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Command: ntpd | Section: 8 | Source: OpenBSD | File: ntpd.8
NTPD(8) FreeBSD System Manager's Manual NTPD(8)
NAME
ntpd - Network Time Protocol (NTP) daemon
SYNOPSIS
ntpd [-dnv] [-f file]
DESCRIPTION
The ntpd daemon synchronizes the local clock to one or more remote NTP
servers or local timedelta sensors. ntpd can also act as an NTP server
itself, redistributing the local time. It implements the Simple Network
Time Protocol version 4, as described in RFC 5905, and the Network Time
Protocol version 3, as described in RFC 1305. Time can also be fetched
from TLS HTTPS servers to reduce the impact of unauthenticated NTP man-
in-the-middle attacks.
The options are as follows:
-d Do not daemonize. If this option is specified, ntpd will run
in the foreground and log to stderr.
-f file Use file as the configuration file, instead of the default
/etc/ntpd.conf.
-n Configtest mode. Only check the configuration file for
validity.
-v This option allows ntpd to send DEBUG priority messages to
syslog.
ntpd uses the adjtime(2) system call to correct the local system time
without causing time jumps. Adjustments of 32ms and greater are logged
using syslog(3). The threshold value is chosen to avoid having local
clock drift thrash the log files. Should ntpd be started with the -d or
-v option, all calls to adjtime(2) will be logged.
At boot, ntpd will stay for a maximum of 15 seconds in the foreground and
make efforts to verify and correct the time if constraints are configured
and satisfied or if trusted servers or sensors return results, and if the
clock is not being moved backwards.
After the local clock is synchronized, ntpd adjusts the clock frequency
using the adjfreq(2) system call to compensate for systematic drift.
ntpd is started at boot time by default via ntpd_flags in /etc/rc.conf.
See rc(8) and rc.conf(8) for more information on the boot process and
enabling daemons.
When ntpd starts up, it reads settings from its configuration file,
typically ntpd.conf(5), and its initial clock drift from
/var/db/ntpd.drift. Clock drift is periodically written to the drift
file thereafter.
FILES
/etc/ntpd.conf Default configuration file.
/var/db/ntpd.drift Drift file.
/var/run/ntpd.sock Socket file for communication with ntpctl(8).
SEE ALSO
date(1), adjfreq(2), adjtime(2), ntpd.conf(5), ntpctl(8), rc(8),
rc.conf(8), rdate(8)
STANDARDS
David L. Mills, Network Time Protocol (Version 3): Specification,
Implementation and Analysis, RFC 1305, March 1992.
David L. Mills, Jim Martin, Jack Burbank, and William Kasch, Network Time
Protocol Version 4: Protocol and Algorithms Specification, RFC 5905, June
2010.
HISTORY
The ntpd program first appeared in OpenBSD 3.6.
FreeBSD 14.1-RELEASE-p8 March 2, 2023 FreeBSD 14.1-RELEASE-p8