ntpMerlin ntpMerlin v3.4.13 [2025-Dec-21] - NTP Time Server for AsusWRT Merlin

[Martinski]

Release Notes for ntpMerlin v3.4.13 production version now available
[2025-Dec-21]

1) IMPROVED: Modified the CLI top Main Menu to separate some groups of options and settings into their own sub-menus.

This is an effort to make the top Main Menu shorter, more manageable, more user-friendly, and to improve the user experience.​

Sample screenshots:

 

[Tarek Yag]

I started using ntpMerlin a couple of weeks ago, and it immediately came to my attention that the rc functions script of the ntpd (S77ntpd) service has a bug that causes the display of somehow misleading action messages.

Details: the script located at /opt/etc/init.d/S77ntpd inappropriately contains a command to kill all ntpd processes (for restart, stop, and kill actions), before normally proceeding to execute the rc.func file functions, which in turn try to kill all ntpd processes again for the aforementioned commands, leading to always reporting that the service is already dead!

When using the rc functions as anyone would normally do, this abnormal behavior leads to always reporting the service as 'dead' when restarting, stopping or killing S77ntpd (because it was just killed in the wrong sequence), omitting related messages where it checks the current state of the service before executing the desired command.

Two screenshots attached for demonstration purposes, the first one shows the wrong behavior of the S77ntpd script, and the second one shows how a normal rc functions script works.

 

[Martinski]

I started using ntpMerlin a couple of weeks ago, and it immediately came to my attention that the rc functions script of the ntpd (S77ntpd) service has a bug that causes the display of somehow misleading action messages.

Details: the script located at /opt/etc/init.d/S77ntpd inappropriately contains a command to kill all ntpd processes (for restart, stop, and kill actions), before normally proceeding to execute the rc.func file functions, which in turn try to kill all ntpd processes again for the aforementioned commands, leading to always reporting that the service is already dead!

When using the rc functions as anyone would normally do, this abnormal behavior leads to always reporting the service as 'dead' when restarting, stopping or killing S77ntpd (because it was just killed in the wrong sequence), omitting related messages where it checks the current state of the service before executing the desired command.

Two screenshots attached for demonstration purposes, the first one shows the wrong behavior of the S77ntpd script, and the second one shows how a normal rc functions script works.

Yeah, early on when I started maintaining the add-on, I noticed that behavior too but since that code doesn't cause (and AFAIK, hasn't caused) any errors or issues with ntpMerlin itself, I just decided to leave that code alone, especially since I didn't (and I still don't) know all the reason(s) that @JackYaz had for implementing the code the way it is, and without knowing any more details and context, I'd rather play it safe and keep it as is, unless the code is indeed causing errors or interfering with ntpMerlin core functionality.

Also, notice that the ntpMerlin-provided custom Entware service scripts (S77ntpd, S77chronyd) actually execute the custom timeserverd shell script, so the execution flow is not as simple as it looks, and it can't be compared to a standard Entware service script.

And finally, keep in mind that users are not meant to manually stop, start, or restart the NTP services (ntpd or chronyd). Let the ntpMerlin add-on manage the NTP process without any user manual intervention, unless it's failing to start for some reason, or generating some fatal errors.