docs: add plan for local NTP with chrony
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Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.6 <noreply@anthropic.com>
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2026-03-03 19:33:28 +01:00
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# Local NTP with Chrony
## Overview/Goal
Set up pve1 as a local NTP server and switch all NixOS VMs from systemd-timesyncd to chrony, pointing at pve1 as the sole time source. This eliminates clock drift issues that cause false `host_reboot` alerts.
## Current State
- All NixOS hosts use `systemd-timesyncd` with default NixOS pool servers (`0.nixos.pool.ntp.org` etc.)
- No NTP/timesyncd configuration exists in the repo — all defaults
- pve1 (Proxmox, bare metal) already runs chrony but only as a client
- VMs drift noticeably — ns1 (~19ms) and jelly01 (~39ms) are worst offenders
- Clock step corrections from timesyncd trigger false `host_reboot` alerts via `changes(node_boot_time_seconds[10m]) > 0`
- pve1 itself stays at 0ms offset thanks to chrony
## Why systemd-timesyncd is Insufficient
- Minimal SNTP client, no proper clock discipline or frequency tracking
- Backs off polling interval when it thinks clock is stable, missing drift
- Corrects via step adjustments rather than gradual slewing, causing metric jumps
- Each VM resolves to different pool servers with varying accuracy
## Implementation Steps
### 1. Configure pve1 as NTP Server
Add to pve1's `/etc/chrony/chrony.conf`:
```
# Allow NTP clients from the infrastructure subnet
allow 10.69.13.0/24
```
Restart chrony on pve1.
### 2. Add Chrony to NixOS System Config
Create `system/chrony.nix` (applied to all hosts via system imports):
```nix
{
# Disable systemd-timesyncd (chrony takes over)
services.timesyncd.enable = false;
# Enable chrony pointing at pve1
services.chrony = {
enable = true;
servers = [ "pve1.home.2rjus.net" ];
serverOption = "iburst";
};
}
```
### 3. Optional: Add Chrony Exporter
For better visibility into NTP sync quality:
```nix
services.prometheus.exporters.chrony.enable = true;
```
Add chrony exporter scrape targets via `homelab.monitoring.scrapeTargets` and create a Grafana dashboard for NTP offset across all hosts.
### 4. Roll Out
- Deploy to a test-tier host first to verify
- Then deploy to all hosts via auto-upgrade
## Open Questions
- [ ] Does pve1's chrony config need `local stratum 10` as fallback if upstream is unreachable?
- [ ] Should we also enable `enableRTCTrimming` for the VMs?
- [ ] Worth adding a chrony exporter on pve1 as well (manual install like node-exporter)?
## Notes
- No fallback NTP servers needed on VMs — if pve1 is down, all VMs are down too
- The `host_reboot` alert rule (`changes(node_boot_time_seconds[10m]) > 0`) should stop false-firing once clock corrections are slewed instead of stepped
- pn01/pn02 are bare metal but still benefit from syncing to pve1 for consistency