[brohee]

  3) He could start using VMs like the rest of the world... physical access really isn't needed except for physical security (making sure the rack is locked and access is controlled), which data center employees can manage (Fairly easy)

You don't seem to get that stratum 1 servers require connecting to actual hardware as the time source (stratum 0, typically GPS). I don't know of any VM seller with provision to hook actual hardware... And even if they did, I'm not sure they could offer the low latency needed.

For some stuff, you just need your own rack.

[msandford]

Agreed!

This goes to show that the person making the comment is thoroughly unqualified to make any kind of substantive comment on anything that this guy does.

[moe]

For some stuff, you just need your own rack.

Well, the article does a terrible job at explaining why that rack is needed and why it can't be in a datacenter in the same city as the NTPd maintainer.

Honestly, I have a hard time believing there is new NTP hardware coming out every month that the maintainer then personally has to write drivers for.

And even if that was the case, what prevents that hardware from working when it's located, say, on a desk in the house of the maintainer (I think most timeservers are fanless and don't consume very much energy)?

Perhaps there's valid reasons and explanations for his monthly trips to that datacenter, but the article only left me with questions.

[vidarh]

It would be nice if people questioning what he's paid would ask questions first, before making claims about what he should be doing...

> Well, the article does a terrible job at explaining why that rack is needed and why it can't be in a datacenter in the same city as the NTPd maintainer.

For starters, the majority of the servers are currently hosted for free at isc.org. You'd save a tiny amount on his monthly travel (I don't know what his costs are, but I used to stay in Palo Alto for weeks at a time in my last job, and it should be doable for him to travel to, and stay in, San Jose for a week for <$1k/month), in return for a as much or more in hosting costs unless you can find someone willing to give him free space.

That's assuming you can find a nearby suitable data centre.

> I wonder what prevents that hardware from working from, say, a desk in the house of the maintainer

Nothing. If you're willing to fund sufficient low latency, high capacity, redundant internet connections to his house. The price would almost certainly be far higher than flying him to San Jose once a month to maintain the servers there.

[moe]

If you're willing to fund sufficient low latency, high capacity, redundant internet connections to his house

What for?

Does he run public timeservers himself?