Weird reboots (ntpd related?)
Gene Heskett
gene.heskett at verizon.net
Tue Apr 3 03:01:02 UTC 2007
On Monday 02 April 2007, Andre Costa wrote:
>Hi,
>
>I've been experiencing weird reboots leately -- not the "bad-RAM" kinda
>reboots, they seem to be software-related, because they seem to happen
>always at the same time.
>
>It usually happens right after boot, when ntpd is synchronizing. This
>is what appears on /var/log/messages:
>
>Apr 2 22:21:43 localhost ntpd[2300]: synchronized to LOCAL(0), stratum
> 10 Apr 2 22:21:43 localhost ntpd[2300]: kernel time sync enabled 0001
> Apr 2 22:22:49 localhost ntpd[2300]: synchronized to 200.218.160.160,
> stratum 2
>
>>>>>> here the system rebooted
>
>Apr 2 22:23:45 localhost syslogd 1.4.1: restart.
>Apr 2 22:23:45 localhost kernel: klogd 1.4.1, log source = /proc/kmsg
> started.
>
>After it reboots, it "survives" -- and even synchronizes again:
>
>Apr 2 22:27:09 localhost ntpd[2319]: synchronized to LOCAL(0), stratum
> 10 Apr 2 22:27:09 localhost ntpd[2319]: kernel time sync enabled 0001
> Apr 2 22:29:16 localhost ntpd[2319]: synchronized to 193.6.222.47,
> stratum 2 Apr 2 22:43:16 localhost ntpd[2319]: time reset -2.639872 s
>Apr 2 22:47:17 localhost ntpd[2319]: synchronized to LOCAL(0), stratum
> 10 Apr 2 22:48:22 localhost ntpd[2319]: synchronized to 193.6.222.47,
> stratum 2
>
>Anyone ever seen something similar? Is it really possible that time
>syncs could cause reboots? Any other log file I could check for
>additional clues?
I believe that big crash corrections backwards can cause this. And I know
that the fedora's all save the time in the mobo's hardware clock at
shutdown time, so the clock should be reasonably close when its used to
set the system time at the next boot. However, if the cmos battery is
getting on in years and laying down on the job of keeping the hardware
clock somewhere near coherent while powered off, the wrong time might be
recovered at bootup, and not corrected until the startup of ntpd, which
actually does a crash correction using ntpdate before handing the keep it
correct chores off to the ntpd, which in turn fine tunes the second to
maintain the system clock within a few milliseconds of the network time
servers.
The location of the reboot in your logs would be the #1 clue as to thise
theory to me. The fact that it usually keeps running after one reboot
because the hardware clock hasn't had time to go doofy because its now
running on electric power is another clue.
So I'd check the cmos battery on the motherboard with a digital meter as
step one, after its been off overnight. Over 3 volts would be considered
decent for a wee bit yet, below 2.7 or so would be grounds to replace it
soonest. ISTR most of them are around 3.3 to 3.6 volts new, but read the
voltage stamped on the cell to be sure. Less than say 85% of that rated
voltage would be grounds to write the cell's type number down and get one
the next time you are in town.
>I am using latest kernel (2.6.20-1.2933.fc6)
>
>TIA
>
>Andre
>
>--
>Andre Oliveira da Costa
--
Cheers, Gene
"There are four boxes to be used in defense of liberty:
soap, ballot, jury, and ammo. Please use in that order."
-Ed Howdershelt (Author)
The way to a man's heart is through the left ventricle.
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