On Wed, 07 Dec 2011 23:56:08 +0000, Harlan Stenn wrote: > Bruce wrote: >> I do run sntp to set the clock before starting ntpd (so I don't need >> ntpdate). Setting the clock this way at least gets the time offset in >> the ballpark before ntpd starts. > > OK, and exactly why do you need "the time offset in the ballpark before > ntpd starts"?
In the worst case, e.g. if the machine has been out of service for a long time, ntpd will just quit if the initial offset is large. Short of that, getting close to the right offset before starting ntpd means: 1) processes that depend on reasonably-close time synchronization (rsync, etc.) can proceed 2) ntpd converges to a stable point that much faster (i.e. it has less of an initial offset to remove) I use sntp (rather than ntpd -q or ntp-wait) because it's much faster than the alternatives (life is too short for thumb-twiddling). _______________________________________________ questions mailing list questions@lists.ntp.org http://lists.ntp.org/listinfo/questions