clockspeed-conf

The clockspeed-conf package provides configuration scripts to set up a clockspeed client and/or a taiclockd server using D. J. Bernstein's daemontools for supervision and his clockspeed package for time synchronisation.
It can sync to an ntp or a taiclock server.

The package installs two executables: clockspeed-conf and taiclockd-conf.

clockspeed-conf makes two supervise skeletons, one for clockspeed (DIR-speed) and the other for clockadjust (DIR-adjust).
The former runs clockspeed to keep your clock running evenly, the latter queries a time-keeping server in certain intervals. It does not symlink the resulting service directories into svscans central directory (often called /service/). You can inspect and change the new services before activating them manually.

taiclockd-conf makes one supervise skeleton to run a taiclock master (synced by clockspeed)

clockspeed-conf is distributed under the BSD License

For the impatient

• Resolve requirements daemontools-0.76 and clockspeed-0.62
• untar clockspeed-conf-0.4.5.tar.gz
• cd clockspeed-conf-0.4.5; make install
  
• Make user accounts 'clockspeed' and 'log' (e.g.)
• /usr/local/bin/clockspeed-conf clockspeed log /var/service/clockspeed ntp 10.2.3.4
• carefully check /var/service/clockspeed-*
• ln -sf /var/service/clockspeed-* /service/
• tail -f /var/service/clockspeed-adjust/log/main/current

Contents

Requirements

• daemontools-0.76
• clockspeed-0.62

Installation

FreeBSD

1. Get the port skeleton: clockspeed-conf-0.4.5_0-portskel.tar.gz
2. As root untar the skeleton in /usr/ports

   tar -xvzf clockspeed-conf-0.4.5_0-portskel.tar.gz -C /usr/ports
   

3. Install clockspeed-conf using the port

   cd /usr/ports/sysutils/clockspeed-conf
   make install clean
   

   This will install daemontools and clockspeed as dependencies.
4. Read INSTALL.FreeBSD provided with the clockspeed port in order to configure your system with the right timezone. This is usually located at /usr/local/share/doc/clockspeed/.
   You may skip all sections concerning adjustments and calibration.

   Short summary: (cd /usr/src/share/zoneinfo; make -DLEAPSECONDS clean all install ; make clean)

5. Now you are ready to read on at Usage

• log
• clockspeed
• taiclock

Linux

1. Get daemontools and clockspeed from Bernstein's site (see Requirements) and install them as documented there.
2. rpm -i http://foo42.de/distfiles/clockspeed-conf-0.4.5-0.i386.rpm
3. You may want to set up your timezone with the appropriate file from /usr/share/zoneinfo/right/ in order to get the proper local time.
4. Now you are ready to read on at Usage

• log
• clockspeed
• taiclock

Others

1. Get daemontools and clockspeed from Bernstein's site (see Requirements) and install them as documented there.
2. Get the source: clockspeed-conf-0.4.5.tar.gz
3. Untar the source:

   tar -xvzf clockspeed-conf-0.4.5.tar.gz
   

4. Install the package:

   cd clockspeed-conf-0.4.3 && make install
   

5. Before using clockspeed-conf, you need some pseudo users:
   clockspeed (time adjust service)
   log (output/error log)
   taiclock (taiclockd)
   
6. Now you are ready to read on at Usage

7. These names are suggestions only and may differ on your preferences. clockspeed-conf and taiclockd-conf are called with the users as commandline options.
   The required users can be easily generated with (e.g. on linux)

   groupadd log
   useradd -g log -c "daemontools log user" -d /nonexistent -s /bin/false log
   groupadd clockspeed
   useradd -g clockspeed -c "clockspeed adjust service" -d /nonexistent -s /bin/false clockspeed
   groupadd taiclock
   useradd -g taiclock -c "taiclock daemon" -d /nonexistent -s /bin/false taiclock
   

Usage

Network communication layout

The taiclock master will run taiclockd as a service listening for UDP requests on port 4014.
It syncs to a stratum 2 ntp server of your choice using the clockspeed-adjust subsystem and calibrates its clock with clockspeed.
Note: It is important that this server does not run (x)ntpd syncing the local clock.

The taiclock clients will use clockspeed to calibrate their clock and taiclock to sync to the local taiclock master.

Ntp master server

Standalone client (using an ntp master)

/usr/local/bin/clockspeed-conf clockspeed log /var/service/clockspeed ntp ip.ad.dr.es

Taiclock master

/usr/local/bin/taiclockd-conf taiclock log /var/service/taiclockd

Taiclock client

/usr/local/bin/clockspeed-conf clockspeed log /var/service/clockspeed tai ip.ad.dr.es

Details

Filesystem hierarchy

If clockspeed is installed on FreeBSD via the port sysutils/clockspeed, the socket and atto file will reside in /usr/local/etc/clockspeed/.

By default, clockspeed-conf will expect clockspeed installed from its original source using DJB's filesystem layout.
When installed from FreeBSD ports, clockspeed-conf will be patched to use the FreeBSD hier(1) recommendations and interoperates with the FreeBSD clockspeed port.

If you mix the installations (port / original source), clockspeed-conf can be hinted to use the appropriate filesystem layout using environment variables. See clockspeed-conf(8) section ENVIRONMENT for details.

The adjust socket (fifo)

If adjust is a regular file, something went very wrong. Stop clockspeed, delete the file and restart clockspeed in that case.

The atto file

When you change your hardware (e.g. cpu, board, timing parameters), the (old) atto value will be incorrect and so will be your system clock. Delete it and restart clockspeed-adjust in order to generate a new adjustment.

Log directory

Credits

References