[edit]Before you start

You need a machine that stays switched on and a reference clock to follow: a public time server, a radio receiver or simply the most trusted machine you have. Check that no other time service is running, because two programs that both set the clock will fight over it.

Upgrading from 1.9? The configuration file changed its name. Read the upgrade notes first; the steps below are for a fresh machine.

[edit]Unpacking and building

From a package

Most systems carry a package. Install it with your usual tool and skip to the first run. Packages lag a few weeks behind the release list.

From source

Fetch the archive, unpack it and build. The default prefix is /usr/local; pass --prefix to change it.

The build needs only a C compiler and make. If configure stops, it says which header it could not find:

1. install the missing development package;
2. remove config.cache;
3. run configure again.

[edit]First run

Start the server once in the foreground, so that you see what it does. It should name its reference within a minute and report an offset that shrinks.

• An offset under 50 ms after ten minutes is healthy.
• An offset that grows means the reference cannot be reached.

[edit]See also

• The configuration file (a page of the manual)
• Upgrading (a page you have already read)
• Monitoring the offset (under the pointer)
• Starting at boot (while pressed)
• Running behind a firewall (not written yet)
• List of public time servers (an outside link)