Ubuntu
ntp package

  1. Bug #90267
  2. Comment #14

Comment 14 for bug 90267

Revision history for this message
C de-Avillez (hggdh2) wrote : Re: ntp starts before the network is up in feisty

James, you are correct. I had initially rejected this bug for NTP and upstart, but I am starting to wonder.

The more I read... the more it seems that current (i.e., 4.2.0) NTP code should not be started before a valid network interface is available.

There is a comment in the NTP Bugzilla that some work was/is being done on that, but I have not yet confirmed if it is already available or still dev. I am guessing, right now, it is not available (otherwise you would not have the issue on 4.2.2 and 4.2.4 :-) The bug in question, https://ntp.isc.org/bugs/show_bug.cgi?id=51, shows in the bug lists for versions up to, and including 4.2.4p0 (so, again, it sounds like it was either not added in 4.2.4, or did not work as expected -- huh, as I would expect).

There are two different views here, AFAIU: laptops & machines that do not have a constant network presence, and servers that are continuously connected. For the latter, NTP startup, as it is now, is OK.

For the former... it does not seem like this is kosher. And here the plot thickens: there are network-manager supported machines, and there are (as of now) non-network-manager supported ones.

Right now I am tending to state NTP should not be started if there are no network interfaces running; but I do not know what should be done when an interface changes its address (which, I know, is not your problem).

Marking as confirmed for NTP, leaving as confirmed for network-manager.