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Asked: 2024-09-25T19:36:15+05:30 In:

How can I resolve the issue of NTP service not being available or supported on my Ubuntu system?

I’ve been grappling with a frustrating issue on my Ubuntu system lately. So, here’s the deal: I’m trying to set up a reliable time synchronization for my machine, and I’ve read a lot about the NTP (Network Time Protocol) service. However, when I go to check if NTP is available, it turns out that it’s not supported on my version of Ubuntu. I mean, what a bummer, right?

I’m not tech-savvy, but I do know how important time synchronization is, especially when you’re dealing with things like logging events or running scheduled tasks. I tried a few things to figure this out, like searching online and checking through the Software Center, but honestly, I’m feeling a bit lost.

I found some mention of alternatives like systemd-timesyncd and even some third-party NTP services, but I wasn’t clear on how to implement those correctly. Should I uninstall any conflicting services if I have them? Or maybe I need to configure something manually? I’ve seen some threads where people say that they had to dive deep into configuration files, and that sounds a bit intimidating!

Then, there’s the whole thing about firewalls and network permissions. Could that be blocking me from accessing any NTP servers? I live in an area with a lot of network restrictions, so I worry about that being a factor. I don’t want my time to be off, especially when I’m working with databases and other applications where timing is crucial.

Does anyone have some tips on how to either enable NTP on my system or what these alternatives are? Any step-by-step guides or personal experiences would really help! I could use some wisdom from the community since I’m kind of at a standstill here. I mean, it can’t be that complicated, right? I just want to have my system clock synced properly without too much hassle.

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    2 Answers



    1. Time Synchronization on Ubuntu

      Getting Your Time Synced on Ubuntu

      Dealing with time synchronization can be a bit of a hassle, but don’t worry! Here’s a simple breakdown of how you can set things up using systemd-timesyncd or other options since NTP isn’t available for you.

      1. Check for systemd-timesyncd

      First thing you want to do is check if systemd-timesyncd is already running on your system. Open a terminal and run:

      timedatectl show-timesync

      If it shows a status, you’re halfway there!

      2. Enabling systemd-timesyncd

      If it’s not enabled, you can turn it on with these commands:

      
    sudo systemctl enable systemd-timesyncd
    sudo systemctl start systemd-timesyncd

      This should get you started with time synchronization without diving deep into config files.

      3. Configuring the Time Server

      You can also specify which NTP server systemd-timesyncd should use. Open the configuration file:

      sudo nano /etc/systemd/timesyncd.conf

      Uncomment the line that starts with NTP= and add your favorite NTP servers, like:

      NTP=0.ubuntu.pool.ntp.org 1.ubuntu.pool.ntp.org

      Save the file (CTRL + O, then ENTER, and exit with CTRL + X). Restart the service afterwards:

      sudo systemctl restart systemd-timesyncd

      4. Firewall and Network Permissions

      If your time isn’t syncing, check your firewall settings. You might need to allow NTP traffic (UDP on port 123). If you’re not sure how to do this, here’s a quick command:

      sudo ufw allow 123/udp

      5. Check Synchronization Status

      Finally, to see if everything is working fine, run:

      timedatectl status

      If it shows “NTP synchronized: yes”, you’re good to go!

      Alternative Options

      If you want to explore third-party NTP services, some people use ntpdate or chrony. Just know that it might involve more configurations. But if you stick with systemd-timesyncd, it should simplify things for you!

      Don’t hesitate to reach out if you have more questions or run into issues. It’s all a learning process!



    2. To set up reliable time synchronization on your Ubuntu system, you can use systemd-timesyncd, which is often included with Ubuntu distributions as a lightweight alternative to NTP. First, check if systemd-timesyncd is installed and running by entering the command systemctl status systemd-timesyncd in your terminal. If it’s not active, you can enable and start it with sudo systemctl enable systemd-timesyncd and sudo systemctl start systemd-timesyncd. Then, ensure your system’s time synchronization is configured. Edit the configuration file located at /etc/systemd/timesyncd.conf to specify any NTP servers you want to use; common ones include ntp.ubuntu.com or pool.ntp.org. Finally, restart the service using sudo systemctl restart systemd-timesyncd.

      Regarding firewalls and network permissions, it’s wise to check if your firewall allows outbound connections to the NTP servers. Typically, NTP uses UDP port 123, so you may need to adjust your firewall settings to permit this traffic. If you are uncertain about your firewall settings, you can check the status and rules with the ufw status command (assuming you are using UFW). If you encounter conflicts with other time synchronization services, it’s advisable to disable them to avoid issues. Lastly, since configuration files may seem intimidating, be sure to back them up prior to making changes. With these steps, you should be able to get your time synchronization up and running smoothly without too much hassle.


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