[ale] possibility of running an NTP server

[JD]

On 01/11/2012 07:48 AM, leam hall wrote:
> JD,
> 
> I think Ron wants to provide an external NTP server as a service to
> the community.
> 
> Leam


quote from RonF:
>>> All I would want this
>>> particular device to do is run NTP and be accessible to me on the
>>> Internal LAN for maintenance and configuration.

That sounds like an internal NTP server to me.  Pretty much any computer capable
of running NTP will be sufficient, however, many devices under a heavy load tend
to lose time, so I do not trust NTP on a consumer router.

NTP servers inside virtual machines often have issues too - not always, but often.

"sudo apt-get install ntp" on every Ubuntu box.
In Windows, you'll need to hack the registry to use your internal NTP server.
Use an IP address, not hostname/DNS for this - at least under Vista and Win7.
Again, there are lots of 3 step NTP guides on the internet.

NTP adjusts for network hops and drift as part of the protocol.

I've had to fight with time on MS-Windows.  Seems that Microsoft thinks time
within 5 minutes is fine. I've seen corporate Windows desktop clients off by
more than 3 minutes. At home, I've seen MS-Windows off by more than 45 minutes
with daily NTP updates. I had to drop back to NTP updates every 15 minutes for
those machines if I wanted TV recordings to happen on time.  The exact same
hardware with Linux never lost even a second.

NTP is not a big-deal service.


> On 1/11/12, JD <jdp at algoloma.com> wrote:
>> I didn't read your entire post. Sorry.
>>
>> You don't run an NTP server already?
>>
>> Have 1 main internal NTP server that all other systems - including WINDOWS -
>> use.
>>
>> Just run it at a lower stratum level and do not make it publicly available.
>> Point all your other systems to that main system. There are lots of how-to
>> guides on the internet.  It should take less than a minute per system to
>> setup.
>>
>> NTP has been solved for decades.
>>
>> On 01/11/2012 12:55 AM, Ron Frazier wrote:


>>> a stand alone NTP utility booting off of a CD?  All I would want this
>>> particular device to do is run NTP and be accessible to me on the
>>> Internal LAN for maintenance and configuration.