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NTP fails to sync every other reboot causing critical failures (no DNS, no addons, et cetera)

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MvW

Senior Member
I know I'm not alone in this but I still haven't found a definitive solution. I tried @Jack Yaz 'aggressive ntpwatchdog at boot' script found elsewhere, but to no avail. I searched the forum but ntp is too short and and other search criteria return non-relevant topics. So here is the issue: every other reboot, NTP fails to sync, regardless which version of Asuswrt-Merlin I use, so this is not specific to the 386.x builds, I've had it before in past versions as well. I can't schedule a reboot at night, knowing that half of the time I'll be woken early with my son complaining that 'the internet is broken again'.

As soon as reboot is finished the ASUS DDNS logo shows an additional icon overlay and I know what time it is (but the router apparently doesn't). I open the logfile and wait patiently to see if the situation will correct itselfs, but it (almost never) doesn't, so DNS resolving doesn't work (NextDNS CLI relies on correctly synced time as well), add-ons don't get loaded, SkyNet starts yelling at me:

Code:
May  5 07:10:58 Skynet: [*] NTP Failed To Start After 5 Minutes
- Please Fix Immediately!

and the only thing I can do is to restart again, after which the problem is solved and everyone lives happily ever after until the next reboot. I must be mistaken, but I feel like it's exactly every other reboot, and I don't see any logical cause behind it. Looking at the logfiles WAN is always up before NTPD is started, so I have no clue why this happens every other reboot.

My WAN settings are as follows:

Screenshot_2021-03-11 ASUS Wireless Router RT-AC86U - Internet Connection.png


The entire log from start syslogd until required reboot can be found here: https://privatebin.net/?12cc4f161f1697e3#Df5RS243hhbdzsHsQG2gNntan58GxmBh9XmsDVNjzbJN

Is there a solution to this that I've missed? Or any pointers on how to troubleshoot this? The RT-AC86U reboots fast but it annoys me that I always have to do it twice before I can continue... Excuse my impatience.

Edit: forget to mention I tried both ntpd and chronyd, but that doesn't make a difference.

Thanks in advance.
Marco
 
Last edited:
I know I'm not alone in this but I still haven't found a definitive solution. I tried @Jack Yaz 'aggressive ntpwatchdog at boot' script found elsewhere, but to no avail. I searched the forum but ntp is too short and and other search criteria return non-relevant topics. So here is the issue: every other reboot, NTP fails to sync, regardless which version of Asuswrt-Merlin I use, so this is not specific to the 386.x builds, I've had it before in past versions as well. I can't schedule a reboot at night, knowing that half of the time I'll be woken early with my son complaining that 'the internet is broken again'.

As soon as reboot is finished the ASUS DDNS logo shows an additional icon overlay and I know what time it is (but the router apparently doesn't). I open the logfile and wait patiently to see if the situation will correct itselfs, but it (almost never) doesn't, so DNS resolving doesn't work (NextDNS CLI relies on correctly synced time as well), add-ons don't get loaded, SkyNet starts yelling at me:

Code:
May  5 07:10:58 Skynet: [*] NTP Failed To Start After 5 Minutes
- Please Fix Immediately!

and the only thing I can do is to restart again, after which the problem is solved and everyone lives happily ever after until the next reboot. I must be mistaken, but I feel like it's exactly every other reboot, and I don't see any logical cause behind it. Looking at the logfiles WAN is always up before NTPD is started, so I have no clue why this happens every other reboot.

My WAN settings are as follows:

View attachment 31841

The entire log from start syslogd until required reboot can be found here: https://privatebin.net/?12cc4f161f1697e3#Df5RS243hhbdzsHsQG2gNntan58GxmBh9XmsDVNjzbJN

Is there a solution to this that I've missed? Or any pointers on how to troubleshoot this? The RT-AC86U reboots fast but it annoys me that I always have to do it twice before I can continue... Excuse my impatience.

Edit: forget to mention I tried both ntpd and chronyd, but that doesn't make a difference.

Thanks in advance.
Marco
if you still have my boot watchdog, its not being called. you should see
Code:
"NTP boot watchdog started..."
in syslog
 
I had the same issue after installing 386.2 Beta 1.

Since I don’t reboot that often, I don’t know whether I have it every other boot, but I have had this more than once,

Where can I find that watchdog script?
 
I'm confused. That syslog shows a starting date of May 5th, presumably before the time update has even been attempted. In my experience, before any time updates, the date is always December 1969, the beginning of the epoch. I have no idea whether this is or isn't relevant, but I do find it weird and unexpected.
 
I'm confused. That syslog shows a starting date of May 5th, presumably before the time update has even been attempted. In my experience, before any time updates, the date is always December 1969, the beginning of the epoch. I have no idea whether this is or isn't relevant, but I do find it weird and unexpected.
May 5 is the usual date/time pre-NTP on Asus routers (well, certainly Merlin)
 
if you still have my boot watchdog, its not being called. you should see
Code:
"NTP boot watchdog started..."
in syslog
Correct, I removed it a few days ago including init-start, where it was called from, if I recall correctly. That’s why it doesn’t show in syslog anymore, as it didn’t prevent the issue from not syncing with NTP.
 
Try uninstalling the nextdns script.

I can uninstall of course, but NextDNS CLI has only been in use since a week or so, this issue dates back to my previous main router which currently functions as mesh node. My gut tells me that the issue lies else elsewhere. As mentioned, WAN is up before ntpd is started, fallback DNS (Cloud9) is in place and that’s all before NextDNS is even started.
 
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