'ntpd' "invalid struct timex pointer" on Lemote Yeeloong (LOONGSON)

["John D. Baker" <jdbaker%mylinuxisp.com@localhost>]

Now that LOONGSON-derived systems work again and the NFS-write issues
seem to be fixed (thanks again Nick!), perhaps other issues can be
investigated.

This one is, at the moment, only annoying.  Every few minutes a message
like:

  Sep  9 10:17:36 chalk ntpd[436]: local_clock: x/current/src/external/bsd/ntp/dist/ntpd/ntp_loopfilter.c line 819: invalid struct timex pointer: 0x1010a358

is logged to the console (and /var/log/messages).  It is interesting to
note that there are two 'ntpd' processes:

  ntpd      436     1   436 f84dc8    0 Ss   ?     0:04.04 /usr/sbin/ntpd -u ntpd:ntpd -i /var/chroot/ntpd -p /var/run/ntpd.pid -g 
  ntpd      470   436   436 f84dc8    0 S    ?     0:02.04 /usr/sbin/ntpd -u ntpd:ntpd -i /var/chroot/ntpd -p /var/run/ntpd.pid -g 

while all of the properly-operating systems I've seen typically have
just one.  I've seen that pattern before on a system where there was
some configuration error (such as file owner/group/modes incorrect),
but I forget the specifics now.

The line number referenced in the log message is around:

   815                  /*
   816                   * A squeal is a return status < 0, or a state change.
   817                   */
   818                  if ((0 > ntp_adj_ret) || (ntp_adj_ret != kernel_status)) {
   819                          kernel_status = ntp_adj_ret;
   820                          ntp_adjtime_error_handler(__func__, &ntv, ntp_adj_ret, errno, hardpps_enable, 0, __LINE__ - 1);
   821                  }
   822                  pll_status = ntv.status;


Thoughts, suggestions?


On a GCC 5.4-built system, 'ntpd' emits one message of:

  Sep  9 15:42:29 chalk ntpd[411]: set_freq: x/current/src/external/bsd/ntp/dist/ntpd/ntp_loopfilter.c line 1083: invalid struct timex pointer: 0x1010cc68

shortly after the system finishes startup and then has so-far not produced
any further 'ntpd'-related messages.  There are briefly two 'ntpd' processes
running at that point, but afterwards, only one remains:

  ntpd      411     1   411 f84d78    0 Ss   ?     0:02.39 /usr/sbin/ntpd -u ntpd:ntpd -i /var/chroot/ntpd -p /var/run/ntpd.pid -g 

The line cited in the message is in:

  1052  /*
  1053   * set_freq - set clock frequency correction
  1054   *
  1055   * Used to step the frequency correction at startup, possibly again once
  1056   * the frequency is measured (that is, transitioning from EVNT_NSET to
  1057   * EVNT_FSET), and finally to switch between daemon and kernel loop
  1058   * discipline at runtime.
  1059   *
  1060   * When the kernel loop discipline is available but the daemon loop is
  1061   * in use, the kernel frequency correction is disabled (set to 0) to
  1062   * ensure drift_comp is applied by only one of the loops.
  1063   */
  1064  static void
  1065  set_freq(
  1066          double  freq            /* frequency update */
  1067          )
  1068  {
  1069          const char *    loop_desc;
  1070          int ntp_adj_ret;
  1071  
  1072          (void)ntp_adj_ret; /* not always used below... */
  1073          drift_comp = freq;
  1074          loop_desc = "ntpd";
  1075  #ifdef KERNEL_PLL
  1076          if (pll_control) {
  1077                  ZERO(ntv);
  1078                  ntv.modes = MOD_FREQUENCY;
  1079                  if (kern_enable) {
  1080                          loop_desc = "kernel";
  1081                          ntv.freq = DTOFREQ(drift_comp);
  1082                  }
  1083                  if ((ntp_adj_ret = ntp_adjtime(&ntv)) != 0) {
  1084                      ntp_adjtime_error_handler(__func__, &ntv, ntp_adj_ret, errno, 0, 0, __LINE__ - 1);
  1085                  }
  1086          }
  1087  #endif /* KERNEL_PLL */
  1088          mprintf_event(EVNT_FSET, NULL, "%s %.3f PPM", loop_desc,
  1089              drift_comp * 1e6);
  1090  }


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