System time not syncing via internet

[C de-Avillez]

On Fri, 10 May 2013 09:31:59 +0100
Colin Law <clanlaw at googlemail.com> wrote:

> On 10 May 2013 00:00, C de-Avillez <hggdh2 at ubuntu.com> wrote:
> > On Thu, 9 May 2013 09:42:15 +0100
> > Colin Law <clanlaw at googlemail.com> wrote:
> >
> >> Thanks for that, you are right, ntp is not installed.  I am now
> >> trying to work out why it is not installed even though I have
> >> selected automatic update from internet, given the fact that it is
> >> a standard install of 12.04.  I seem to remember that on earlier
> >> versions of Ubuntu it automatically installed ntp when the option
> >> was selected, but it does not appear to do that any more.  Is that
> >> a bug?  I cannot find anything on launchpad.
> >
> > NTP is not installed by default for quite a long time, I do not
> > remember anymore how long, if it ever was. I know I opened bug
> > 583994 [1] some time ago. But, while discussing this with some of
> > the developers, I got no traction and, I guess, gave up. Now I
> > simply make sure that ntp is always installed on all systems I care
> > for.
> 
> That bug (and the linked one there) are addressing a slightly
> different issue.  The issue here is that even though sync from
> internet is selected it appears only to sync once and never again (for
> me anyway).  If the fix is to install ntp when that option is selected
> then selecting the option should force ntp to be installed (or a
> message should indicate that it is recommended and why).

Well, I agree it is adressing a slightly different issue. But -- and
this is important -- ntpdate *does* sync with the internet. Once, when
the interface is activated.

> 
> >
> > This is not as much a bug (as in error) as a change in behaviour: of
> > old, most home systems were only temporarily connected to the
> > internet, so ntpdate made sense. Nowadays many (or, being selfish,
> > at least myself) are continuously connected.
> 
> I think it is a bug as the option to sync from internet is selected,
> but it does not.

And I agree with you there as far as "sync from the internet" means
"keep this machine time-synced". Which means not only once per if-up,
but continuously (and, BTW, this is how I read it nowadays). Please
note that when we used to connect/disconnect, ntpdate would do this job
as well.

But, nowadays, well worth a bug on itself. Tempora mutantur, nos et
mutamur in illis.
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