Re: sntpclock: warning: unable to read clock: timed out

On 2002.11.12_19:21:53_+0000, Uffe Jakobsen wrote:
> Hi Paul,
> 
> I'm sorry but that's not right.
> In the system time is more than 2 "away" from the result that sntpclock
> fetches you will get the error: "sntpclock: fatal: time uncertainty too
> large"
> 

Ok.

> (then change the date)
> # date 111019102002
> Sun Nov 10 19:10:00 CET 2002
> 
> (and run sntpclock again)
> # sntpclock 192.38.7.240 | clockview
> sntpclock: fatal: time uncertainty too large
> clockview: fatal: data split across packets
> 

We might be talking about another  problem not related to the OP question 
here. Quoting from the OP first message, there is several lines of following
error message before "time uncertainty too large" occur:

    sntpclock: warning: unable to read clock: timed out

If I invoke the command from behind a slow connection, I'll get this:

$ ./sntpclock <ip> | ./clockview 
sntpclock: warning: unable to read clock: timed out
sntpclock: warning: unable to read clock: bad response format
sntpclock: warning: unable to read clock: bad response format
sntpclock: warning: unable to read clock: bad response format
sntpclock: warning: unable to read clock: bad response format
sntpclock: warning: unable to read clock: bad response format
sntpclock: warning: unable to read clock: timed out
sntpclock: warning: unable to read clock: bad response format
sntpclock: warning: unable to read clock: timed out
sntpclock: warning: unable to read clock: bad response format
sntpclock: fatal: time uncertainty too large
clockview: fatal: data split across packets

I just have to find a time when the connection was less loaded, and then
issue the command again, several times, until succeed:

$ ./sntpclock <ip> | ./clockview 
ntpclock: warning: unable to read clock: timed out
sntpclock: warning: unable to read clock: bad response format
sntpclock: warning: unable to read clock: bad response format
sntpclock: warning: unable to read clock: bad response format
sntpclock: warning: unable to read clock: timed out
sntpclock: warning: unable to read clock: bad response format
sntpclock: warning: unable to read clock: timed out
sntpclock: warning: unable to read clock: bad response format
sntpclock: warning: unable to read clock: bad response format
before: 2002-11-13 09:00:43.271685000000000000
after:  2002-11-13 09:00:45.913660999864384531

While not exactly the message the OP got, the warning lines varies.
Sometimes I get two timed out, and all bad response format, sometimes
just one timed out, sometimes four, and so on.

The solution to this problem is to get a faster line, or find an ntp
server that has less delay / response time.

> kind regards Uffe
> 

-- 
H. D. Lee
http://www.dutnux.com