NTP Client#

Management → NCNTP Clients

NTP servers are timekeeping entities that allow clients to request the current time periodically, preventing long-term drift and ensuring that all devices within an NTP domain use the same time reference.

NTP servers can in turn be clients of another NTP server. The stratum number indicates the number of synchronization hops between an NTP server and a reference clock. Stratum 1 servers are directly connected to a precise stratum 0 reference, such as an atomic clock or a GNSS receiver.

Use an NTPClient resource to configure network elements with the same reference time.

Reachability#

The NTP server can be reached through the out-of-band ManagementRouter, or in-band through the DefaultRouter or a virtual Router.

NTP uses UDP datagrams for low-latency, connectionless data delivery. Upon receipt of an NTP request, the server sends a reply to the request's source IP address.

The source IP address of the NTPClient is derived automatically from the available interfaces of the source router. It can also be defined explicitly by specifying a SystemInterface or DefaultInterface reference for a DefaultRouter, or a RoutedInterface or IRBInterface reference for a virtual Router.

Initial burst#

Initial burst, or iBurst, is a configuration option that speeds up initial clock synchronization. The client sends a short sequence of packets instead of relying on the normal polling interval.

Preferred server#

Set preferred to true to mark a server as preferred when the client selects among suitable servers.

Dependencies#

The type of router that the NTPClient will use to reach out to the NTP server can be selected through the routerKind property.

Router types#

ManagementRouter#

If routerKind is set to ManagementRouter, the router property should contain a valid reference to a ManagementRouter. The NTPClient will be deployed on all nodes that participate in the router.

DefaultRouter#

If routerKind is set to DefaultRouter, exactly one of the router and routerSelectors properties must select valid references to a DefaultRouter. The NTPClient will be deployed on all nodes that participate in the selected router or routers.

Router#

If routerKind is set to Router, the router property should contain a valid reference to a Router. The NTPClient will be deployed on all nodes that participate in the router.

Referenced resources#

Source interface types#

The source address of NTP request packets can be derived by the node from the available interfaces of the router, or it can be specified explicitly using the sourceInterface property. When specifying an interface, set both sourceInterfaceKind and sourceInterface. A ManagementRouter does not support either property.

SystemInterface#

If routerKind is set to DefaultRouter and sourceInterfaceKind is set to SystemInterface, the sourceInterface property should contain a valid reference to a SystemInterface.

DefaultInterface#

If routerKind is set to DefaultRouter and sourceInterfaceKind is set to DefaultInterface, the sourceInterface property should contain a valid reference to a DefaultInterface.

RoutedInterface#

If routerKind is set to Router and sourceInterfaceKind is set to RoutedInterface, the sourceInterface property should contain a valid reference to a RoutedInterface.

IRBInterface#

If routerKind is set to Router and sourceInterfaceKind is set to IRBInterface, the sourceInterface property should contain a valid reference to an IRBInterface.

Examples#

apiVersion: timing.eda.nokia.com/v1
kind: NTPClient
metadata:
  name: ntpclient
  namespace: timing
spec:
  routerKind: Router
  servers:
    - iBurst: true
      preferred: true
      server: 10.0.100.101
  sourceInterfaceKind: IRBInterface
  sourceInterface: inband-mgmt-bd-irb
  router: inband-mgmt-router

cat << 'EOF' | kubectl apply -f -
apiVersion: timing.eda.nokia.com/v1
kind: NTPClient
metadata:
  name: ntpclient
  namespace: timing
spec:
  routerKind: Router
  servers:
    - iBurst: true
      preferred: true
      server: 10.0.100.101
  sourceInterfaceKind: IRBInterface
  sourceInterface: inband-mgmt-bd-irb
  router: inband-mgmt-router
EOF

Custom Resource Definition#

To browse the Custom Resource Definition go to crd.eda.dev.