[ntp:questions] Should ntpd log failure to syslog?

Unruh unruh-spam at physics.ubc.ca
Thu Dec 11 00:21:20 UTC 2008


"Richard B. Gilbert" <rgilbert88 at comcast.net> writes:

>Uwe Klein wrote:
>> Richard B. Gilbert wrote:
>> 
>>> Normally, reaching a server is not a problem.  If ntpd can't reach its 
>>> configured servers, something is horribly wrong somewhere and your 
>>> network people should be working like beavers to fix it!
>> 
>> How should they know if ntp is mum about that failure?
>> 
>> uwe

>IF NTP IS THE ONLY THING FAILING, they won't know.  It's probably not 

Well, he is asking why ntp is mum if it is failing. Surely, he asks, ntp
could log an error if it is unable to get to any server. After all it does
log when it does succeed, why not when it fails. 

>their problem.  If you have four servers configured and you can't reach 
>any of them, it's almost certainly a network problem and your networking 
>people should know about it!

>If you MUST have NTP working at all times, you need to build a defense 

He is simply asking why ntp does not log its failure, as well as its
success. 

>in depth.  That means one or more hardware reference clocks and/or four, 
>five, or seven upstream servers.  I use a GPS timing receiver as the 
>source for one of my servers, a WWV/WWVH radio clock for another, and 
>several internet servers as backup/sanity check.

>And I'm just a hobbyist these days!  But I'm a hobbyist who knows what 
>time it is! :-)




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