Time synchronize results in running a local ntp server

[tweedledee]

Binary package hint: ntp

In Ubuntu Hardy, the ntp package installs a version (or configuration of, I'm not sure) ntpd that actually runs a local ntp server by default. Frankly, for the purposes of keeping my clock in sync with time servers, this is absurd, not to mention the fact that it opens several ports to 0.0.0.0:* so that any computer can connect to my (unintentionally running) server. This was not true in Gutsy. The ntp server appears to start regardless of whether the process to move to Hardy was an upgrade or fresh install. I'm guessing based on version numbering that it is probably a configuration file change rather than an actual code change.

Aside from the security issues of a running an ntp server, the new /etc/network/if-up.d/ntpdate also restarts ntpd for each interface, which causes apparent hangs (in my case - the restart process never appears to end but actually does) and real problems (others are apparently experiencing real hangs), as discussed in this forum thread: http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?p=4839092. This can be avoided by either removing the ntp package (since ntpdate alone appears to synchronize time, albiet not as frequently or as well, and may disappear in future versions of Ubuntu based on comments in this bug: https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/ntp/+bug/83604) or commenting out the two lines to stop/start the server in /etc/network/if-up.d/ntpdate.