 +790,12 @@ tco_forward(void)
 		tc->tc_adjustment = tc->tc_tweak->tc_adjustment;
 		ntp_update_second(tc);	/* XXX only needed if xntpd runs */
 		tco_setscales(tc);
+		force++;
 	}
 
+	if (!force)
+		return;
+
 	tc->tc_offset_micro = (tc->tc_offset_nano / 1000) >> 32;
 
 	/* Figure out the wall-clock time */