(Replying via mobile, so non-Debian address.) It should be reasonably possible to convert this to .d style. I will have to dig into this to fully consider all the implications, especially around handling upgrades. I think part of the issue here is that ntpd logs there by default. That is, you don’t turn on logging. I’m not sure if there is a way to turn off logging. But I have to check.
I want to maintain the same posture we have now: - No logs by default. Most people don’t use them, so this is pointless I/O. - People can enable logs reasonably easily. - Installing ntpviz automatically enables logs. For upgrades, I can use the presence or absence of the directory for most of the handling. I do need to think through what happens / what to do if someone has customized any of the other log settings. -- Richard