[ntp:questions] ntpq -np

mayer at gis.net mayer at gis.net
Mon Mar 21 22:25:33 UTC 2005


----- Original Message Follows -----
> This might be two questions.
> When the ntpq -np command is issued, the second column is labeled
> REFID.
> 
> The number in the second column are always different from the numbers
> in the first column. I do not unstand the significance of the REFID
> numbers.
> I recognize that they are IP numbers, but what is the relationship?
> 

They may happen to look like IP numbers, but you should NOT depend on
that. For IPv4 it is usually true, but for IPv6 it is definitely NOT
true. There are a number of issues that have arisen with this that we
still have not addressed but expect to in the future.

> The term "reference clock" appears frequently in this newsgroup. It
> appears
> that is used to talk about the one clock with an asterisk beside it.
> Is that
> correct?

No. A refclock is a piece of equipment attached to the server in
question that provides an accurate source of time. You will see such
equipment referenced in the REFID column as things like .GPS. and
indicates where it's getting it's time.

The asterisk indicates the currently preferred provider of time based
on a rather complicated set of algorithms which decides the current
best source of time. This can change at any point in time and there is
only one.

Danny

> 
> Tnx,
> Charles




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