The /etc/ntp/ directory.

[Sten Spans]

On Sun, 11 Dec 2005, Andre Guibert de Bruet wrote:

> Hi,
>
> I have a 7.0-CURRENT machine that I have upgraded time and time again, since 
> the 5.3-CURRENT days. While looking into setting up ntpd, I came across the 
> empty /etc/ntp/ directory. After perusing the man file, and the rcNG startup 
> scripts, I don't see anything that makes a reference to this directory. The 
> locations that I do find are:
>
> ntpd.conf: /etc/ntpd.conf
> ntp.drift: /var/db/ntpd.drift
> ntpd.pid:  /var/run/ntpd.pid
> Docs:      /usr/share/doc/ntp
>
> I checked a fresh install of 6.0-RELEASE and this directory appears there too 
> but again, without any references. On 4.11-STABLE, it does not exist. Is 
> there any use at all for this directory?

The most common usage is with an ntpd running as user ntp.
This user normally can't write to /var/db/ ( ntpd renames
a temporary ntpd.drift.XXXX to ntpd.drift ).
So ntpd.drift is moved to /etc/ntp where user ntp
does have write permissions.

Not that FreeBSD supports non-root ntpd (afaik).

-- 
Sten Spans

"There is a crack in everything, that's how the light gets in."
Leonard Cohen - Anthem