The ntpq command without any options will start an interactive prompt.
[root@server1 ~]# ntpq
ntpq>
The interactive prompt accepts a variety of input, such as hostnames, ntpversion, and passwd. In this example, the help option is used to find information on what peers are.
[root@server1 ~]# ntpq
ntpq> help peer
function: obtain and print a list of the server's peers [IP version]
usage: peers [ -4|-6 ]
ntpq>
As another innocent example, the version option can be used to view the version of NTP being used.
[root@server1 ~]# ntpq
ntpq> version
ntpq 4.2.6p5@1.2349-o Wed Apr 12 21:24:08 UTC 2017 (1)
ntpq>
Display the remote NTP servers being used
The -p option can be used to print the remote NTP servers currently being used for synchronization. In this example, there are four remote NTP servers being used for synchronization. The record that begins with the * special character is the primary NTP server, and the record that begin with + is the secondary NTP servers.
[root@server1 ~]# ntpq -p
remote refid st t when poll reach delay offset jitter
================================================================================
utcnist2.colora .NIST. 1 u 17 64 1 46.530 0.490 7.191
+ntp2.wiktel.com 212.215.1.157 2 u 15 64 1 38.248 0.115 0.104
triton.ellipse. 216.229.0.179 2 u 24 64 0 0.000 0.000 0.000
*ntp.wdc1.us.lea 130.133.1.10 2 u 15 64 1 50.979 -1.408 0.087
Display IP addresses instead of hostnames
The -n option can be used to display IP addresses instead of hostnames. In this example, both the -n and -p options are used.
[root@server1 ~]# ntpq -np
remote refid st t when poll reach delay offset jitter
================================================================================
128.138.141.172 .NIST. 1 u 17 64 1 46.530 0.490 7.191
+69.89.207.199 212.215.1.157 2 u 15 64 1 38.248 0.115 0.104
216.229.4.69 216.229.0.179 2 u 24 64 0 0.000 0.000 0.000
*108.59.2.24 130.133.1.10 2 u 15 64 1 50.979 -1.408 0.087
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