[TriLUG] How to get ntpd to work

[Randall Barlow]

Matt Pusateri wrote:

>First does your ntp.drift file exist?  ntpd will usually not start nor
>will it create the drift file.  So normally you need to touch the file
>first before ntpd will work.
>  
>
I do not have a ntp.drift file.  Where should I create it?

>This doesn't fix your problem.  But ntp.org now has 3 sets of rotating
>ntp server pools labeled 0, 1, and 2.  and you can also restrict down
>to just the US by a us prefix.
>
>So servers would then be.
>
>0.us.pool.ntp.org
>1.us.pool.ntp.org
>2.us.pool.ntp.org
>  
>
Done.

>Also someone correct me if I am wrong, but normally you want more than
>1 servers line in your ntpd.conf.  Putting multiple servers lines,
>lets ntp query multiple servers and then synchronize time more
>efficiently by using some algorithm.  I always heard you want to pull
>time from one stratum 1 and two stratum two servers.  But is
>definitely a better idea to pull time from multiple servers.
>  
>
I now have:
servers 0.us.pool.ntp.org
servers 1.us.pool.ntp.org
servers 2.us.pool.ntp.org

>Also if you are not setting any flags in the rc.conf file for ntp why
>bother having the line at all unless you are trying to negate out some
>default flags.
>  
>
I did this because the man page to the ntpd told me to.  Any reason it 
could hurt?

Also, thanks to Joseph - I set the time manually.  Perhaps ntpd will 
keep me tuned now.

Randy