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ntpMerlin LAN clients can't sync

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Indeed. The built-in Busybox NTP server does not have this issue. Even when tcpdump can't get the right time the Busybox NTP can.

Code:
00:00:00.803208 IP (tos 0x0, ttl 128, id 6449, offset 0, flags [none], proto UDP (17), length 76)
    192.168.1.2.ntp > 192.168.1.1.ntp: [udp sum ok] NTPv3, length 48
        Client, Leap indicator: clock unsynchronized (192), Stratum 0 (unspecified), poll 8 (256s), precision -23
        Root Delay: 0.039123, Root dispersion: 9.206100, Reference-ID: (unspec)
          Reference Timestamp:  3832375966.912279299 (2021/06/11 04:52:46)
          Originator Timestamp: 0.000000000
          Receive Timestamp:    0.000000000
          Transmit Timestamp:   3832376360.756280199 (2021/06/11 04:59:20)
            Originator - Receive Timestamp:  0.000000000
            Originator - Transmit Timestamp: 3832376360.756280199 (2021/06/11 04:59:20)
04:59:20.323361 IP (tos 0x48, ttl 64, id 0, offset 0, flags [DF], proto UDP (17), length 76)
    192.168.1.1.ntp > 192.168.1.2.ntp: [bad udp cksum 0x4bb1 -> 0xaae7!] NTPv3, length 48
        Server, Leap indicator:  (0), Stratum 2 (secondary reference), poll 7 (128s), precision -9
        Root Delay: 0.033462, Root dispersion: 0.012481, Reference-ID: 78-73-83-84-no185.tbcn.telia.com
          Reference Timestamp:  3832376344.910919189 (2021/06/11 04:59:04)
          Originator Timestamp: 3832376360.756280199 (2021/06/11 04:59:20)
          Receive Timestamp:    3832376360.323260307 (2021/06/11 04:59:20)
          Transmit Timestamp:   3832376360.323286056 (2021/06/11 04:59:20)
            Originator - Receive Timestamp:  -0.433019892
            Originator - Transmit Timestamp: -0.432994143
 
Maybe I'm going out on a limb here, but this might explain my intermittent issues with dnscrypt-proxy2 as well. If it can't get the right time it won't work. As I've posted in the forum before, occasionally dnscrypt-proxy2 queries timeout even for major domains like yahoo.com and google.com. After ten seconds or so it starts working again.
 
This is a good geek mystery, but as you’ve probably noticed, not many people here are smart enough to help. Even the Entware team punted.

If no other AC88U user can corroborate your results, it may be time to assume it’s you or your network. You need some other external data point to prove you’re sane/insane.
 
You need some other external data point to prove you’re sane/insane.

That's what the Busybox NTP seems like to me. So far all of the problems are with Entware applications. I just don't know how or why the time they get can be wrong sometimes and built-in firmware applications don't seem to have the problem.

Could it be a USB issue? Seems like a stretch, but anything's possible I suppose. I can try and run one of the binaries from jffs and see what happens. If there is a USB issue I suspect it won't be as simple as that to nail down since the dependencies will still be on the USB.
 
I did do a tcpdump capturing all packets to the router for a few moments and I still see the sporadic timestamp problem, so it's not unique to UDP or NTP packets. I snipped everything except the timestamp part:

Code:
00:00:00.857443 IP (tos 0x0, ttl 128, id 34890, offset 0, flags [DF], proto TCP (6), length 40)
14:59:42.127934 IP (tos 0x10, ttl 64, id 52196, offset 0, flags [DF], proto TCP (6), length 616)
14:59:42.137884 IP (tos 0x10, ttl 64, id 52197, offset 0, flags [DF], proto TCP (6), length 360)
00:00:00.857436 IP (tos 0x0, ttl 128, id 34891, offset 0, flags [DF], proto TCP (6), length 40)
14:59:42.147923 IP (tos 0x10, ttl 64, id 52198, offset 0, flags [DF], proto TCP (6), length 616)
14:59:42.157886 IP (tos 0x10, ttl 64, id 52199, offset 0, flags [DF], proto TCP (6), length 360)
00:00:00.857501 IP (tos 0x0, ttl 128, id 34892, offset 0, flags [DF], proto TCP (6), length 40)
14:59:42.167924 IP (tos 0x10, ttl 64, id 52200, offset 0, flags [DF], proto TCP (6), length 616)
14:59:42.177882 IP (tos 0x10, ttl 64, id 52201, offset 0, flags [DF], proto TCP (6), length 360)
14:59:42.180166 IP (tos 0x0, ttl 128, id 34893, offset 0, flags [DF], proto TCP (6), length 40)
14:59:42.187929 IP (tos 0x10, ttl 64, id 52202, offset 0, flags [DF], proto TCP (6), length 616)
14:59:42.197880 IP (tos 0x10, ttl 64, id 52203, offset 0, flags [DF], proto TCP (6), length 360)
14:59:42.200431 IP (tos 0x0, ttl 128, id 34894, offset 0, flags [DF], proto TCP (6), length 40)
14:59:42.207930 IP (tos 0x10, ttl 64, id 52204, offset 0, flags [DF], proto TCP (6), length 616)
14:59:42.210278 IP (tos 0x0, ttl 128, id 34895, offset 0, flags [DF], proto TCP (6), length 200)
14:59:42.210728 IP (tos 0x10, ttl 64, id 52205, offset 0, flags [DF], proto TCP (6), length 664)
14:59:42.217892 IP (tos 0x10, ttl 64, id 52206, offset 0, flags [DF], proto TCP (6), length 360)
14:59:42.219777 IP (tos 0x0, ttl 128, id 34896, offset 0, flags [DF], proto TCP (6), length 40)
14:59:42.227916 IP (tos 0x10, ttl 64, id 52207, offset 0, flags [DF], proto TCP (6), length 616)
14:59:42.237886 IP (tos 0x10, ttl 64, id 52208, offset 0, flags [DF], proto TCP (6), length 360)
14:59:42.240920 IP (tos 0x0, ttl 128, id 34897, offset 0, flags [DF], proto TCP (6), length 40)
14:59:42.247936 IP (tos 0x10, ttl 64, id 52209, offset 0, flags [DF], proto TCP (6), length 616)
14:59:42.257884 IP (tos 0x10, ttl 64, id 52210, offset 0, flags [DF], proto TCP (6), length 360)
14:59:42.259790 IP (tos 0x0, ttl 128, id 34898, offset 0, flags [DF], proto TCP (6), length 40)
14:59:42.267924 IP (tos 0x10, ttl 64, id 52211, offset 0, flags [DF], proto TCP (6), length 616)
14:59:42.277880 IP (tos 0x10, ttl 64, id 52212, offset 0, flags [DF], proto TCP (6), length 360)
14:59:42.280594 IP (tos 0x0, ttl 128, id 34899, offset 0, flags [DF], proto TCP (6), length 40)
14:59:42.287922 IP (tos 0x10, ttl 64, id 52213, offset 0, flags [DF], proto TCP (6), length 616)
14:59:42.297886 IP (tos 0x10, ttl 64, id 52214, offset 0, flags [DF], proto TCP (6), length 360)
00:00:00.857287 IP (tos 0x0, ttl 128, id 34900, offset 0, flags [DF], proto TCP (6), length 40)
14:59:42.307916 IP (tos 0x10, ttl 64, id 52215, offset 0, flags [DF], proto TCP (6), length 616)
14:59:42.317909 IP (tos 0x10, ttl 64, id 52216, offset 0, flags [DF], proto TCP (6), length 360)
14:59:42.320444 IP (tos 0x0, ttl 128, id 34901, offset 0, flags [DF], proto TCP (6), length 40)
14:59:42.327941 IP (tos 0x10, ttl 64, id 52217, offset 0, flags [DF], proto TCP (6), length 616)
14:59:42.337885 IP (tos 0x10, ttl 64, id 52218, offset 0, flags [DF], proto TCP (6), length 360)
14:59:42.339820 IP (tos 0x0, ttl 128, id 34902, offset 0, flags [DF], proto TCP (6), length 40)
14:59:42.347925 IP (tos 0x10, ttl 64, id 52219, offset 0, flags [DF], proto TCP (6), length 616)
14:59:42.357888 IP (tos 0x10, ttl 64, id 52220, offset 0, flags [DF], proto TCP (6), length 360)
14:59:42.361047 IP (tos 0x0, ttl 128, id 34903, offset 0, flags [DF], proto TCP (6), length 40)
14:59:42.367929 IP (tos 0x10, ttl 64, id 52221, offset 0, flags [DF], proto TCP (6), length 616)
14:59:42.377881 IP (tos 0x10, ttl 64, id 52222, offset 0, flags [DF], proto TCP (6), length 360)
14:59:42.379746 IP (tos 0x0, ttl 128, id 34904, offset 0, flags [DF], proto TCP (6), length 40)
14:59:42.387939 IP (tos 0x10, ttl 64, id 52223, offset 0, flags [DF], proto TCP (6), length 616)
14:59:42.397892 IP (tos 0x10, ttl 64, id 52224, offset 0, flags [DF], proto TCP (6), length 360)
14:59:42.400544 IP (tos 0x0, ttl 128, id 34905, offset 0, flags [DF], proto TCP (6), length 40)
14:59:42.406566 IP (tos 0x0, ttl 128, id 34906, offset 0, flags [DF], proto TCP (6), length 104)
14:59:42.407020 IP (tos 0x10, ttl 64, id 52225, offset 0, flags [DF], proto TCP (6), length 872)
 
I FOUND IT!!!

On a hunch I disabled CTF and the weird timestamps stopped. I captured 2,000 packets with CTF off and not one messed up timestamp. Turn it back on and the weird timestamps return.

Then I ran ntpd and checked with ntpq -p and never saw any of those 51y values like I had before.

Code:
admin@RT-AC88U-B1E8:/jffs/scripts# ntpq -p
     remote           refid      st t when poll reach   delay   offset  jitter
==============================================================================
+ntp2.ds.network 195.66.241.3     2 u   12   64    1  244.149  +59.963   1.514
*ntp3.ds.network 85.199.214.100   2 u   13   64    1  244.550  +59.203   1.225
+ec2-13-55-50-68 203.206.205.83   3 u   13   64    1  147.845   -1.076   1.557
admin@RT-AC88U-B1E8:/jffs/scripts# ntpq -p
     remote           refid      st t when poll reach   delay   offset  jitter
==============================================================================
+ntp2.ds.network 195.66.241.3     2 u   19   64    1  244.149  +59.963   1.514
*ntp3.ds.network 85.199.214.100   2 u   19   64    1  244.550  +59.203   1.225
+ec2-13-55-50-68 203.206.205.83   3 u   18   64    1  147.845   -1.076   1.557
admin@RT-AC88U-B1E8:/jffs/scripts# ntpq -p
     remote           refid      st t when poll reach   delay   offset  jitter
==============================================================================
+ntp2.ds.network 195.66.241.3     2 u   22   64    1  244.149  +59.963   1.514
*ntp3.ds.network 85.199.214.100   2 u   22   64    1  244.550  +59.203   1.225
+ec2-13-55-50-68 203.206.205.83   3 u   21   64    1  147.845   -1.076   1.557
admin@RT-AC88U-B1E8:/jffs/scripts# ntpq -p
     remote           refid      st t when poll reach   delay   offset  jitter
==============================================================================
+ntp2.ds.network 195.66.241.3     2 u   26   64    1  244.149  +59.963   1.514
*ntp3.ds.network 85.199.214.100   2 u   26   64    1  244.550  +59.203   1.225
+ec2-13-55-50-68 203.206.205.83   3 u   25   64    1  147.845   -1.076   1.557
admin@RT-AC88U-B1E8:/jffs/scripts# ntpq -p
     remote           refid      st t when poll reach   delay   offset  jitter
==============================================================================
+ntp2.ds.network 195.66.241.3     2 u   28   64    1  244.149  +59.963   1.514
*ntp3.ds.network 85.199.214.100   2 u   28   64    1  244.550  +59.203   1.225
+ec2-13-55-50-68 203.206.205.83   3 u   27   64    1  147.845   -1.076   1.557
admin@RT-AC88U-B1E8:/jffs/scripts# ntpq -p
     remote           refid      st t when poll reach   delay   offset  jitter
==============================================================================
+ntp2.ds.network 195.66.241.3     2 u   33   64    1  244.149  +59.963   1.514
*ntp3.ds.network 85.199.214.100   2 u   33   64    1  244.550  +59.203   1.225
+ec2-13-55-50-68 203.206.205.83   3 u   32   64    1  147.845   -1.076   1.557
admin@RT-AC88U-B1E8:/jffs/scripts# ntpq -p
     remote           refid      st t when poll reach   delay   offset  jitter
==============================================================================
+ntp2.ds.network 195.66.241.3     2 u   36   64    1  244.149  +59.963   1.514
*ntp3.ds.network 85.199.214.100   2 u   36   64    1  244.550  +59.203   1.225
+ec2-13-55-50-68 203.206.205.83   3 u   35   64    1  147.845   -1.076   1.557
admin@RT-AC88U-B1E8:/jffs/scripts# ntpq -p
     remote           refid      st t when poll reach   delay   offset  jitter
==============================================================================
+ntp2.ds.network 195.66.241.3     2 u   39   64    1  244.149  +59.963   1.514
*ntp3.ds.network 85.199.214.100   2 u   39   64    1  244.550  +59.203   1.225
+ec2-13-55-50-68 203.206.205.83   3 u   38   64    1  147.845   -1.076   1.557
admin@RT-AC88U-B1E8:/jffs/scripts# ntpq -p
     remote           refid      st t when poll reach   delay   offset  jitter
==============================================================================
+ntp2.ds.network 195.66.241.3     2 u   41   64    1  244.149  +59.963   1.514
*ntp3.ds.network 85.199.214.100   2 u   41   64    1  244.550  +59.203   1.225
+ec2-13-55-50-68 203.206.205.83   3 u   40   64    1  147.845   -1.076   1.557
admin@RT-AC88U-B1E8:/jffs/scripts# ntpq -p
     remote           refid      st t when poll reach   delay   offset  jitter
==============================================================================
+ntp2.ds.network 195.66.241.3     2 u   44   64    1  244.149  +59.963   1.514
*ntp3.ds.network 85.199.214.100   2 u   44   64    1  244.550  +59.203   1.225
+ec2-13-55-50-68 203.206.205.83   3 u   43   64    1  147.845   -1.076   1.557
admin@RT-AC88U-B1E8:/jffs/scripts# ntpq -p
     remote           refid      st t when poll reach   delay   offset  jitter
==============================================================================
+ntp2.ds.network 195.66.241.3     2 u   46   64    1  244.149  +59.963   1.514
*ntp3.ds.network 85.199.214.100   2 u   46   64    1  244.550  +59.203   1.225
+ec2-13-55-50-68 203.206.205.83   3 u   45   64    1  147.845   -1.076   1.557
admin@RT-AC88U-B1E8:/jffs/scripts# ntpq -p
     remote           refid      st t when poll reach   delay   offset  jitter
==============================================================================
+ntp2.ds.network 195.66.241.3     2 u   47   64    1  244.149  +59.963   1.514
*ntp3.ds.network 85.199.214.100   2 u   47   64    1  244.550  +59.203   1.225
+ec2-13-55-50-68 203.206.205.83   3 u   46   64    1  147.845   -1.076   1.557
admin@RT-AC88U-B1E8:/jffs/scripts# ntpq -p
     remote           refid      st t when poll reach   delay   offset  jitter
==============================================================================
+ntp2.ds.network 195.66.241.3     2 u   50   64    1  244.149  +59.963   1.514
*ntp3.ds.network 85.199.214.100   2 u   50   64    1  244.550  +59.203   1.225
+ec2-13-55-50-68 203.206.205.83   3 u   49   64    1  147.845   -1.076   1.557
admin@RT-AC88U-B1E8:/jffs/scripts# ntpq -p
     remote           refid      st t when poll reach   delay   offset  jitter
==============================================================================
+ntp2.ds.network 195.66.241.3     2 u   24   64    3  244.115  +30.655  30.564
*ntp3.ds.network 85.199.214.100   2 u   25   64    3  244.897  +30.619  29.603
+ec2-13-55-50-68 203.206.205.83   3 u   24   64    3  147.893  -29.856  30.064
admin@RT-AC88U-B1E8:/jffs/scripts# ntpq -p
     remote           refid      st t when poll reach   delay   offset  jitter
==============================================================================
+ntp2.ds.network 195.66.241.3     2 u   27   64    3  244.115  +30.655  30.564
*ntp3.ds.network 85.199.214.100   2 u   28   64    3  244.897  +30.619  29.603
+ec2-13-55-50-68 203.206.205.83   3 u   27   64    3  147.893  -29.856  30.064
admin@RT-AC88U-B1E8:/jffs/scripts# ntpq -p
     remote           refid      st t when poll reach   delay   offset  jitter
==============================================================================
+ntp2.ds.network 195.66.241.3     2 u   43   64    3  244.115  +30.655  30.564
*ntp3.ds.network 85.199.214.100   2 u   44   64    3  244.897  +30.619  29.603
+ec2-13-55-50-68 203.206.205.83   3 u   43   64    3  147.893  -29.856  30.064
admin@RT-AC88U-B1E8:/jffs/scripts# ntpq -p
     remote           refid      st t when poll reach   delay   offset  jitter
==============================================================================
+ntp2.ds.network 195.66.241.3     2 u   49   64    3  244.115  +30.655  30.564
*ntp3.ds.network 85.199.214.100   2 u   50   64    3  244.897  +30.619  29.603
+ec2-13-55-50-68 203.206.205.83   3 u   49   64    3  147.893  -29.856  30.064
admin@RT-AC88U-B1E8:/jffs/scripts# ntpq -p
     remote           refid      st t when poll reach   delay   offset  jitter
==============================================================================
+ntp2.ds.network 195.66.241.3     2 u   53   64    3  244.115  +30.655  30.564
*ntp3.ds.network 85.199.214.100   2 u   54   64    3  244.897  +30.619  29.603
+ec2-13-55-50-68 203.206.205.83   3 u   53   64    3  147.893  -29.856  30.064
admin@RT-AC88U-B1E8:/jffs/scripts# ntpq -p
     remote           refid      st t when poll reach   delay   offset  jitter
==============================================================================
+ntp2.ds.network 195.66.241.3     2 u   55   64    3  244.115  +30.655  30.564
*ntp3.ds.network 85.199.214.100   2 u   56   64    3  244.897  +30.619  29.603
+ec2-13-55-50-68 203.206.205.83   3 u   55   64    3  147.893  -29.856  30.064
admin@RT-AC88U-B1E8:/jffs/scripts# ntpq -p
     remote           refid      st t when poll reach   delay   offset  jitter
==============================================================================
+ntp2.ds.network 195.66.241.3     2 u   57   64    3  244.115  +30.655  30.564
*ntp3.ds.network 85.199.214.100   2 u   58   64    3  244.897  +30.619  29.603
+ec2-13-55-50-68 203.206.205.83   3 u   57   64    3  147.893  -29.856  30.064

Then I forced the Windows 10 client to sync over 20 times with 0 issues.

Can anyone else verify? All you have to do is run tcpdump for a little bit and look at the timestamps on the packets.
 
Is the CTF code Asus code? Where do I go to report the bug where it will get attention?
 
Is the CTF code Asus code? Where do I go to report the bug where it will get attention?
Install stock firmware. Confirm that the problem still exits. Go to Administration > Feedback, complete the form and then Send the details to Asus.
 
Can you run Entware on stock firmware? I don't know how to check otherwise.
 
I'm going to make a new topic in the main Merlin forum since this is clearly not an add-on issue.
 

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