Re: [chrony-dev] new feature request: add "fast" and "slow" to "clock wrong" and "clock stepped" log messages

[James Feeney <james@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

On 10/30/2017 05:07 AM, Miroslav Lichvar wrote:
> existing scripts that parse the log

I am not familiar with any of those scripts - who parses chrony log files? - so my initial reaction is to be unsympathetic.  But I don't know - how important is that?

> Do you think it would make sense to keep the sign ...

I am confused - unclear about what chrony is actually reporting.  In my example, the implicit sign was positive, '+'.  But then, in apparent contradiction, "chronyc tracking" reports "Frequency       : 5.626 ppm slow", which would have accumulated a *negative* offset, '-', of the system time relative to the actual UTC time.

Is there really a sign associated with the system time reported in the log?

> and indicate whether it's fast or slow in parentheses?

If that is necessary, yes, that would work.  I'm just not clear about the sign thing, and that the term "wrong" with a back-reference needs to be used.

Of course, the phrases "stepped forward" and "stepped backward" can be used without putting the words "forward" and "backward" in parentheses.  Still, saying "stepped backward by -2.000000 seconds" would have the flavor of a double negative.  Similarly, the phrase "slow by -2.000000 seconds" would have a nagging ambiguity about it.

If chrony were to use explicitly signed numbers in the log messages, the parenthetic slow/fast and forward/backward would be most appropriate.

But then, I'd like to see an explicit 'plus' sign on the numbers, when appropriate, along with the explicit 'minus' sign, to make clear that the numbers are actually signed, and are not simply magnitudes.

-- 
To unsubscribe email chrony-dev-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx with "unsubscribe" in the subject.
For help email chrony-dev-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx with "help" in the subject.
Trouble?  Email listmaster@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx.