> To: [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> From: Barnett Hsu <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> Subject: Re: xntpd/ntpdate problem
>
> At 07:56 AM 5/24/2000 -0400, Pete Peterson wrote:
> >You would find it enlightening to look at the invocation of ntpdate in
> >/etc/rc.d/init.d/xntpd. They do:
> > /usr/sbin/ntpdate -s -b -p 8 -u `cat /etc/ntp/step-tickers`
>
> I checked my system, and /etc/ntp/step-tickers doesn't
> exist, even though "rpm -ql xntp3" shows it. I tried
> removing the xntp3 RPM and reinstalling, but that file
> still doesn't exist. /etc/rc.d/init.d/xntpd doesn't
> execute the above ntpdate command if that file doesn't exist.
OK, well step-tickers is a rather dull file, containing just a list of the
servers to be queried. As I recall, after installation, the file was
there, but empty. ... or it may be that RPM suppresses empty files. At
any rate it shows up as size zero in the RPM listing:
---
$ rpm -q -c --dump xntp3-5.93|grep tick
/etc/ntp/step-tickers 0 934851333 d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e 0100644 root root 1
0 0 X
---
Just create a one line file containing the space-separated list of servers
you wish to query. The file list used to be included explicitly in the
ntpdate command in /etc/rc.d/init.d/xntpd, but they reasonably concluded
that it made more sense to put that list with the other configuration
information.
> >The critical option here seems to be the "-u" option:
>
> Running ntpdate with the "-u" option causes ntpdate to
> display its usage line, which doesn't show the "-u" option.
Did you have all the other arguments right? The usage line left out
that option, but check /usr/doc/xntp3-5.93/ntpdate.html and you'll see it
there. Admittedly if you *JUST* typed '/usr/sbin/ntpdate -u', you'd get
the usage message and you'd also get it if you typed the line containing
the "`cat /etc/ntp/step-tickers`" with a missing or empty step-tickers file.
Observe that THIS gives a usage message:
---
[root@ns2 /root]# /usr/sbin/ntpdate -b -p 8 -u -v `cat /dev/null`
usage: /usr/sbin/ntpdate [-bBdqsv] [-a key#] [-e delay] [-k file] [-p samples] [-o
version#] [-r rate] [-t timeo] server ...
---
But THIS works:
---
[root@ns2 /root]# /usr/sbin/ntpdate -b -p 8 -u -v `cat /etc/ntp/step-tickers`
26 May 06:37:55 ntpdate[27737]: ntpdate 3-5.93e Fri Feb 18 18:55:19 EST 2000 (1)
26 May 06:38:03 ntpdate[27737]: step time server 4.2.2.1 offset 0.032991 sec
---
Note that I removed '-s' and added '-v', so you can see the command
actually did something. :-)
> I'm using the xntp3 RPM from Red Hat Linux 6.2
> (xntp3-5.93-14).
Yup, that's a good version... same one I'm using.
pete peterson
GenRad, Inc.
7 Technology Park Drive
Westford, MA 01886-0033
[EMAIL PROTECTED] or [EMAIL PROTECTED]
+1-978-589-7478 (GenRad); +1-978-256-5829 (Home: Chelmsford, MA)
+1-978-589-2088 (Closest FAX); +1-978-589-7007 (Main GenRad FAX)
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