Help! My clock is running fast!

**Daan** · 05-25-2006

The clock on my Linux laptop does about 2 seconds every second. What can I do to fix this?

**antidrugue** · 05-25-2006

More details would help perhaps.

Which distro are you using? Is it a 64 bits distro?
Which laptop is it? Is it 64 bits?

**Daan** · 05-25-2006

I'm using Debian testing (32 bit). The laptop is a 32 bit Toshiba Tecra 8100 (quite old). Today is the first time I'm experiencing this. I did not upgrade or install anyting for a coiuple of days.

Quite anyoing this fast running clock. I use my laptop to measure the growth rate of bacteria.

Code:

daan@smeagol:~$ uname -a
Linux smeagol 2.6.15-1-486 #2 Mon Mar 6 15:19:16 UTC 2006 i686 GNU/Linux

**antidrugue** · 05-25-2006

Originally Posted by Daan

Today is the first time I'm experiencing this. I did not upgrade or install anyting for a coiuple of days.

So you didn't change anything?

Do you have another OS on this machine? Does it happens on it?

You could try to upgrade your kernel to

Code:

2.6.15-1-686

So 686 instead, more appropriate for your machine.

Plus, does /dev/rtc exist?

You could configure NTPD as well to synchronise time periodically, though I really time it won't reall help in your case.

Also, you can try to add the boot parameter

Code:

disable_timer_pin_1

to Grub.

**Zelmo** · 05-25-2006

Running the NTP daemon is supposed to keep your clock on track. If you have a full-time Internet connection, it will check your system time against known good time servers periodically and nudge the speed of your system clock so that it stays accurate.

Check to see if it's running with this console command:

Code:

$ ps -e | grep ntpd

If a line comes back that starts with a number and ends with ntpd, then you have it running but it's not working right. In that case, check the contents of /var/log/ntpd for clues as to what's wrong.

If you get no output from the ps command, then ntpd isn't running. You may be able to solve the whole problem by just starting ntpd as root (just type ntpd from a root console). If your system time is way off when you start ntpd, it will complain about a sanity limit. In that case, the -g switch (ntpd -g) will start the daemon while ignoring the sanity limit, so it will correct the time no matter how far off it is.

If it still goes awry after that, check the contents of /var/log/ntpd again for clues as to what's wrong.

**TheBigPhish** · 05-25-2006

how good is that CMOS battery?

**brokndodge** · 05-25-2006

u didn't happen to hook it up to a broadband connection recently did u? some old bios don't respond well to a fast internet connextion. mine did that before i turned on the ntpd

**Daan** · 05-26-2006

Thanks all for your replies!

I rebooted and the problem was gone. I only needed to set the time again.

Maybe I should have tried the reboot before screaming for help, sorry for that.

To answer your questions:

Antidrugue, I have Sarge on the machine too, when I booted into Sarge, the clock was running at the right rate, but, after being synchronised to the system clock, it was indicating a time a couple of hours ahead.

dev/rtc exists.

Zelmo, $ ps -e | grep ntpd gives no response whatsoever.

Later, if I have time, I'll try and find something on this NDPT server business.

Thanks again!

**brokndodge** · 05-27-2006

i've done that a couple of times myself. after all it is a linux box, why would i need to reboot?

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