SNTP(1) Programmer's Manual SNTP(1)
NAME
sntp - standard Simple Network Time Protocol program
SYNOPSIS
sntp [-flag [value]]... [--opt-name [[=| ]value]]...
[ hostname-or-IP ...]
DESCRIPTION
This manual page briefly documents the sntp command. sntp can be used
as a SNTP client to query a NTP or SNTP server and either display the
time or set the local system's time (given suitable privilege). It can
be run as an interactive command or in a cron job.
NTP (the Network Time Protocol) and SNTP (the Simple Network Time Pro-
tocol) are defined and described by RFC 5905.
The default is to write the estimated correct local date and time (i.e.
not UTC) to the standard output in a format like '1996-10-15
20:17:25.123 (+0800) +4.567 +/- 0.089 secs', where the '(+0800)' means
that to get to UTC from the reported local time one must add 8 hours
and 0 minutes, and the '+4.567 +/- 0.089 secs' indicates the local
clock is 4.567 seconds behind the correct time (so 4.567 seconds must
be added to the local clock to get it to be correct), and the time of
is believed to be correct to within +/- 0.089 seconds.
OPTIONS
-4, --ipv4
Force IPv4 DNS name resolution. This option must not appear in
combination with any of the following options: ipv6.
Force DNS resolution of the following host names on the command
line to the IPv4 namespace.
-6, --ipv6
Force IPv6 DNS name resolution. This option must not appear in
combination with any of the following options: ipv4.
Force DNS resolution of the following host names on the command
line to the IPv6 namespace.
-d, --normalverbose
Normal verbose.
Diagnostic messages for non-fatal errors and a limited amount of
tracing should be written to standard error. Fatal ones always
produce a diagnostic. This option should be set when there is a
suspected problem with the server, network or the source.
-K file-name, --kod=file-name
KoD history filename.
Specifies the filename to be used to persist the history of KoD
responses received from servers. The default is /var/db/ntp-
kod.
-p, --syslog
Logging with syslog. This option must not appear in combination
with any of the following options: logfile.
When this option is set all logging will be done using syslog.
-l file-name, --logfile=file-name
Log to specified logfile. This option must not appear in combi-
nation with any of the following options: syslog.
This option causes the client to write log messages to the spec-
ified logfile.
-s, --settod
Set (step) the time with settimeofday(). This option must not
appear in combination with any of the following options: adj-
time.
-j, --adjtime
Set (slew) the time with adjtime(). This option must not appear
in combination with any of the following options: settod.
-b broadcast-address, --broadcast=broadcast-address
Use broadcasts to the address specified for synchronisation.
If specified SNTP will listen to the specified broadcast address
for NTP broadcasts. The default maximum wait time, 68 seconds,
can be modified with -t.
-t seconds, --timeout=seconds
Specify the number of seconds to wait for broadcasts. This
option takes an integer number as its argument. The default
seconds for this option is:
68
When waiting for a broadcast packet SNTP will wait the number of
seconds specified before giving up. Default 68 seconds.
-a auth-keynumber, --authentication=auth-keynumber
Enable authentication with the key auth-keynumber. This option
takes an integer number as its argument.
This option enables authentication using the key specified in
this option's argument. The argument of this option is the
keyid, a number specified in the keyfile as this key's identi-
fier. See the keyfile option (-k) for more details.
-k file-name, --keyfile=file-name
Specify a keyfile. SNTP will look in this file for the key spec-
ified with -a.
This option specifies the keyfile. SNTP will search for the key
specified with -a keyno in this file. Key files follow the fol-
lowing format:
keyid keytype key
Where keyid is a number identifying this key keytype is one
of the follow: S Key in 64 Bit hexadecimal number as specified
in in the DES specification. N Key in 64 Bit hexadecimal num-
ber as specified in the NTP standard. A Key in a 1-to-8 char-
acter ASCII string. M Key in a 1-to-8 character ASCII string
using the MD5 authentication scheme.
For more information see ntp.keys(5).
-?, --help
Display extended usage information and exit.
-!, --more-help
Extended usage information passed thru pager.
-> [rcfile], --save-opts[=rcfile]
Save the option state to rcfile. The default is the last con-
figuration file listed in the OPTION PRESETS section, below.
-< rcfile, --load-opts=rcfile, --no-load-opts
Load options from rcfile. The no-load-opts form will disable
the loading of earlier RC/INI files. --no-load-opts is handled
early, out of order.
- [{v|c|n}], --version[={v|c|n}]
Output version of program and exit. The default mode is `v', a
simple version. The `c' mode will print copyright information
and `n' will print the full copyright notice.
OPTION PRESETS
Any option that is not marked as not presettable may be preset by load-
ing values from configuration ("RC" or ".INI") file(s) and values from
environment variables named:
SNTP_<option-name> or SNTP
The environmental presets take precedence (are processed later than)
the configuration files. The homerc files are "$HOME", and ".". If
any of these are directories, then the file .ntprc is searched for
within those directories.
USAGE
The simplest use of this program is as an unprivileged command to check
the current time and error in the local clock. For example:
sntp ntpserver.somewhere
With suitable privilege, it can be run as a command or in a cron job to
reset the local clock from a reliable server, like the ntpdate and
rdate commands. For example:
sntp -a ntpserver.somewhere
RETURN VALUE
The program returns a zero exit status for success, and a non-zero one
otherwise.
BUGS
Please report bugs to http://bugs.ntp.org .
AUTHOR
David L. Mills and/or others
Please send bug reports to: http://bugs.ntp.org, bugs@ntp.org
see html/copyright.html
This manual page was AutoGen-erated from the sntp option definitions.
( 4.2.6p5) 2011-12-24 SNTP(1)
