Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!uwm.edu!bionet!agate!ucbvax!Verdix.COM!karl
From: karl@Verdix.COM (Karl A. Nyberg)
Newsgroups: comp.protocols.time.ntp
Subject: Running NTP at Verdix.Com
Message-ID: <9103192021.AA17181@Verdix.COM>
Date: 19 Mar 91 20:21:35 GMT
Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU
Distribution: inet
Organization: The Internet
Lines: 42

I'm setting up NTP here and wanted to check (the documentation said to chose
NTP peers carefully, and since I didn't put ANY in, I figured I'd better
DOUBLE check).  If I've got this set up right (I should be so lucky!), I
should be able to set the date on sarge (a Sun 4/470 - the main server in a
network primarily consisting of various Suns) in its rc.local with:

	/usr/local/etc/ntp -s uunet.uu.net umd1.umd.edu

and then run the ntp demon

	/usr/local/etc/ntpd

So that the other hosts here can get their time from sarge.

I have the following in my /etc/ntp.conf file on sarge:

	precision -6
	server	uunet.uu.net
	server	umd1.umd.edu

While other hosts on the network have similar rc.local entries pointing to
sarge as need be and a ntp.conf file that shows:

	precision -6
	server sarge.hq.verdix.com

This is how I have it set up at the moment on two machines and it seems to
work OK.  (I do get some annoying error message about "udp/ntp: service
unknown; using default 123", but I figure that's because I just edited
/etc/services and haven't rebooted).

++++++++++++++++

Just a couple questions.

Is it OK to use both uunet and umd1?  Are there any others that might be
preferable to use?  Do I have to "register" the use of these facilities in
any way?

Do I need peers?

-- Karl --