Bug#927458: apt-daily.timer Adding random time every 5 seconds

[Michael Biebl]

On Sat, 20 Apr 2019 04:30:24 +0000 "Boylan, Ross" <Ross.Boylan at ucsf.edu>
wrote:
> Package: apt
> Version: 1.4.9
> Severity: normal
> 
> Dear Maintainer,
> 
> Severity note: This appears to be relatively trivial problem in its impact 
> on the system.  However, it has two possible more serious consequences:
> 1. The logs will end up taking a lot of space because of the constant messges.
> 2. The repeated randomization may end up producing really wild random numbers,
> as a result of which the timers may fire either way too fast or way too slow.
> 
> The log spam also makes it more difficult to identify interesting things in the log (I know 
> there are ways around that), and the whole process must impose some performance penalty.
> 
>    * What led up to the situation?
> After a recent upgrade to stretch, my logs are filled with messages like this
> Apr 19 12:38:27 ross-mail systemd[1]: apt-daily.timer: Adding 9h 57min 34.907602s random time.
> Apr 19 12:38:27 ross-mail systemd[1]: apt-daily-upgrade.timer: Adding 51min 17.211953s random time.
> Apr 19 12:38:32 ross-mail systemd[1]: Time has been changed

The underlying problem is, that your system time constantly changes.
As a result, systemd will recalculate its timers.


-- 
Why is it that all of the instruments seeking intelligent life in the
universe are pointed away from Earth?

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