System time not syncing via internet

[Colin Law]

On 10 May 2013 00:00, C de-Avillez <hggdh2 at ubuntu.com> wrote:
> On Thu, 9 May 2013 09:42:15 +0100
> Colin Law <clanlaw at googlemail.com> wrote:
>
>> Thanks for that, you are right, ntp is not installed.  I am now trying
>> to work out why it is not installed even though I have selected
>> automatic update from internet, given the fact that it is a standard
>> install of 12.04.  I seem to remember that on earlier versions of
>> Ubuntu it automatically installed ntp when the option was selected,
>> but it does not appear to do that any more.  Is that a bug?  I cannot
>> find anything on launchpad.
>
> NTP is not installed by default for quite a long time, I do not
> remember anymore how long, if it ever was. I know I opened bug 583994
> [1] some time ago. But, while discussing this with some of the
> developers, I got no traction and, I guess, gave up. Now I simply make
> sure that ntp is always installed on all systems I care for.

That bug (and the linked one there) are addressing a slightly
different issue.  The issue here is that even though sync from
internet is selected it appears only to sync once and never again (for
me anyway).  If the fix is to install ntp when that option is selected
then selecting the option should force ntp to be installed (or a
message should indicate that it is recommended and why).

>
> This is not as much a bug (as in error) as a change in behaviour: of
> old, most home systems were only temporarily connected to the internet,
> so ntpdate made sense. Nowadays many (or, being selfish, at least
> myself) are continuously connected.

I think it is a bug as the option to sync from internet is selected,
but it does not.

Colin