[ntp:questions] Unable to initialize .rnd file

Brad Knowles brad at stop.mail-abuse.org
Wed Aug 10 13:48:40 UTC 2005


At 9:33 AM -0400 2005-08-10, derek.flake at bell.ca wrote:

>  I'm getting the following error in Event Viewer each time I restart the
>  NTP Daemon Service.  "Unable to initialize .rnd file."

	I have no idea how this could happen.

>  Also note, however, that the line "restrict 127.0.0.1" is necessary for
>  NTPQ -P to work, otherwise it gives an error saying it "timed out" at
>  this IP.  To my knowledge, this is not normal behaviour, can anyone
>  explain why the NTPQ -P command times out without unrestricting the loop
>  back IP?

	Because you've set default noquery.

>             Would it be better to use "restrict default ignore" rather
>  than the line used below?

	To get things working, the best thing to do is to turn off all 
"restrict" lines.  Once you're working, then you can turn them back 
on slowly and one-at-a-time.  When you find an option that breaks 
things, since you added them back one-at-a-time, you should know 
exactly which caused the breakage.

	Generally speaking, you don't ever want to turn off the ability 
for people to query your server, at least not from the other servers 
you're configuring, or other systems on your local network.  Any time 
you're trying to debug things, it's always very useful to be able to 
send a query to the other end to find out what it thinks.  If you use 
"noquery", then you can't do any of that.

-- 
Brad Knowles, <brad at stop.mail-abuse.org>

"Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little
temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety."

     -- Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790), reply of the Pennsylvania
     Assembly to the Governor, November 11, 1755

   SAGE member since 1995.  See <http://www.sage.org/> for more info.



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