[ntp:questions] Finding out where ntpd gets its ntp.conf file

Joseph Gwinn joegwinn at comcast.net
Fri Sep 5 16:36:40 UTC 2008


In article <IcudnXpoB7jlaSLVnZ2dnUVZ_tninZ2d at comcast.com>,
 "Richard B. Gilbert" <rgilbert88 at comcast.net> wrote:

> Joseph Gwinn wrote:
> > In article <30s4p5-as9.ln1 at gateway.py.meinberg.de>,
> >  Martin Burnicki <martin.burnicki at meinberg.de> wrote:
> > 
> >> Joe,
> >>
> >> Joseph Gwinn wrote:
> >>> In article <48bf5d9c$0$21355$c30e37c6 at pit-reader.telstra.net>,
> >>>  "Peter J. Cherny" <peterc at luddite.com.au> wrote:
> >>>
> >>>> Joseph Gwinn wrote:
> >>>>> ...
> >>>>> Which brings me to a question:  How does one get NTP to tell you
> >>>>> exactly where it is getting such things as the ntp.conf file from, all
> >>>>> without
> >>>>  >...
> >>>> [peterc at tantalus ~]$ strings /usr/sbin/ntpd|grep ntp.conf
> >>>> /etc/ntp.conf
> >>> In the RHEL case, this would find exactly the wrong copy of ntp.conf,
> >>> being the one we were changing to no avail, not the one that NTP was in
> >>> fact using.
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>> [peterc at tantalus ~]$ strace -f -o x /usr/sbin/ntpd -g
> >>> I'll have to look into this.  It sounds like it might be general enough.
> >>>
> >>>  
> >>>> [root at tantalus ~]# grep ntp.conf x
> >>>> 3351  open("/etc/ntp.conf", O_RDONLY)   = 4
> >>> Doesn't this assume that the correct "ntp.conf" file is called ntp.conf?
> >>> It may be common, the standard convention, but it is not required.
> >>>
> >>> The whole point is to find the correct file without making assumptions,
> >>> because on a strange computer strange things may have been done.
> >> I fully agree.
> >>
> >> Ntpd generates a bunch of messages about what it has found in the config
> >> file, at least in debug mode.
> >>
> >> Maybe you should open an enhancement request on http://bugs.ntp.org to make
> >> ntpd also print the name of the config file it is using, maybe only in
> >> debug mode.
> > 
> > I'm surprised that it doesn't already print the full filename of every 
> > file it uses.
> > 
> > Will debug mode do much if the binary wasn't compiled for debug?  I'm 
> > trying to use the provided binary, whatever it might be, and recompiling 
> > is usually far too much trouble to be practical.  Especially as the 
> > effort is per platform type, and we have multiple types.
> > 
> > I will file an enhancement request.  However, my feeling is that this 
> > function would be most useful if added to ntpq, and yielded the full 
> > filename including directories, as there may be multiple "ntp.conf" 
> > files scattered about.  The key is to get NTP to tell us which file NTP 
> > is using, without interference from our firmly held but sadly mistaken 
> > assumptions about what NTP ought to be doing.
> > 
> > Joe Gwinn
> 
> Since the source to NTPD is available, it's a SMOP to modify it to print 
> out the desired file specification!

True enough, but far too much work.

Joe Gwinn




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