linux-kernel - Re: Bug: Status/Summary of slashdot leap-second crash on new years 2008-2009

lists.openwall.net		lists / announce owl-users owl-dev john-users john-dev passwdqc-users yescrypt popa3d-users / oss-security kernel-hardening musl sabotage tlsify passwords / crypt-dev xvendor / Bugtraq Full-Disclosure linux-kernel linux-netdev linux-ext4 linux-hardening linux-cve-announce PHC
Open Source and information security mailing list archives

Hash Suite: Windows password security audit tool. GUI, reports in PDF.

[<prev] [next>] [<thread-prev] [thread-next>] [day] [month] [year] [list]

Date:	Fri, 2 Jan 2009 14:29:02 -0600
From:	"Linas Vepstas" <linasvepstas@...il.com>
To:	"Diego Calleja" <diegocg@...il.com>
Cc:	linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org,
	"Jeffrey J. Kosowsky" <jeff@...owsky.org>,
	MentalMooMan <slashdot@...eshallam.info>,
	"Travis Crump" <pretzalz@...hhouse.org>,
	Goodgerster <goodgerster@...il.com>, burdell@...ntheinter.net
Subject: Re: Bug: Status/Summary of slashdot leap-second crash on new years 2008-2009

2009/1/2 Diego Calleja <diegocg@...il.com>:
> El Fri, 2 Jan 2009 13:25:38 -0600, "Linas Vepstas" <linasvepstas@...il.com> escribió:
>
>> Suspect its an kernel race condition triggered by ntp bumping the second.
>
> How could I create a test case that reproduces what ntp does? Just add
> a second?

It might be more subtle than that. One of these cases is discussed in a
Debian mailing list thread, where one user claims his hardware clock runs
so poorly, it  loses second every hour, and he doesn't have problems.
ntp normally drifts to adjust time; for exceptional jumps in time, it won't
drift, but just set.

There's another thread of bug reports on Oracle servers (linux based) which
appearently hit the same problem, although they think it has something to
do with a backwards leap-second jump.

--linas