Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

NTP Pool Project Reaches 500 Servers

Posted by CowboyNeal on from the about-time dept.

flok writes "Finally after 3 years the NTP Pool project has reached 500 servers! The NTP pool project tries to be an accurate and free time-source to every internet-connected device. Everybody who's system has running an NTP daemon which can give an accurate time-indication can join the project. Not only is it handy to have accurate time on your workstation to be able to see when you need to leave the house to catch the train in time, it is also usefull to be able to accurately correlate events between your system and others in case one gets hacked."

5 of 165 comments (clear)

  1. New Way uses HW by putko · · Score: 4, Informative

    Supposedly, if you need an accurate timebase, you are supposed to just use GPS (which gives the exact time) instead of relying on a complicated clock protocol.

    It is great that NTP is so widely distributed. It is typical that at the moment the old technology is finally working, there is an altogether better solution.

    --
    http://www.thebricktestament.com/the_law/when_to_s tone_your_children/dt21_18a.html
  2. Re:Your machine is going to party like it's 1999 . by isj · · Score: 4, Informative

    What keeps someone from joining the pool and giving out the wrong time?

    Nothing.

    However, NTP clients uses multiple servers and uses some fairly advanced correlation algorithms to detect outlyers and bad servers. The client configuration is your responsibility. So configure it to use a set of servers that you believe you can trust.

    There are some nifty bits of nastiness that can be delivered when a machine is privy to having its clock changed from afar.

    Then use the secure protocols.

  3. Re:Confused by bsd4me · · Score: 4, Informative

    Accurate time is important when you are sharing resources with other computers. One example is running a build on an NFS share. If the file timestamps are wrong, then make may do unnecessary compiles, or skip files. Other protocols, like rsync, use timestamps to try to figure out whether updates are needed.

    --

    (S(SKK)(SKK))(S(SKK)(SKK))

  4. I run a pool server: some interesting bits by Nelson+Minar · · Score: 4, Informative

    Debian's default NTP configuration is to get time from pool.ntp.org. This is a significant contribution to the Linux world, similar to how Microsoft and Apple provide NTP service to their customers. Yay for us!

    There is modest protection against bad servers in the pool. The time from pool servers is monitored and if a server seems insane it's taken out of the rotation.

    My pool server gets about 14 requests a second from about 100,000 different IP addresses a day. Sadly, a lot of those requests are junk; 100 IP addresses account for 1/3 of all the requests I get. Fortunately NTP is a very lightweight protocol, so you can mostly ignore the spammy clients.

  5. Re:PCs keep lousy time. by LuckyStarr · · Score: 4, Informative

    Try warming your 5 buck watch to 50C (don't know how much that is in F) hold it there for a few hours and then cool it down again to room temperature. Do this every day for a few months.

    You will see your 5 buck watch will track the time as good as the Dallas chips.

    Temperature affects the speed of clocks.

    --
    Meme of the day: I browse "Disable Sigs: Checked". So should you.