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Date:      Mon, 18 Sep 1995 05:37:58 -0500 (CDT)
From:      Mike Pritchard <mpp@mpp.minn.net>
To:        questions@freebsd.org
Subject:   xntpd vs. ntpdate
Message-ID:  <199509181038.FAA29972@mpp.minn.net>

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Some background info:

Running -current:

I currently have a 28.8 dedicated PPP (with pppd, and don't tell me
about "ppp", I don't want to hear it) link to the Internet through my ISP.  
For the past few months I have been trying to use xntpd (via sysconfig) 
to keep my system clock in line.  The problem I have is that due to my ISP's 
modem/terminal concentrator/whatever, my initial dial-up & connect during 
/etc/rc & /etc/netstart almost never works.  It usually take between 3 - 6 
attempts before I get a "good" connection and my link stays up (this in 
itself is not a big deal most of the time).  

I'm also running a caching only name server.

Where the problem comes in is that 90% of the time, xntpd will ignore all 
of the hosts in /etc/ntp.conf if the PPP link is not active when it
is started up.  E.g. if I reboot and "pppd" can't establish a connection
to my ISP, my /etc/netstart will continue on, and then /etc/rc will 
continue on.  If the PPP link is not active when xntpd starts, it
pretty much loses/throws away/ignores all of the host infomation
in /etc/ntp.conf.  Unless I kill xntpd and restart it by hand, while
the PPP link is active, xntpd will do no time adjustments.  I don't want 
to make /etc/netstart wait until the PPP link is ready, since that could 
take a while (esp. if my ISP is down), and I want my machine up NOW if 
I reboot it.

Is there a simple way for me to tell xntpd to try and contact the
time servers again without any manual intervention or killing and 
restarting it?   Or is this just a "bug" in xntpd that needs to be 
fixed (most likely)?  I'm willing to try to fix it if it is.

I've tried switching back to running ntpdate once an hour,
but my clock seems to lose at least 1 second per hour, so
I'm always "stepping" the time once an hour, which I would rather
not have to do (why can't someone make an accurate PC clock?????).

I hope that all made sense.  It has been a *LONG* night.

-Mike
-- 
Mike Pritchard
mpp@mpp.minn.net
"Go that way.  Really fast.  If something gets in your way, turn"



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