Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!rutgers!neptune.rutgers.edu!frogpond.rutgers.edu!rbthomas From: rbthomas@frogpond.rutgers.edu (Rick Thomas) Newsgroups: comp.protocols.time.ntp Subject: What means "drift" and "compliance" ? Message-ID: Date: 13 Feb 91 23:36:02 GMT Organization: Rutgers Engineering Supercomputer Lab Lines: 20 Can someone please explain what the "drift" and "compliance" numbers being put into my syslog file once per hour mean? How are they computed and what are the units for each? I am trying to run xntpd on a Si-Graphics Personal IRIS runing IRIX v3.3.1 and the clock never seems to get synced up. It does a "step" adjustment of about a half second about once every ten minutes or so. The "drift" numbers keep getting larger (in magnitude, they are negative and getting more so every day). They have reached -6.6 or so by now. What does this mean? IRIX has a feature to trim up the local clock oscillator, could I use this to make the clock keep better time? If I knew the units of the drift number, I assume I could. But what does "compliance" mean? Enjoy! Rick