-M ntpd Option

When the installer installed nptd on my Win XP SP2 machine as a service it
added the -M option. I cannot find where this option is documented. Does
anyone know what it does?

Charles Elliott

Charles Elliott schrieb:[color=blue]
> When the installer installed nptd on my Win XP SP2 machine as a service it
> added the -M option. I cannot find where this option is documented. Does
> anyone know what it does?
>
> Charles Elliott
>
>[/color]

This switch has been added by my colleague, Martin Burnicki, and is only
available in our ports of the ntpd for Windows. The necessary additions
to the sourcecode of ntpd have been submitted to the ntp project and -
as far as I know - will be added in one of the upcoming dev releases. It
is included in our "xmas"-Edition, the currently available version on
our homepage (see [url]http://www.meinberg.de/english/sw/ntp.htm[/url]). Our time
server monitor application
([url]http://www.meinberg.de/english/sw/time-server-monitor.htm[/url]) detects this
and allows you to switch it on or off without directly messing with the
registry.

As David already explained, the switch enables the Windows Multimedia
Timer when ntpd starts. If this is not done and you start an application
that needs it, it will turn it on and ntpd will experience a significant
time jump (20-40ms) at that point. After you closed the last application
using the MMT, the time jump will happen again - in the opposite direction.

Quite a number of applications make use of the MMT, including Quicktime,
Windows Media Player and several browser plugins.

We did not experience any significant drawbacks when enabling the MMT at
the start of ntpd, therefore it makes sense to switch it on permanently
and avoid the described time jumps.

Kind regards,
Heiko



--
Meinberg radio clocks: 25 years of accurate time worldwide

MEINBERG Radio Clocks
[url]www.meinberg.de[/url]

Stand alone ntp time servers and radio clocks based on GPS, DCF77 and
IRIG. Rackmount and desktop versions and PCI slot cards.

Thanks to all. I did see that option on installation or elsewhere, but
obviously forgot.

CHE

"Charles Elliott" <elliott.ct@verizon.net> wrote in message
news:8dkog.5603$Yk.3572@trnddc06...[color=blue]
> When the installer installed nptd on my Win XP SP2 machine as a service it
> added the -M option. I cannot find where this option is documented. Does
> anyone know what it does?
>
> Charles Elliott
>[/color]

Heiko Gerstung <heiko.gerstung_removeme_@meinberg.de> writes:
[color=blue]
> Charles Elliott schrieb:[color=green]
> > When the installer installed nptd on my Win XP SP2 machine as a service it
> > added the -M option. I cannot find where this option is documented. Does
> > anyone know what it does?
> > Charles Elliott[/color]
>
> This switch has been added by my colleague, Martin Burnicki, and is only
> available in our ports of the ntpd for Windows. The necessary additions to
> the[/color]

So to memorize, "-M" is the "Martin" switch ;-)

As we will probable run out of letters soon, why not use an other scheme for
setting options like "-o option_name[=option_value]" (brackets grouping
optional parts). I think sshd has something like that for example.
Readability would also improve iff options have useful names.

Regards,
Ulrich

Ulrich Windl asked:
[color=blue]
> As we will probable run out of letters soon, why not use an other scheme for
> setting options like "-o option_name[=option_value]" (brackets grouping
> optional parts).[/color]

Try --help on a 4.3.3 command...

H

Harlan Stenn wrote:[color=blue]
> Ulrich Windl asked:
>[color=green]
>> As we will probable run out of letters soon, why not use an other scheme for
>> setting options like "-o option_name[=option_value]" (brackets grouping
>> optional parts).[/color]
>
> Try --help on a 4.3.3 command...[/color]

I don't think you meant that. I think you meant 4.2.3 but that will do
you know good on a windows box since it won't build there right now.

Danny

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