My thoughts are aimed more towards server operators than that of NTP
users.
FWIW, your initial post is what prompted me to get my pool server up
into stratum 2. Before it'd been in stratum 3. I think for almost any
practical application the difference is not significant, but on the
other hand if I'm serving time to a few hundred thousand people I might
as well do a good job of it.
Stratum 1 is significantly harder to achieve. $100 is still more than
the $0 I budget now for NTP service, and "a few inches of solder" is a
big deal for pure software geeks like me. Not to mention the fact that
my server is in a warehouse in Texas somewhere that I've never even seen.
Still, I love data and would be happy to see that stratum data online.
Even better would be measures of everyone's jitter, root dispersion,
etc. I'm curious how good the pool server's clocks really are. But
that's all work for Ask, and the new DNS is so awesome I'm loathe to
request another pony.
Let me explain: If we publish the numbers in real time, it may
encourage more than the (current) 5.5% of server operators to spend
the ~$100 and a few inches of solder it takes to wire up, say a
Garmin* GPS 18 LVC to their existing > stratum 1 server. This would
boost the number of clock "sources" versus "repeaters" in the pool.
This could have 2 positive effects: 1) a little less reliance on the
current public S1 servers by server operators and 2) the desired
effect of showing NTP users that the quality of pool time sources is
high and the need to use (thus overloading) other public S1 servers is
really not required.
Perhaps a little graph showing the system wide stratum levels listed
on the not so public Manage Server page would be enough of a reminder
of the current service level of the pool to server ops? Kind of in
line with your "growth targets" you have on the various regional
number graphs.
* I don't work for Garmin or sell GPS's. This is the GPS I selected
for my pool server, due to past experience with this manufacturers
line of products and reading various pages on setting up your own S1
server. Having said this, I know that many server admins are not
electronic techs and the idea of soldering components together may not
be your thing. If this is what's stopping you from going Stratum 1 -
let your voices be heard! I'm sure there are others on the list who
could do the work for you on a cost recover basis. I certainly don't
mind helping out - just ask.
Thanks,
-Rob
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