NTP Sync Check Reference

All parameters, thresholds, and configuration options for the NTP sync check in octoja.

Written By Erdinc Akay

Last updated About 2 months ago

NTP Sync Check Reference

The NTP Sync Check measures the offset between the device's system clock and an NTP server and alerts when the absolute offset meets or exceeds the configured thresholds.

Configuration fields

FieldTypeRequiredDefaultDescription
NTP ServerStringNopool.ntp.orgNTP server to sync against
Warning offset (ms)NumberNo1000Absolute clock offset in milliseconds that meets or exceeds this value triggers a warning
Critical offset (ms)NumberNo5000Absolute clock offset in milliseconds that meets or exceeds this value triggers a critical result
Timeout (ms)NumberNo5000NTP query timeout. Values are clamped to the range 500–30000 ms.

Collected metrics

  • Offset (ms) — signed difference between the NTP server time and the local system clock
  • NTP server — the host the check queried
  • NTP time — the timestamp returned by the NTP server
  • Local time — the local system clock timestamp at the moment of comparison

Platform support

PlatformSupported
WindowsYes
LinuxYes
macOSYes

Notes

  • The check sends an NTP query and compares the response time against the local clock. It does not adjust the system clock.
  • If the NTP server is unreachable (network issue, firewall) or the query fails, the check returns a failure result.
  • If the Warning offset is configured higher than the Critical offset, the two values are automatically swapped before evaluation.
  • The check runs every 60 minutes on the agent. The interval is not user-configurable.

See also: Configure an NTP Sync Check