ntptrace Command
Purpose
Traces a chain of Network Time Protocol (NTP) hosts back to their master time source.
Syntax
ntptrace [ -d ] [ -n ] [ -v ] [ -r Retries ] [ -t TimeOut ] [ Server ]
Description
The ntptrace command determines where a given NTP server gets its time, and follows the chain of NTP servers back to their master time source. For example, stratum 0 server.
Flags
Item | Description |
---|---|
-d | Turns on debugging output. |
-n | Outputs host IP addresses instead of host names. |
-r Retries | Specifies the number of retransmission attempts for each host. The default is 5. |
-t TimeOut | Specifies the retransmission timeout in seconds. The default is 2 seconds. |
-v | Specifies verbose mode. |
Parameters
Item | Description |
---|---|
Server | Specifies the server. The default is the local host. |
Exit Status
This command returns the following exit values:
Item | Description |
---|---|
0 | Successful completion. |
>0 | An error occurred. |
Security
Access Control: You must be part of the system group to run this command.
Auditing Events: N/A
Attention RBAC users and Trusted AIX® users: This command can perform privileged operations. Only privileged users can run privileged operations. For more information about authorizations and privileges, see Privileged Command Database in Security. For a list of privileges and the authorizations associated with this command, see the lssecattr command or the getcmdattr subcommand.
Examples
To trace where the local host NTP server gets its time from, enter:
ntptrace
Output similar to the following appears:
localhost: stratum 4, offset 0.0019529, sync distance 0.144135
server2.bozo.com: stratum 2, offset 0.0124263, sync distance 0.115784
usndh.edu: stratum 1, offset 0.0019298, sync distance 0.011993, refid
'WWVB'
On each line, the fields are:
- the host's stratum,
- the time offset between that host and the local host, as measured by the ntptrace command, (this is why it is not always zero for localhost).
- the host's synchronization distance, which is a measure of the quality of the clock's time, and
- the reference clock ID This only applies to stratum-1 servers.
All times are given in seconds.
Files
Item | Description |
---|---|
/usr/sbin/ntptrace | Contains the ntptrace command. |