NTPQ(1)NTPQ(1)NAMEntpq - standard NTP query program
SYNOPSISntpq [-inp] [-c command] [host] [...]
DESCRIPTION
The ntpq utility program is used to monitor NTP daemon ntpd operations
and determine performance. It uses the standard NTP mode 6 control mes‐
sage formats defined in Appendix B of the NTPv3 specification RFC1305.
The same formats are used in NTPv4, although some of the variables have
changed and new ones added. The description on this page is for the
NTPv4 variables.
The program can be run either in interactive mode or controlled using
command line arguments. Requests to read and write arbitrary variables
can be assembled, with raw and pretty-printed output options being
available. The ntpq can also obtain and print a list of peers in a com‐
mon format by sending multiple queries to the server.
If one or more request options is included on the command line when
ntpq is executed, each of the requests will be sent to the NTP servers
running on each of the hosts given as command line arguments, or on
localhost by default. If no request options are given, ntpq will
attempt to read commands from the standard input and execute these on
the NTP server running on the first host given on the command line,
again defaulting to localhost when no other host is specified. ntpq
will prompt for commands if the standard input is a terminal device.
ntpq uses NTP mode 6 packets to communicate with the NTP server, and
hence can be used to query any compatible server on the network which
permits it. Note that since NTP is a UDP protocol this communication
will be somewhat unreliable, especially over large distances in terms
of network topology. ntpq makes one attempt to retransmit requests, and
will time requests out if the remote host is not heard from within a
suitable timeout time.
Note that in contexts where a host name is expected, a -4 qualifier
preceding the host name forces DNS resolution to the IPv4 namespace,
while a -6 qualifier forces DNS resolution to the IPv6 namespace.
OPTIONS
Command line options are described following. Specifying a command line
option other than -i or -n will cause the specified query (queries) to
be sent to the indicated host(s) immediately. Otherwise, ntpq will
attempt to read interactive format commands from the standard input.
-4 Force DNS resolution of following host names on the command line
to the IPv4 namespace.
-6 Force DNS resolution of following host names on the command line
to the IPv6 namespace.
-c The following argument is interpreted as an interactive format
command and is added to the list of commands to be executed on
the specified host(s). Multiple -c options may be given.
-i Force ntpq to operate in interactive mode. Prompts will be writ‐
ten to the standard output and commands read from the standard
input.
-n Output all host addresses in dotted-quad numeric format rather
than converting to the canonical host names.
-p Print a list of the peers known to the server as well as a sum‐
mary of their state. This is equivalent to the peers interactive
command.
SEE ALSO
/usr/share/doc/ntp-doc/html/ntpq.html for the full documentation.
Network Time Protocol November 9, 2007 NTPQ(1)
