ntpMerlin ntpMerlin v3.x

[JT Strickland]

It don't look like I am getting but two, but I ain't sure what I am looking for either:
But at least it's working. I'll throw another couple on the burner I reckon.


jtstrickland@RT-AC86U-8F38:/tmp/home/root# chronyc authdata
Name/IP address Mode KeyID Type KLen Last Atmp NAK Cook CLen
=========================================================================
usatl4-ntp-001.aaplimg.c> - 0 0 0 - 0 0 0 0
usqas2-ntp-001.aaplimg.c> - 0 0 0 - 0 0 0 0
usscz2-ntp-002.aaplimg.c> - 0 0 0 - 0 0 0 0
usscz2-ntp-001.aaplimg.c> - 0 0 0 - 0 0 0 0
time.cloudflare.com NTS 1 15 256 15h 0 0 8 100
time.cloudflare.com NTS 1 15 256 15h 0 0 8 100
jtstrickland@RT-AC86U-8F38:/tmp/home/root#

Looks like it only likes cloudfare:

jtstrickland@RT-AC86U-8F38:/tmp/home/root# chronyc selectdata -v
.-- State: N - noselect, M - missing samples, d/D - large distance,
/ ~ - jittery, w/W - waits for others, T - not trusted,
| x - falseticker, P - not preferred, U - waits for update,
| S - stale, O - orphan, + - combined, * - best.
| Effective options ------. (N - noselect, P - prefer
| Configured options -. \ T - trust, R - require)
| Auth. enabled (Y/N) -. \ \ Offset interval --.
| | | | |
S Name/IP Address Auth COpts EOpts Last Score Interval Leap
=======================================================================
* usatl4-ntp-001.aaplimg.c> N ----- ----- 53m 1.0 -13ms +18ms N
D usqas2-ntp-001.aaplimg.c> N ----- ----- 541 1.0 -22ms +22ms N
T usscz2-ntp-002.aaplimg.c> N ----- ----- 0 1.0 -37ms +32ms N
T usscz2-ntp-001.aaplimg.c> N ----- ----- 1064 1.0 -36ms +33ms N
+ time.cloudflare.com Y ----- --TR- 24 1.0 -27ms +23ms N
+ time.cloudflare.com Y ----- --TR- 3 1.0 -26ms +22ms N
jtstrickland@RT-AC86U-8F38:/tmp/home/root#

 

[EmeraldDeer]

That is correct. Cloudflare is the only domestic pool supporting NTS so far. Apple Atlanta is giving you the best time.

 

[MvW]

@JT Strickland Would you please be so kind and try to use code tags around the things you paste in a message copied from a terminal? It becomes so much more readable and the columns in the output will (mostly) stay intact as well, which improves readability. You can paste text copied from a terminal in your draft, select it again and then select 'Code' from the menu above your draft. It's a bit hidden: click the three dots in the center, another menu will open, and the code tags are marked as </> on the far right. See screenshot below for clarification.

A window with your selection will popup, just leave this at the suggested 'General Code' and the code below will be the result on the second part you've pasted in you previous post, just like it was displayed in your terminal session:

jtstrickland@RT-AC86U-8F38:/tmp/home/root# chronyc selectdata -v
.-- State: N - noselect, M - missing samples, d/D - large distance,
/           ~ - jittery, w/W - waits for others, T - not trusted,
|            x - falseticker, P - not preferred, U - waits for update,
|            S - stale, O - orphan, + - combined, * - best.
|        Effective options ------.  (N - noselect, P - prefer
|       Configured options -.     \  T - trust, R - require)
|   Auth. enabled (Y/N) -.   \     \     Offset interval --.
|                        |    |     |                       |
S Name/IP Address        Auth COpts EOpts Last Score     Interval  Leap
=======================================================================
* usatl4-ntp-001.aaplimg.c> N ----- -----  53m   1.0   -13ms   +18ms  N
D usqas2-ntp-001.aaplimg.c> N ----- -----  541   1.0   -22ms   +22ms  N
T usscz2-ntp-002.aaplimg.c> N ----- -----    0   1.0   -37ms   +32ms  N
T usscz2-ntp-001.aaplimg.c> N ----- ----- 1064   1.0   -36ms   +33ms  N
+ time.cloudflare.com       Y ----- --TR-   24   1.0   -27ms   +23ms  N
+ time.cloudflare.com       Y ----- --TR-    3   1.0   -26ms   +22ms  N

Thanks in advance.

Best regards,
Marco

 

[JT Strickland]

@JT Strickland Would you please be so kind and try to use code tags around the things you paste in a message copied from a terminal? It becomes so much more readable and the columns in the output will (mostly) stay intact as well, which improves readability. You can paste text copied from a terminal in your draft, select it again and then select 'Code' from the menu above your draft. It's a bit hidden: click the three dots in the center, another menu will open, and the code tags are marked as </> on the far right. See screenshot below for clarification.

View attachment 33080

OK, I can do that. I thought Code was a command or a program that could be input and run. I've been scolded for labeling something that wasn't by another poster.
I tried to edit my previous post was unable to for some reason. Perhaps it is too late for that, but I will try to in the future.

 

[heysoundude]

As @Wade Coxon said, not much is to be gained from fretting over this, but I have some opinions:

• Do not use time servers on another continent
• By default, chrony does not do leap second smearing. Facebook and Google do leap second smearing, so don't use them. Use them and only them if you reconfigure chrony for leap second smearing. Admittedly, this is an esoteric topic.
• Eight to twelve NTP servers should be enough
• Although down servers will eventually be removed, it is nice when a pool handles this instead
• I am not inclined to use iburst on more than one or two entries. It is intended to get the clock close quickly. I am not sure what is gained from a cacophany of responses.

Excellent post!
8-12 servers - of varying strata?
I'm using a pool of 3 maintained by my local IX at their 3 locations (stratum 1), a pair from one provider geographically nearby to the pool provider (stratum 2), and a 3rd pair (also stratum 2) from another provider. (I'd not be surprised if apple has ntp at or in the vicinity of the first entities I reference, and I'm certain cloudflare is there or nearby as well)
that's 7 by my count...or do you consider the pairs to be smaller pools, meaning I'm following 3 pools?

 

[Wade Coxon]

Excellent post!
8-12 servers - of varying strata?
I'm using a pool of 3 maintained by my local IX at their 3 locations (stratum 1), a pair from one provider geographically nearby to the pool provider (stratum 2), and a 3rd pair (also stratum 2) from another provider. (I'd not be surprised if apple has ntp at or in the vicinity of the first entities I reference, and I'm certain cloudflare is there or nearby as well)
that's 7 by my count...or do you consider the pairs to be smaller pools, meaning I'm following 3 pools?

Don't worry too much about the server stratum. Lower is better, but latency and stability are also important. The chrony server selection algorithm will take care of selecting the best servers from the ones you have configured.

As to pool, I think you may be misunderstanding the concept. Pool servers are ones that have volunteered to be part of a collective group of servers. You access pool servers by referring to the pool address rather than the specific server address eg. pool.ntp.org will connect you to a random server that is part of that pool. if you use the "pool" directive in your config instead of the "server" directive, then several servers from the pool will be sampled and chosen from.

 

[EmeraldDeer]

Excellent post!
8-12 servers - of varying strata?
I'm using a pool of 3 maintained by my local IX at their 3 locations (stratum 1), a pair from one provider geographically nearby to the pool provider (stratum 2), and a 3rd pair (also stratum 2) from another provider. (I'd not be surprised if apple has ntp at or in the vicinity of the first entities I reference, and I'm certain cloudflare is there or nearby as well)
that's 7 by my count...or do you consider the pairs to be smaller pools, meaning I'm following 3 pools?

I'd agree with @Wade Coxon about stratum servers because most or all of the benefit from them is lost to the Internet between.

As far as number of servers is concerned, having 3 left in the worst plausible scenario is good. So 7 from 3 sources should be fine.

 

[heysoundude]

I'd agree with @Wade Coxon about stratum servers because most or all of the benefit from them is lost to the Internet between.

As far as number of servers is concerned, having 3 left in the worst plausible scenario is good. So 7 from 3 sources should be fine.

Thanks. I think I'll add apple's and cloudflare's pools just to be super safe

 

[Wade Coxon]

Thanks. I think I'll add apple's and cloudflare's pools just to be super safe

Add Cloudflare as a server though, not as a "pool". I am pretty sure their service doesn't function like a ntp pool.
(I'm less sure about Apple)

 

[MvW]

Add Cloudflare as a server though, not as a "pool". I am pretty sure their service doesn't function like a ntp pool.

It does actually, it's just a really tiny pool of two servers. The only I can't seem to find out out is whether they're anycast NTP-servers or both based in San Francisco.

 

[EmeraldDeer]

It does actually, it's just a really tiny pool of two servers. The only I can't seem to find out out is whether they're anycast NTP-servers or both based in San Francisco.

I get four from time.cloudflare.com, two IPv4 and two IPv6. They are less than 10 ms from suburban Boston, so they have to be anycast. Maybe Cloudflare has NTP servers in all data centers or a select few, who knows.

Apple DNS resolves to five servers but chrony takes four of them. The IP's resolve back to names which include country and data center.

So both Cloudflare and Apple support "pool" and I recommend it over "server".

 

[heysoundude]

I get four cloudflares as well, but they're 5ms further away than the four apples. the pool of my local IX's servers remain the best.

 

[JohnD5000]

I get four from time.cloudflare.com, two IPv4 and two IPv6. They are less than 10 ms from suburban Boston, so they have to be anycast. Maybe Cloudflare has NTP servers in all data centers or a select few, who knows.

Apple DNS resolves to five servers but chrony takes four of them. The IP's resolve back to names which include country and data center.

So both Cloudflare and Apple support "pool" and I recommend it over "server".

I am in Mass too, wondering what the NTP server list you are using?

 

[EmeraldDeer]

I am in Mass too, wondering what the NTP server list you are using?

Simple chrony list which could be used just about anywhere. I don't iburst these because I have an NTP server on my LAN which I iburst instead.

pool time.apple.com
pool time.cloudflare.com nts

 

[immi803]

@Jack Yaz
With latest merlin 386.2_2 , chrony showing restarting again & again

With uninstall & install didn't solve the issue

 

[Jack Yaz]

@Jack Yaz
With latest merlin 386.2_2 , chrony showing restarting again & again

With uninstall & install didn't solve the issue

suspect you've got some incorrect configuration in your chrony.conf
can you share the contents?

 

[MvW]

@Jack Yaz
With latest merlin 386.2_2 , chrony showing restarting again & again

With uninstall & install didn't solve the issue

Chronyd working fine here with 386.2_2, so I doubt it's caused by the firmware upgrade.

Can you post your chrony.conf?

 

[immi803]

suspect you've got some incorrect configuration in your chrony.conf
can you share the contents?

Here's my chrony conf file attached

 

[immi803]

Chronyd working fine here with 386.2_2, so I doubt it's caused by the firmware upgrade.

Can you post your chrony.conf?

You can check conf in above post, i tried with fresh conf file but to no benefit
Issue persists with 386.2_2 for chrony

 

[immi803]

suspect you've got some incorrect configuration in your chrony.conf
can you share the contents?

format usb and starting from scratch solved the issue
Thanks