NTP, ntpdate, and ISP-based firewall

[Bevan C. Bennett]

Don Levey wrote:
> I've been trying to set up an NTP server within my own local network, and
> have it sync with an outside server.  It appears that my ISP is blocking NTP
> access; I can get a sync only when I run ntpdate -u.
> 
> While I could do that manually, or even set it up as a cron job, I'd rather
> set up ntpd to do this at intervals if possible.  Any suggestions as to how
> I can configure ntpd to work correctly, and/or pointers to tutorials that
> might help?

What does your /etc/ntp.conf file look like currently?
Are you sure ntp packets are going out but not returning?
('tcpdump port ntp' or 'tcpdump port 123' might help debug this.)

On a side note, what kind of fascist, unfriendly ISP blocks NTP traffic? 
  Correct timekeeping is essential for a properly run network 
(especially if you have shared filesystems or want to be able to merge 
logfiles).