[ntp:questions] Thoughts on KOD

Jan Ceuleers jan.ceuleers at computer.org
Sun Jul 6 08:00:26 UTC 2014


On 07/06/2014 08:42 AM, Rob wrote:
> Harlan Stenn <stenn at ntp.org> wrote:
>> Discussion appreciated.
> 
> I think it is best to remove KOD from ntpd.
> It does not serve a useful purpose, because precisely the kind of
> clients that you want to say goodbye to, do not support it.
> 
> In real life it has either no effect at all, or it even has a negative
> effect because the client does not understand it and re-tries the
> request sooner than it would when no reply was sent at all.

Seconded.

I recommend providing motivation for the undesired clients to stop using
the server, by the server sending a regular response indicating that it
is not synchronised or replying in some other way that has no
timekeeping value to the offending client. Another way would be to use a
bogus fixed timestamp that is in the past (i.e. one that suggests that
there is no passage of time on the server).

My recommendation is based on the assumption, yet to be verified in
practice, that this server behaviour won't result in worse client
behaviour than would be the case if the server just served the client's
request as normal.

Jan


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