[pkg-ntp-maintainers] Ntpdate refuses to sync

[Pierre Castella]

Dear ntpdate maintainer,

I encounter a strange bug that I can't explain.

I have at disposal several ntp servers. Those servers are Cisco switches,
running NTP servers.
Some of them will respond perfectly (Cisco 7600 products) and some others
(other models of Cisco switches) will quasi systematically result in a time
setting failure.

My configuration:
Hardware is an x86 low end embedded PC.
ntpdate version: ntpdate_4.2.6.p2+dfsg-1+b1_i386.deb

ntpdate trace when things go well, on a cisco 7600 device:
 ntpdate -d 10.13.6.250
 5 Apr 11:27:39 ntpdate[2250]: ntpdate 4.2.6p2 at 1.2194-o Sun Oct 17 13:45:14
UTC 2010 (1)
transmit(10.13.6.250)
receive(10.13.6.250)
transmit(10.13.6.250)
receive(10.13.6.250)
transmit(10.13.6.250)
receive(10.13.6.250)
transmit(10.13.6.250)
receive(10.13.6.250)
transmit(10.13.6.250)
server 10.13.6.250, port 123
stratum 3, precision -18, leap 00, trust 000
refid [10.13.6.250], delay 0.02959, dispersion 0.00008
transmitted 4, in filter 4
reference time:    d5093399.253abd24  Fri, Apr  5 2013 11:27:21.145
originate timestamp: d50933b1.92e8f287  Fri, Apr  5 2013 11:27:45.573
transmit timestamp:  d50933b1.9270dd33  Fri, Apr  5 2013 11:27:45.572
filter delay:  0.02975  0.02977  0.02979  0.02959
         0.00000  0.00000  0.00000  0.00000
filter offset: -0.00003 -0.00009 -0.00018 -0.00016
         0.000000 0.000000 0.000000 0.000000
delay 0.02959, dispersion 0.00008
offset -0.000163

 5 Apr 11:27:47 ntpdate[2250]: adjust time server 10.13.6.250 offset
-0.000163 sec

ntpdate trace when things go bad:
ntpdate -d 10.2.2.80
 5 Apr 11:28:31 ntpdate[2331]: ntpdate 4.2.6p2 at 1.2194-o Sun Oct 17 13:45:14
UTC 2010 (1)
transmit(10.2.2.80)
receive(10.2.2.80)
transmit(10.2.2.80)
receive(10.2.2.80)
transmit(10.2.2.80)
receive(10.2.2.80)
transmit(10.2.2.80)
receive(10.2.2.80)
transmit(10.2.2.80)
10.2.2.80: Server dropped: no data
server 10.2.2.80, port 123
stratum 2, precision -6, leap 00, trust 000
refid [10.2.2.80], delay 0.00000, dispersion 64.00000
transmitted 4, in filter 4
reference time:    d5093366.8cf087bc  Fri, Apr  5 2013 11:26:30.550
originate timestamp: d50933e4.fd114c58  Fri, Apr  5 2013 11:28:36.988
transmit timestamp:  d50933e5.e4a19548  Fri, Apr  5 2013 11:28:37.893
filter delay:  0.00000  0.00000  0.00000  0.00000
         0.00000  0.00000  0.00000  0.00000
filter offset: 0.000000 0.000000 0.000000 0.000000
         0.000000 0.000000 0.000000 0.000000
delay 0.00000, dispersion 64.00000
offset 0.000000

 5 Apr 11:28:39 ntpdate[2331]: no server suitable for synchronization found

The difference I see in the traces is the "reference time" line. By the
way, those problematic servers are used without any issue by other
(windows) equipments, according to their maintainers. Any idea of what
might be causing that?

Best regards,

Pierre
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