Re: [PLUG] NTP process FYI

[JP Vossen <jp@jpsdomain.org>]

> Date: Wed, 26 Mar 2008 20:30:29 -0400
> From: Eugene Smiley <eug+plug@esmiley.net>
> Subject: Re: [PLUG] NTP process FYI
> 
> Considering the FW issue you might consider Nagios 
> or similar. <shrug> You know. To protect you from yourself. ;)

I am.  I'm running Monit [1].  And I *really* shot myself in the foot 
with that too [2].  I guess I need to protect myself from protecting 
myself from myself.  (Hum, now I sound like MS Windows.  Bummer. :)

[1] Monit
http://lists.netisland.net/archives/plug/plug-2008-01/msg00004.html
http://tildeslash.com/monit/

[2] Shooting self in foot
http://ubuntuforums.org/printthread.php?t=658310
Though I had a bit of help: http://cvs.mythtv.org/trac/ticket/4460


> I'm just saying that you should probably have more than 4 server lines. I'm in 
> Brad Knowles's camp that 4 servers in a conf is not enough. 5 should be the 
> recommended minimum. This just means adding another line even if it mean 
> duplicating one. With the new DNS system each query returns 5 unique servers and 
> every query is different.

Good point.  I was wondering about DNS caching, but this bears you out:
     # for pool in {0,1,2,3,0,1,2,3}.us.pool.ntp.org; do host $pool; done


[...]
> As for Ubuntu, they may not have applied for a Vendor zone. They use the main 
> pool by default, right?

They seem to use (not 100% verified):
	server ntp.ubuntu.com

Just that.  Nothing else.  That's based on my modified Mythbuntu config 
though, and I don't have any virgin Gutsy machines handy at the moment. 
  NTP.conf is always one of the first things I fix.  I suppose someone 
should check it out and file a bug, but I've got too much other stuff to 
do right now.


>> But NTP might be the only argument I'd accept for the coffee maker to have an
>> IPv6 address and be on the 'Net.  :-)  I wonder is USB or RFID could somehow
>> be used since both are everywhere and cheaper than dirt?
> 
> I think I'd be afraid to use RFID in my home, but USB sounds interesting. The 
> drawbacks being a 30' cable limitation between hubs and ease of wiring a house 
> with USB at every outlet. That would be a major hurdle to implementation unless 
> it's a geek house. ;)

Details.  Don't bother me with details...  <g>

Seriously, RFID wouldn't be the right technology anyway.  I was thinking 
short-range radio and RFID came to mind, but I *should* have been 
thinking of BlueTooth.  Being a security geek I like hard-wired, but I 
agree that'd be a pain to retro-fit.

Later,
JP
----------------------------|:::======|-------------------------------
JP Vossen, CISSP            |:::======|        jp{at}jpsdomain{dot}org
My Account, My Opinions     |=========|      http://www.jpsdomain.org/
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