[ntp:questions] Should ntpd be run with highest priority (-N)?

Fran fran.horan at jhuapl.edu
Wed Sep 14 14:37:06 UTC 2011


I think it depends on how accurate you need your time synch to be, and what possible impact that could be on other processes running on the system. High priority ntpd mean less chances the ntpd process will be pre-empted and switched out, and should mean better overall time sync (less error).

Now if you do run with high priority, you could think about what impact that might have on other things running on the same system. For example, if ntpd is running often maybe due to getting time from many servers as well as serving time to many clients. Would freqently running, loaded, high priority ntpd be blocking something else that really needs to run ?

I'm not an expert, but I have thought about this a little. We run with high priority because we need the accuracy, and it has no impact to other things running on the same system because we have only a few clients and servers in play in the overall NTP network.

All, please correct me if wrong and amplify what I'm missing. Thanks. 

Fran




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