[pkg-ntp-maintainers] Bug#699231: Bug#699231: fudge breaks -g

[Kurt Roeckx]

On Tue, Jan 29, 2013 at 07:11:47PM +0100, Josip Rodin wrote:
> On Tue, Jan 29, 2013 at 06:23:32PM +0100, Kurt Roeckx wrote:
> > On Tue, Jan 29, 2013 at 12:43:28PM +0100, Josip Rodin wrote:
> > > Package: ntp
> > > Version: 1:4.2.6.p2+dfsg-1+b1
> > > 
> > > Hi,
> > > 
> > > When a fallback "fudge" high-stratum setting is used:
> > > 
> > > server 127.127.1.0
> > > fudge 127.127.1.0 stratum 13
> > 
> > This probably doesn't do what you expect it to do, and I suggest
> > you remove those lines instead.
> 
> I did that already :) I found numerous ntp.conf files on our systems with
> this, accompanied with this comment:
> 
> # ... and use the local system clock as a reference if all else fails
> # NOTE: in a local network, set the local stratum of *one* stable server
> # to 10; otherwise your clocks will drift apart if you lose connectivity.

This comes from the ntp v3 time.  In v4 it's been replaced by
orphan mode.

You should only use it in case you don't have any source of time
at all, and just one to pick 1 server that distributes it's clock
to the rest.

> So it came from somewhere upstream.
> 
> The fudge option seems to be undocumented in ntp.conf(5), so what does it
> really do, even?

I suggest you read the html pages instead of the manpage.  They
are in /usr/share/doc/ntp-doc/html/


Kurt