70964a89a1
Update 4.2.8p14 --> 4.2.8p15 Summary: Systems that use a CMAC algorithm in ntp.keys will not release a bit of memory on each packet that uses a CMAC keyid, eventually causing ntpd to run out of memory and fail. The CMAC cleanup from https://bugs.ntp.org/3447, part of ntp-4.2.8p11, introduced a bug whereby the CMAC data structure was no longer completely removed. MFC after: 3 days Security: NTP Bug 3661
909 lines
29 KiB
Plaintext
909 lines
29 KiB
Plaintext
.Dd June 23 2020
|
|
.Dt NTPD 1ntpdmdoc User Commands
|
|
.Os
|
|
.\" EDIT THIS FILE WITH CAUTION (ntpd-opts.mdoc)
|
|
.\"
|
|
.\" It has been AutoGen-ed June 23, 2020 at 02:20:30 AM by AutoGen 5.18.5
|
|
.\" From the definitions ntpd-opts.def
|
|
.\" and the template file agmdoc-cmd.tpl
|
|
.Sh NAME
|
|
.Nm ntpd
|
|
.Nd NTP daemon program
|
|
.Sh SYNOPSIS
|
|
.Nm
|
|
.\" Mixture of short (flag) options and long options
|
|
.Op Fl flags
|
|
.Op Fl flag Op Ar value
|
|
.Op Fl \-option\-name Ns Oo Oo Ns "=| " Oc Ns Ar value Oc
|
|
[ <server1> ... <serverN> ]
|
|
.Pp
|
|
.Sh DESCRIPTION
|
|
The
|
|
.Nm
|
|
utility is an operating system daemon which sets
|
|
and maintains the system time of day in synchronism with Internet
|
|
standard time servers.
|
|
It is a complete implementation of the
|
|
Network Time Protocol (NTP) version 4, as defined by RFC\-5905,
|
|
but also retains compatibility with
|
|
version 3, as defined by RFC\-1305, and versions 1
|
|
and 2, as defined by RFC\-1059 and RFC\-1119, respectively.
|
|
.Pp
|
|
The
|
|
.Nm
|
|
utility does most computations in 64\-bit floating point
|
|
arithmetic and does relatively clumsy 64\-bit fixed point operations
|
|
only when necessary to preserve the ultimate precision, about 232
|
|
picoseconds.
|
|
While the ultimate precision is not achievable with
|
|
ordinary workstations and networks of today, it may be required
|
|
with future gigahertz CPU clocks and gigabit LANs.
|
|
.Pp
|
|
Ordinarily,
|
|
.Nm
|
|
reads the
|
|
.Xr ntp.conf 5
|
|
configuration file at startup time in order to determine the
|
|
synchronization sources and operating modes.
|
|
It is also possible to
|
|
specify a working, although limited, configuration entirely on the
|
|
command line, obviating the need for a configuration file.
|
|
This may
|
|
be particularly useful when the local host is to be configured as a
|
|
broadcast/multicast client, with all peers being determined by
|
|
listening to broadcasts at run time.
|
|
.Pp
|
|
If NetInfo support is built into
|
|
.Nm ,
|
|
then
|
|
.Nm
|
|
will attempt to read its configuration from the
|
|
NetInfo if the default
|
|
.Xr ntp.conf 5
|
|
file cannot be read and no file is
|
|
specified by the
|
|
.Fl c
|
|
option.
|
|
.Pp
|
|
Various internal
|
|
.Nm
|
|
variables can be displayed and
|
|
configuration options altered while the
|
|
.Nm
|
|
is running
|
|
using the
|
|
.Xr ntpq 1ntpqmdoc
|
|
and
|
|
.Xr ntpdc 1ntpdcmdoc
|
|
utility programs.
|
|
.Pp
|
|
When
|
|
.Nm
|
|
starts it looks at the value of
|
|
.Xr umask 2 ,
|
|
and if zero
|
|
.Nm
|
|
will set the
|
|
.Xr umask 2
|
|
to 022.
|
|
.Sh "OPTIONS"
|
|
.Bl -tag
|
|
.It Fl 4 , Fl \-ipv4
|
|
Force IPv4 DNS name resolution.
|
|
This option must not appear in combination with any of the following options:
|
|
ipv6.
|
|
.sp
|
|
Force DNS resolution of following host names on the command line
|
|
to the IPv4 namespace.
|
|
.It Fl 6 , Fl \-ipv6
|
|
Force IPv6 DNS name resolution.
|
|
This option must not appear in combination with any of the following options:
|
|
ipv4.
|
|
.sp
|
|
Force DNS resolution of following host names on the command line
|
|
to the IPv6 namespace.
|
|
.It Fl a , Fl \-authreq
|
|
Require crypto authentication.
|
|
This option must not appear in combination with any of the following options:
|
|
authnoreq.
|
|
.sp
|
|
Require cryptographic authentication for broadcast client,
|
|
multicast client and symmetric passive associations.
|
|
This is the default.
|
|
.It Fl A , Fl \-authnoreq
|
|
Do not require crypto authentication.
|
|
This option must not appear in combination with any of the following options:
|
|
authreq.
|
|
.sp
|
|
Do not require cryptographic authentication for broadcast client,
|
|
multicast client and symmetric passive associations.
|
|
This is almost never a good idea.
|
|
.It Fl b , Fl \-bcastsync
|
|
Allow us to sync to broadcast servers.
|
|
.sp
|
|
.It Fl c Ar string , Fl \-configfile Ns = Ns Ar string
|
|
configuration file name.
|
|
.sp
|
|
The name and path of the configuration file,
|
|
\fI/etc/ntp.conf\fP
|
|
by default.
|
|
.It Fl d , Fl \-debug\-level
|
|
Increase debug verbosity level.
|
|
This option may appear an unlimited number of times.
|
|
.sp
|
|
.It Fl D Ar number , Fl \-set\-debug\-level Ns = Ns Ar number
|
|
Set the debug verbosity level.
|
|
This option may appear an unlimited number of times.
|
|
This option takes an integer number as its argument.
|
|
.sp
|
|
.It Fl f Ar string , Fl \-driftfile Ns = Ns Ar string
|
|
frequency drift file name.
|
|
.sp
|
|
The name and path of the frequency file,
|
|
\fI/etc/ntp.drift\fP
|
|
by default.
|
|
This is the same operation as the
|
|
\fBdriftfile\fP \fIdriftfile\fP
|
|
configuration specification in the
|
|
\fI/etc/ntp.conf\fP
|
|
file.
|
|
.It Fl g , Fl \-panicgate
|
|
Allow the first adjustment to be Big.
|
|
This option may appear an unlimited number of times.
|
|
.sp
|
|
Normally,
|
|
\fBntpd\fP
|
|
exits with a message to the system log if the offset exceeds the panic threshold, which is 1000 s by default. This option allows the time to be set to any value without restriction; however, this can happen only once. If the threshold is exceeded after that,
|
|
\fBntpd\fP
|
|
will exit with a message to the system log. This option can be used with the
|
|
\fB\-q\fP
|
|
and
|
|
\fB\-x\fP
|
|
options.
|
|
See the
|
|
\fBtinker\fP
|
|
configuration file directive for other options.
|
|
.It Fl G , Fl \-force\-step\-once
|
|
Step any initial offset correction..
|
|
.sp
|
|
Normally,
|
|
\fBntpd\fP
|
|
steps the time if the time offset exceeds the step threshold,
|
|
which is 128 ms by default, and otherwise slews the time.
|
|
This option forces the initial offset correction to be stepped,
|
|
so the highest time accuracy can be achieved quickly.
|
|
However, this may also cause the time to be stepped back
|
|
so this option must not be used if
|
|
applications requiring monotonic time are running.
|
|
See the \fBtinker\fP configuration file directive for other options.
|
|
.It Fl i Ar string , Fl \-jaildir Ns = Ns Ar string
|
|
Jail directory.
|
|
.sp
|
|
Chroot the server to the directory
|
|
\fIjaildir\fP
|
|
.
|
|
This option also implies that the server attempts to drop root privileges at startup.
|
|
You may need to also specify a
|
|
\fB\-u\fP
|
|
option.
|
|
This option is only available if the OS supports adjusting the clock
|
|
without full root privileges.
|
|
This option is supported under NetBSD (configure with
|
|
\fB\-\-enable\-clockctl\fP) or Linux (configure with
|
|
\fB\-\-enable\-linuxcaps\fP) or Solaris (configure with \fB\-\-enable\-solarisprivs\fP).
|
|
.It Fl I Ar iface , Fl \-interface Ns = Ns Ar iface
|
|
Listen on an interface name or address.
|
|
This option may appear an unlimited number of times.
|
|
.sp
|
|
Open the network address given, or all the addresses associated with the
|
|
given interface name. This option may appear multiple times. This option
|
|
also implies not opening other addresses, except wildcard and localhost.
|
|
This option is deprecated. Please consider using the configuration file
|
|
\fBinterface\fP command, which is more versatile.
|
|
.It Fl k Ar string , Fl \-keyfile Ns = Ns Ar string
|
|
path to symmetric keys.
|
|
.sp
|
|
Specify the name and path of the symmetric key file.
|
|
\fI/etc/ntp.keys\fP
|
|
is the default.
|
|
This is the same operation as the
|
|
\fBkeys\fP \fIkeyfile\fP
|
|
configuration file directive.
|
|
.It Fl l Ar string , Fl \-logfile Ns = Ns Ar string
|
|
path to the log file.
|
|
.sp
|
|
Specify the name and path of the log file.
|
|
The default is the system log file.
|
|
This is the same operation as the
|
|
\fBlogfile\fP \fIlogfile\fP
|
|
configuration file directive.
|
|
.It Fl L , Fl \-novirtualips
|
|
Do not listen to virtual interfaces.
|
|
.sp
|
|
Do not listen to virtual interfaces, defined as those with
|
|
names containing a colon. This option is deprecated. Please
|
|
consider using the configuration file \fBinterface\fP command, which
|
|
is more versatile.
|
|
.It Fl M , Fl \-modifymmtimer
|
|
Modify Multimedia Timer (Windows only).
|
|
.sp
|
|
Set the Windows Multimedia Timer to highest resolution. This
|
|
ensures the resolution does not change while ntpd is running,
|
|
avoiding timekeeping glitches associated with changes.
|
|
.It Fl n , Fl \-nofork
|
|
Do not fork.
|
|
This option must not appear in combination with any of the following options:
|
|
wait\-sync.
|
|
.sp
|
|
.It Fl N , Fl \-nice
|
|
Run at high priority.
|
|
.sp
|
|
To the extent permitted by the operating system, run
|
|
\fBntpd\fP
|
|
at the highest priority.
|
|
.It Fl p Ar string , Fl \-pidfile Ns = Ns Ar string
|
|
path to the PID file.
|
|
.sp
|
|
Specify the name and path of the file used to record
|
|
\fBntpd\fP's
|
|
process ID.
|
|
This is the same operation as the
|
|
\fBpidfile\fP \fIpidfile\fP
|
|
configuration file directive.
|
|
.It Fl P Ar number , Fl \-priority Ns = Ns Ar number
|
|
Process priority.
|
|
This option takes an integer number as its argument.
|
|
.sp
|
|
To the extent permitted by the operating system, run
|
|
\fBntpd\fP
|
|
at the specified
|
|
\fBsched_setscheduler(SCHED_FIFO)\fP
|
|
priority.
|
|
.It Fl q , Fl \-quit
|
|
Set the time and quit.
|
|
This option must not appear in combination with any of the following options:
|
|
saveconfigquit, wait\-sync.
|
|
.sp
|
|
\fBntpd\fP
|
|
will not daemonize and will exit after the clock is first
|
|
synchronized. This behavior mimics that of the
|
|
\fBntpdate\fP
|
|
program, which will soon be replaced with a shell script.
|
|
The
|
|
\fB\-g\fP
|
|
and
|
|
\fB\-x\fP
|
|
options can be used with this option.
|
|
Note: The kernel time discipline is disabled with this option.
|
|
.It Fl r Ar string , Fl \-propagationdelay Ns = Ns Ar string
|
|
Broadcast/propagation delay.
|
|
.sp
|
|
Specify the default propagation delay from the broadcast/multicast server to this client. This is necessary only if the delay cannot be computed automatically by the protocol.
|
|
.It Fl \-saveconfigquit Ns = Ns Ar string
|
|
Save parsed configuration and quit.
|
|
This option must not appear in combination with any of the following options:
|
|
quit, wait\-sync.
|
|
.sp
|
|
Cause \fBntpd\fP to parse its startup configuration file and save an
|
|
equivalent to the given filename and exit. This option was
|
|
designed for automated testing.
|
|
.It Fl s Ar string , Fl \-statsdir Ns = Ns Ar string
|
|
Statistics file location.
|
|
.sp
|
|
Specify the directory path for files created by the statistics facility.
|
|
This is the same operation as the
|
|
\fBstatsdir\fP \fIstatsdir\fP
|
|
configuration file directive.
|
|
.It Fl t Ar tkey , Fl \-trustedkey Ns = Ns Ar tkey
|
|
Trusted key number.
|
|
This option may appear an unlimited number of times.
|
|
.sp
|
|
Add the specified key number to the trusted key list.
|
|
.It Fl u Ar string , Fl \-user Ns = Ns Ar string
|
|
Run as userid (or userid:groupid).
|
|
.sp
|
|
Specify a user, and optionally a group, to switch to.
|
|
This option is only available if the OS supports adjusting the clock
|
|
without full root privileges.
|
|
This option is supported under NetBSD (configure with
|
|
\fB\-\-enable\-clockctl\fP) or Linux (configure with
|
|
\fB\-\-enable\-linuxcaps\fP) or Solaris (configure with \fB\-\-enable\-solarisprivs\fP).
|
|
.It Fl U Ar number , Fl \-updateinterval Ns = Ns Ar number
|
|
interval in seconds between scans for new or dropped interfaces.
|
|
This option takes an integer number as its argument.
|
|
.sp
|
|
Give the time in seconds between two scans for new or dropped interfaces.
|
|
For systems with routing socket support the scans will be performed shortly after the interface change
|
|
has been detected by the system.
|
|
Use 0 to disable scanning. 60 seconds is the minimum time between scans.
|
|
.It Fl \-var Ns = Ns Ar nvar
|
|
make ARG an ntp variable (RW).
|
|
This option may appear an unlimited number of times.
|
|
.sp
|
|
.It Fl \-dvar Ns = Ns Ar ndvar
|
|
make ARG an ntp variable (RW|DEF).
|
|
This option may appear an unlimited number of times.
|
|
.sp
|
|
.It Fl w Ar number , Fl \-wait\-sync Ns = Ns Ar number
|
|
Seconds to wait for first clock sync.
|
|
This option must not appear in combination with any of the following options:
|
|
nofork, quit, saveconfigquit.
|
|
This option takes an integer number as its argument.
|
|
.sp
|
|
If greater than zero, alters \fBntpd\fP's behavior when forking to
|
|
daemonize. Instead of exiting with status 0 immediately after
|
|
the fork, the parent waits up to the specified number of
|
|
seconds for the child to first synchronize the clock. The exit
|
|
status is zero (success) if the clock was synchronized,
|
|
otherwise it is \fBETIMEDOUT\fP.
|
|
This provides the option for a script starting \fBntpd\fP to easily
|
|
wait for the first set of the clock before proceeding.
|
|
.It Fl x , Fl \-slew
|
|
Slew up to 600 seconds.
|
|
.sp
|
|
Normally, the time is slewed if the offset is less than the step threshold, which is 128 ms by default, and stepped if above the threshold.
|
|
This option sets the threshold to 600 s, which is well within the accuracy window to set the clock manually.
|
|
Note: Since the slew rate of typical Unix kernels is limited to 0.5 ms/s, each second of adjustment requires an amortization interval of 2000 s.
|
|
Thus, an adjustment as much as 600 s will take almost 14 days to complete.
|
|
This option can be used with the
|
|
\fB\-g\fP
|
|
and
|
|
\fB\-q\fP
|
|
options.
|
|
See the
|
|
\fBtinker\fP
|
|
configuration file directive for other options.
|
|
Note: The kernel time discipline is disabled with this option.
|
|
.It Fl \-usepcc
|
|
Use CPU cycle counter (Windows only).
|
|
.sp
|
|
Attempt to substitute the CPU counter for \fBQueryPerformanceCounter\fP.
|
|
The CPU counter and \fBQueryPerformanceCounter\fP are compared, and if
|
|
they have the same frequency, the CPU counter (RDTSC on x86) is
|
|
used directly, saving the overhead of a system call.
|
|
.It Fl \-pccfreq Ns = Ns Ar string
|
|
Force CPU cycle counter use (Windows only).
|
|
.sp
|
|
Force substitution the CPU counter for \fBQueryPerformanceCounter\fP.
|
|
The CPU counter (RDTSC on x86) is used unconditionally with the
|
|
given frequency (in Hz).
|
|
.It Fl m , Fl \-mdns
|
|
Register with mDNS as a NTP server.
|
|
.sp
|
|
Registers as an NTP server with the local mDNS server which allows
|
|
the server to be discovered via mDNS client lookup.
|
|
.It Fl \&? , Fl \-help
|
|
Display usage information and exit.
|
|
.It Fl \&! , Fl \-more\-help
|
|
Pass the extended usage information through a pager.
|
|
.It Fl \-version Op Brq Ar v|c|n
|
|
Output version of program and exit. The default mode is `v', a simple
|
|
version. The `c' mode will print copyright information and `n' will
|
|
print the full copyright notice.
|
|
.El
|
|
.Sh "OPTION PRESETS"
|
|
Any option that is not marked as \fInot presettable\fP may be preset
|
|
by loading values from environment variables named:
|
|
.nf
|
|
\fBNTPD_<option\-name>\fP or \fBNTPD\fP
|
|
.fi
|
|
.ad
|
|
.Sh USAGE
|
|
.Ss "How NTP Operates"
|
|
The
|
|
.Nm
|
|
utility operates by exchanging messages with
|
|
one or more configured servers over a range of designated poll intervals.
|
|
When
|
|
started, whether for the first or subsequent times, the program
|
|
requires several exchanges from the majority of these servers so
|
|
the signal processing and mitigation algorithms can accumulate and
|
|
groom the data and set the clock.
|
|
In order to protect the network
|
|
from bursts, the initial poll interval for each server is delayed
|
|
an interval randomized over a few seconds.
|
|
At the default initial poll
|
|
interval of 64s, several minutes can elapse before the clock is
|
|
set.
|
|
This initial delay to set the clock
|
|
can be safely and dramatically reduced using the
|
|
.Cm iburst
|
|
keyword with the
|
|
.Ic server
|
|
configuration
|
|
command, as described in
|
|
.Xr ntp.conf 5 .
|
|
.Pp
|
|
Most operating systems and hardware of today incorporate a
|
|
time\-of\-year (TOY) chip to maintain the time during periods when
|
|
the power is off.
|
|
When the machine is booted, the chip is used to
|
|
initialize the operating system time.
|
|
After the machine has
|
|
synchronized to a NTP server, the operating system corrects the
|
|
chip from time to time.
|
|
In the default case, if
|
|
.Nm
|
|
detects that the time on the host
|
|
is more than 1000s from the server time,
|
|
.Nm
|
|
assumes something must be terribly wrong and the only
|
|
reliable action is for the operator to intervene and set the clock
|
|
by hand.
|
|
(Reasons for this include there is no TOY chip,
|
|
or its battery is dead, or that the TOY chip is just of poor quality.)
|
|
This causes
|
|
.Nm
|
|
to exit with a panic message to
|
|
the system log.
|
|
The
|
|
.Fl g
|
|
option overrides this check and the
|
|
clock will be set to the server time regardless of the chip time
|
|
(up to 68 years in the past or future \(em
|
|
this is a limitation of the NTPv4 protocol).
|
|
However, and to protect against broken hardware, such as when the
|
|
CMOS battery fails or the clock counter becomes defective, once the
|
|
clock has been set an error greater than 1000s will cause
|
|
.Nm
|
|
to exit anyway.
|
|
.Pp
|
|
Under ordinary conditions,
|
|
.Nm
|
|
adjusts the clock in
|
|
small steps so that the timescale is effectively continuous and
|
|
without discontinuities.
|
|
Under conditions of extreme network
|
|
congestion, the roundtrip delay jitter can exceed three seconds and
|
|
the synchronization distance, which is equal to one\-half the
|
|
roundtrip delay plus error budget terms, can become very large.
|
|
The
|
|
.Nm
|
|
algorithms discard sample offsets exceeding 128 ms,
|
|
unless the interval during which no sample offset is less than 128
|
|
ms exceeds 900s.
|
|
The first sample after that, no matter what the
|
|
offset, steps the clock to the indicated time.
|
|
In practice this
|
|
reduces the false alarm rate where the clock is stepped in error to
|
|
a vanishingly low incidence.
|
|
.Pp
|
|
As the result of this behavior, once the clock has been set it
|
|
very rarely strays more than 128 ms even under extreme cases of
|
|
network path congestion and jitter.
|
|
Sometimes, in particular when
|
|
.Nm
|
|
is first started without a valid drift file
|
|
on a system with a large intrinsic drift
|
|
the error might grow to exceed 128 ms,
|
|
which would cause the clock to be set backwards
|
|
if the local clock time is more than 128 s
|
|
in the future relative to the server.
|
|
In some applications, this behavior may be unacceptable.
|
|
There are several solutions, however.
|
|
If the
|
|
.Fl x
|
|
option is included on the command line, the clock will
|
|
never be stepped and only slew corrections will be used.
|
|
But this choice comes with a cost that
|
|
should be carefully explored before deciding to use
|
|
the
|
|
.Fl x
|
|
option.
|
|
The maximum slew rate possible is limited
|
|
to 500 parts\-per\-million (PPM) as a consequence of the correctness
|
|
principles on which the NTP protocol and algorithm design are
|
|
based.
|
|
As a result, the local clock can take a long time to
|
|
converge to an acceptable offset, about 2,000 s for each second the
|
|
clock is outside the acceptable range.
|
|
During this interval the
|
|
local clock will not be consistent with any other network clock and
|
|
the system cannot be used for distributed applications that require
|
|
correctly synchronized network time.
|
|
.Pp
|
|
In spite of the above precautions, sometimes when large
|
|
frequency errors are present the resulting time offsets stray
|
|
outside the 128\-ms range and an eventual step or slew time
|
|
correction is required.
|
|
If following such a correction the
|
|
frequency error is so large that the first sample is outside the
|
|
acceptable range,
|
|
.Nm
|
|
enters the same state as when the
|
|
.Pa ntp.drift
|
|
file is not present.
|
|
The intent of this behavior
|
|
is to quickly correct the frequency and restore operation to the
|
|
normal tracking mode.
|
|
In the most extreme cases
|
|
(the host
|
|
.Cm time.ien.it
|
|
comes to mind), there may be occasional
|
|
step/slew corrections and subsequent frequency corrections.
|
|
It
|
|
helps in these cases to use the
|
|
.Cm burst
|
|
keyword when
|
|
configuring the server, but
|
|
ONLY
|
|
when you have permission to do so from the owner of the target host.
|
|
.Pp
|
|
Finally,
|
|
in the past many startup scripts would run
|
|
.Xr ntpdate 1ntpdatemdoc
|
|
or
|
|
.Xr sntp 1sntpmdoc
|
|
to get the system clock close to correct before starting
|
|
.Xr ntpd 1ntpdmdoc ,
|
|
but this was never more than a mediocre hack and is no longer needed.
|
|
If you are following the instructions in
|
|
.Sx "Starting NTP (Best Current Practice)"
|
|
and you still need to set the system time before starting
|
|
.Nm ,
|
|
please open a bug report and document what is going on,
|
|
and then look at using
|
|
.Xr sntp 1sntpmdoc
|
|
if you really need to set the clock before starting
|
|
.Nm .
|
|
.Pp
|
|
There is a way to start
|
|
.Xr ntpd 1ntpdmdoc
|
|
that often addresses all of the problems mentioned above.
|
|
.Ss "Starting NTP (Best Current Practice)"
|
|
First, use the
|
|
.Cm iburst
|
|
option on your
|
|
.Cm server
|
|
entries.
|
|
.Pp
|
|
If you can also keep a good
|
|
.Pa ntp.drift
|
|
file then
|
|
.Xr ntpd 1ntpdmdoc
|
|
will effectively "warm\-start" and your system's clock will
|
|
be stable in under 11 seconds' time.
|
|
.Pp
|
|
As soon as possible in the startup sequence, start
|
|
.Xr ntpd 1ntpdmdoc
|
|
with at least the
|
|
.Fl g
|
|
and perhaps the
|
|
.Fl N
|
|
options.
|
|
Then,
|
|
start the rest of your "normal" processes.
|
|
This will give
|
|
.Xr ntpd 1ntpdmdoc
|
|
as much time as possible to get the system's clock synchronized and stable.
|
|
.Pp
|
|
Finally,
|
|
if you have processes like
|
|
.Cm dovecot
|
|
or database servers
|
|
that require
|
|
monotonically\-increasing time,
|
|
run
|
|
.Xr ntp\-wait 1ntp\-waitmdoc
|
|
as late as possible in the boot sequence
|
|
(perhaps with the
|
|
.Fl v
|
|
flag)
|
|
and after
|
|
.Xr ntp\-wait 1ntp\-waitmdoc
|
|
exits successfully
|
|
it is as safe as it will ever be to start any process that require
|
|
stable time.
|
|
.Ss "Frequency Discipline"
|
|
The
|
|
.Nm
|
|
behavior at startup depends on whether the
|
|
frequency file, usually
|
|
.Pa ntp.drift ,
|
|
exists.
|
|
This file
|
|
contains the latest estimate of clock frequency error.
|
|
When the
|
|
.Nm
|
|
is started and the file does not exist, the
|
|
.Nm
|
|
enters a special mode designed to quickly adapt to
|
|
the particular system clock oscillator time and frequency error.
|
|
This takes approximately 15 minutes, after which the time and
|
|
frequency are set to nominal values and the
|
|
.Nm
|
|
enters
|
|
normal mode, where the time and frequency are continuously tracked
|
|
relative to the server.
|
|
After one hour the frequency file is
|
|
created and the current frequency offset written to it.
|
|
When the
|
|
.Nm
|
|
is started and the file does exist, the
|
|
.Nm
|
|
frequency is initialized from the file and enters normal mode
|
|
immediately.
|
|
After that the current frequency offset is written to
|
|
the file at hourly intervals.
|
|
.Ss "Operating Modes"
|
|
The
|
|
.Nm
|
|
utility can operate in any of several modes, including
|
|
symmetric active/passive, client/server broadcast/multicast and
|
|
manycast, as described in the
|
|
.Qq Association Management
|
|
page
|
|
(available as part of the HTML documentation
|
|
provided in
|
|
.Pa /usr/share/doc/ntp ) .
|
|
It normally operates continuously while
|
|
monitoring for small changes in frequency and trimming the clock
|
|
for the ultimate precision.
|
|
However, it can operate in a one\-time
|
|
mode where the time is set from an external server and frequency is
|
|
set from a previously recorded frequency file.
|
|
A
|
|
broadcast/multicast or manycast client can discover remote servers,
|
|
compute server\-client propagation delay correction factors and
|
|
configure itself automatically.
|
|
This makes it possible to deploy a
|
|
fleet of workstations without specifying configuration details
|
|
specific to the local environment.
|
|
.Pp
|
|
By default,
|
|
.Nm
|
|
runs in continuous mode where each of
|
|
possibly several external servers is polled at intervals determined
|
|
by an intricate state machine.
|
|
The state machine measures the
|
|
incidental roundtrip delay jitter and oscillator frequency wander
|
|
and determines the best poll interval using a heuristic algorithm.
|
|
Ordinarily, and in most operating environments, the state machine
|
|
will start with 64s intervals and eventually increase in steps to
|
|
1024s.
|
|
A small amount of random variation is introduced in order to
|
|
avoid bunching at the servers.
|
|
In addition, should a server become
|
|
unreachable for some time, the poll interval is increased in steps
|
|
to 1024s in order to reduce network overhead.
|
|
.Pp
|
|
In some cases it may not be practical for
|
|
.Nm
|
|
to run continuously.
|
|
A common workaround has been to run the
|
|
.Xr ntpdate 1ntpdatemdoc
|
|
or
|
|
.Xr sntp 1sntpmdoc
|
|
programs from a
|
|
.Xr cron 8
|
|
job at designated
|
|
times.
|
|
However, these programs do not have the crafted signal
|
|
processing, error checking or mitigation algorithms of
|
|
.Nm .
|
|
The
|
|
.Fl q
|
|
option is intended for this purpose.
|
|
Setting this option will cause
|
|
.Nm
|
|
to exit just after
|
|
setting the clock for the first time.
|
|
The procedure for initially
|
|
setting the clock is the same as in continuous mode; most
|
|
applications will probably want to specify the
|
|
.Cm iburst
|
|
keyword with the
|
|
.Ic server
|
|
configuration command.
|
|
With this
|
|
keyword a volley of messages are exchanged to groom the data and
|
|
the clock is set in about 10 s.
|
|
If nothing is heard after a
|
|
couple of minutes, the daemon times out and exits.
|
|
After a suitable
|
|
period of mourning, the
|
|
.Xr ntpdate 1ntpdatemdoc
|
|
program will be
|
|
retired.
|
|
.Pp
|
|
When kernel support is available to discipline the clock
|
|
frequency, which is the case for stock Solaris, Tru64, Linux and
|
|
.Fx ,
|
|
a useful feature is available to discipline the clock
|
|
frequency.
|
|
First,
|
|
.Nm
|
|
is run in continuous mode with
|
|
selected servers in order to measure and record the intrinsic clock
|
|
frequency offset in the frequency file.
|
|
It may take some hours for
|
|
the frequency and offset to settle down.
|
|
Then the
|
|
.Nm
|
|
is
|
|
stopped and run in one\-time mode as required.
|
|
At each startup, the
|
|
frequency is read from the file and initializes the kernel
|
|
frequency.
|
|
.Ss "Poll Interval Control"
|
|
This version of NTP includes an intricate state machine to
|
|
reduce the network load while maintaining a quality of
|
|
synchronization consistent with the observed jitter and wander.
|
|
There are a number of ways to tailor the operation in order enhance
|
|
accuracy by reducing the interval or to reduce network overhead by
|
|
increasing it.
|
|
However, the user is advised to carefully consider
|
|
the consequences of changing the poll adjustment range from the
|
|
default minimum of 64 s to the default maximum of 1,024 s.
|
|
The
|
|
default minimum can be changed with the
|
|
.Ic tinker
|
|
.Cm minpoll
|
|
command to a value not less than 16 s.
|
|
This value is used for all
|
|
configured associations, unless overridden by the
|
|
.Cm minpoll
|
|
option on the configuration command.
|
|
Note that most device drivers
|
|
will not operate properly if the poll interval is less than 64 s
|
|
and that the broadcast server and manycast client associations will
|
|
also use the default, unless overridden.
|
|
.Pp
|
|
In some cases involving dial up or toll services, it may be
|
|
useful to increase the minimum interval to a few tens of minutes
|
|
and maximum interval to a day or so.
|
|
Under normal operation
|
|
conditions, once the clock discipline loop has stabilized the
|
|
interval will be increased in steps from the minimum to the
|
|
maximum.
|
|
However, this assumes the intrinsic clock frequency error
|
|
is small enough for the discipline loop correct it.
|
|
The capture
|
|
range of the loop is 500 PPM at an interval of 64s decreasing by a
|
|
factor of two for each doubling of interval.
|
|
At a minimum of 1,024
|
|
s, for example, the capture range is only 31 PPM.
|
|
If the intrinsic
|
|
error is greater than this, the drift file
|
|
.Pa ntp.drift
|
|
will
|
|
have to be specially tailored to reduce the residual error below
|
|
this limit.
|
|
Once this is done, the drift file is automatically
|
|
updated once per hour and is available to initialize the frequency
|
|
on subsequent daemon restarts.
|
|
.Ss "The huff\-n'\-puff Filter"
|
|
In scenarios where a considerable amount of data are to be
|
|
downloaded or uploaded over telephone modems, timekeeping quality
|
|
can be seriously degraded.
|
|
This occurs because the differential
|
|
delays on the two directions of transmission can be quite large.
|
|
In
|
|
many cases the apparent time errors are so large as to exceed the
|
|
step threshold and a step correction can occur during and after the
|
|
data transfer is in progress.
|
|
.Pp
|
|
The huff\-n'\-puff filter is designed to correct the apparent time
|
|
offset in these cases.
|
|
It depends on knowledge of the propagation
|
|
delay when no other traffic is present.
|
|
In common scenarios this
|
|
occurs during other than work hours.
|
|
The filter maintains a shift
|
|
register that remembers the minimum delay over the most recent
|
|
interval measured usually in hours.
|
|
Under conditions of severe
|
|
delay, the filter corrects the apparent offset using the sign of
|
|
the offset and the difference between the apparent delay and
|
|
minimum delay.
|
|
The name of the filter reflects the negative (huff)
|
|
and positive (puff) correction, which depends on the sign of the
|
|
offset.
|
|
.Pp
|
|
The filter is activated by the
|
|
.Ic tinker
|
|
command and
|
|
.Cm huffpuff
|
|
keyword, as described in
|
|
.Xr ntp.conf 5 .
|
|
.Sh "ENVIRONMENT"
|
|
See \fBOPTION PRESETS\fP for configuration environment variables.
|
|
.Sh FILES
|
|
.Bl -tag -width /etc/ntp.drift -compact
|
|
.It Pa /etc/ntp.conf
|
|
the default name of the configuration file
|
|
.It Pa /etc/ntp.drift
|
|
the default name of the drift file
|
|
.It Pa /etc/ntp.keys
|
|
the default name of the key file
|
|
.El
|
|
.Sh "EXIT STATUS"
|
|
One of the following exit values will be returned:
|
|
.Bl -tag
|
|
.It 0 " (EXIT_SUCCESS)"
|
|
Successful program execution.
|
|
.It 1 " (EXIT_FAILURE)"
|
|
The operation failed or the command syntax was not valid.
|
|
.It 70 " (EX_SOFTWARE)"
|
|
libopts had an internal operational error. Please report
|
|
it to autogen\-users@lists.sourceforge.net. Thank you.
|
|
.El
|
|
.Sh "SEE ALSO"
|
|
.Xr ntp.conf 5 ,
|
|
.Xr ntpdate 1ntpdatemdoc ,
|
|
.Xr ntpdc 1ntpdcmdoc ,
|
|
.Xr ntpq 1ntpqmdoc ,
|
|
.Xr sntp 1sntpmdoc
|
|
.Pp
|
|
In addition to the manual pages provided,
|
|
comprehensive documentation is available on the world wide web
|
|
at
|
|
.Li http://www.ntp.org/ .
|
|
A snapshot of this documentation is available in HTML format in
|
|
.Pa /usr/share/doc/ntp .
|
|
.Rs
|
|
.%A David L. Mills
|
|
.%T Network Time Protocol (Version 1)
|
|
.%O RFC1059
|
|
.Re
|
|
.Rs
|
|
.%A David L. Mills
|
|
.%T Network Time Protocol (Version 2)
|
|
.%O RFC1119
|
|
.Re
|
|
.Rs
|
|
.%A David L. Mills
|
|
.%T Network Time Protocol (Version 3)
|
|
.%O RFC1305
|
|
.Re
|
|
.Rs
|
|
.%A David L. Mills
|
|
.%A J. Martin, Ed.
|
|
.%A J. Burbank
|
|
.%A W. Kasch
|
|
.%T Network Time Protocol Version 4: Protocol and Algorithms Specification
|
|
.%O RFC5905
|
|
.Re
|
|
.Rs
|
|
.%A David L. Mills
|
|
.%A B. Haberman, Ed.
|
|
.%T Network Time Protocol Version 4: Autokey Specification
|
|
.%O RFC5906
|
|
.Re
|
|
.Rs
|
|
.%A H. Gerstung
|
|
.%A C. Elliott
|
|
.%A B. Haberman, Ed.
|
|
.%T Definitions of Managed Objects for Network Time Protocol Version 4: (NTPv4)
|
|
.%O RFC5907
|
|
.Re
|
|
.Rs
|
|
.%A R. Gayraud
|
|
.%A B. Lourdelet
|
|
.%T Network Time Protocol (NTP) Server Option for DHCPv6
|
|
.%O RFC5908
|
|
.Re
|
|
.Sh "AUTHORS"
|
|
The University of Delaware and Network Time Foundation
|
|
.Sh "COPYRIGHT"
|
|
Copyright (C) 1992\-2020 The University of Delaware and Network Time Foundation all rights reserved.
|
|
This program is released under the terms of the NTP license, <http://ntp.org/license>.
|
|
.Sh BUGS
|
|
The
|
|
.Nm
|
|
utility has gotten rather fat.
|
|
While not huge, it has gotten
|
|
larger than might be desirable for an elevated\-priority
|
|
.Nm
|
|
running on a workstation, particularly since many of
|
|
the fancy features which consume the space were designed more with
|
|
a busy primary server, rather than a high stratum workstation in
|
|
mind.
|
|
.Pp
|
|
Please send bug reports to: http://bugs.ntp.org, bugs@ntp.org
|
|
.Sh NOTES
|
|
Portions of this document came from FreeBSD.
|
|
.Pp
|
|
This manual page was \fIAutoGen\fP\-erated from the \fBntpd\fP
|
|
option definitions.
|