xref: /src/external/bsd/ntp/dist/sntp/sntp.html

<html lang="en">
<head>
<title>Sntp User's Manual</title>
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html">
<meta name="description" content="Sntp User's Manual">
<meta name="generator" content="makeinfo 4.13">
<link title="Top" rel="top" href="#Top">
<link href="http://www.gnu.org/software/texinfo/" rel="generator-home" title="Texinfo Homepage">
<meta http-equiv="Content-Style-Type" content="text/css">
<style type="text/css"><!--
  pre.display { font-family:inherit }
  pre.format  { font-family:inherit }
  pre.smalldisplay { font-family:inherit; font-size:smaller }
  pre.smallformat  { font-family:inherit; font-size:smaller }
  pre.smallexample { font-size:smaller }
  pre.smalllisp    { font-size:smaller }
  span.sc    { font-variant:small-caps }
  span.roman { font-family:serif; font-weight:normal; } 
  span.sansserif { font-family:sans-serif; font-weight:normal; } 
--></style>
</head>
<body>
<h1 class="settitle">Sntp User's Manual</h1>
<div class="node">
<a name="Top"></a>
<p><hr>
Next:&nbsp;<a rel="next" accesskey="n" href="#sntp-Description">sntp Description</a>,
Previous:&nbsp;<a rel="previous" accesskey="p" href="#dir">(dir)</a>,
Up:&nbsp;<a rel="up" accesskey="u" href="#dir">(dir)</a>

</div>

<h2 class="unnumbered">Simple Network Time Protocol User Manual</h2>

<p>This document describes the use of the NTP Project's <code>sntp</code> program,
that can be used to query a Network Time Protocol (NTP) server and
display the time offset of the system clock relative to the server
clock.  Run as root, it can correct the system clock to this offset as
well.  It can be run as an interactive command or from a cron job.

  <p>This document applies to version 4.2.6 of <code>sntp</code>.

  <p>The program implements the SNTP protocol as defined by the draft NTPv4
IETF specification.

  <div class="shortcontents">
<h2>Short Contents</h2>
<ul>
<a href="#Top">Simple Network Time Protocol User Manual</a>
</ul>
</div>

<ul class="menu">
<li><a accesskey="1" href="#sntp-Description">sntp Description</a>:             Description
* sntp Invocation::                Invoking sntp
<li><a accesskey="2" href="#Usage">Usage</a>:                        Usage
</ul>

<div class="node">
<a name="sntp-Description"></a>
<p><hr>
Next:&nbsp;<a rel="next" accesskey="n" href="#Usage">Usage</a>,
Previous:&nbsp;<a rel="previous" accesskey="p" href="#Top">Top</a>,
Up:&nbsp;<a rel="up" accesskey="u" href="#Top">Top</a>

</div>

<!-- node-name,  next,  previous,  up -->
<h3 class="section">Description</h3>

<p>By default, <code>sntp</code> writes the local data and time (i.e., not UTC) to the
standard output in the format:

<pre class="example">     1996 Oct 15 20:17:25.123 +4.567 +/- 0.089 secs
</pre>
  <p>where the +4.567 +/- 0.089 secs indicates the time offset and
error bound of the system clock relative to the server clock.

<!-- @include sntp-opts.texi -->
<div class="node">
<a name="Usage"></a>
<p><hr>
Previous:&nbsp;<a rel="previous" accesskey="p" href="#sntp-Description">sntp Description</a>,
Up:&nbsp;<a rel="up" accesskey="u" href="#Top">Top</a>

</div>

<!-- node-name,  next,  previous,  up -->
<h3 class="section">Usage</h3>

<p>The simplest use of this program is as an unprivileged command to
check the current time, offset, and error in the local clock. 
For example:

<pre class="example">     sntp ntpserver.somewhere
</pre>
  <p>With suitable privilege, it can be run as a command or in a
<code>crom</code> job to reset the local clock from a reliable server, like
the <code>ntpdate</code> and <code>rdate</code> commands. 
For example:

<pre class="example">     sntp -a ntpserver.somewhere
</pre>
  </body></html>