lubuntu-desktop team mailing list archive

[Jonathan Marsden <jmarsden@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

On 07/18/2011 08:05 AM, Lee Gold wrote:

> Using Lubuntu 11.04. I want to limit ntp activity. I see continuous ntp
> activity like Ive never seen before.


(1) Compared to Ubuntu 11.04 ?  Or to what?

(2) How are you "seeing" it -- wireshark or tcpdump packet captures?

(3) Are you using the same ntp.conf file on the two machines you are
comparing?

(4) Is there anything else different about the two machines that could
be relevant?

(5) Is either of them a virtual machine running "on top of" some other OS?

> Of course I want it checked but I want to control what sites and only
> at boot time and at reasonable intervals.


The first is controlled in ntp.conf, the second (intervals) grow as the
clock stabilizes, and has done so for some years.

> The ntp activity is unlike anything I've ever seen and I've

> looked at it in previous editions and I'd classify it as crazy now.


If you can see very different behaviour in 11.04 from other machines
with the *exact* same ntp.conf file, then I'd suggest opening a bug in
Launchpad, and providing sufficient detailed information that others can
duplicate this behaviour.  That would include:

(A) the specific version of ntp you are running,

(B) your ntp.conf file,

(C) sample output of

  /usr/sbin/ntpq -p

after the machine has been running ntpd for a few hours,

(D) /var/log/syslog (or equivalent) lines containing the string ntpd,

and probably also

(E) a wireshark or tcpdump packet capture file of all the "crazy" NTP
traffic you are seeing.

Without this kind of specific and clear information, no-one but you can
possibly know how "crazy" the behaviour you are seeing is, and no-one
can even attempt to duplicate it, to help you further!

As far as I can see from systems around here, the initial ntpd peer poll
frequency is still 64 seconds, as it has been for years now, and the
backoff down to 1024 second polling seems to me, very unscientifically I
realize (!), to be about the same as it always has been.

> I tried going into ntp.conf and commented out these two lines- it
> seemed like it would help from the description above them


I'd suggest reading the relevant man page, by doing

  man ntp.conf

and fully understanding the ntp.conf file, before suggesting that ntpd
behaviour is "crazy".  My understanding is that restrict determines
which machines *can* interact with your NTP server and *how* they can
interact with it.  It does not change the frequency your server polls
its peers, as far as I know. I don't think it ever has.

Hoping this helps,

Jonathan