rkik

User Guide

This guide helps you install and use RKIK to query and compare NTP servers.

Installation

Prebuilt Binaries

Download the latest archive from the releases page and extract it:

For Linux:

tar xvfz rkik-linux-x86_64.tar.gz
sudo mv rkik /usr/local/bin

For Windows:

Use the .exe from the archive and place it in your PATH.

Install Packages

Prebuilt Linux packages are provided and may later be added to official repositories.

• RPM (RedHat, Fedora, Alma, Rocky)

rpm -U rkik-X.Y.Z-R.x86_64.rpm
# or
dnf install rkik-X.Y.Z-R.x86_64.rpm
# or
yum install rkik-X.Y.Z-R.x86_64.rpm

• DEB (Debian, Ubuntu, Kali, etc.)

sudo apt install ./rkik_X.Y.Z-R_amd64.deb

From Source

git clone https://github.com/aguacero7/rkik.git
cd rkik
cargo build --release
sudo cp target/release/rkik /usr/local/bin

Configuration

rkik does not require any configuration files.
All behavior is controlled via command-line arguments.

Usage

Query a single server (sync)

rkik pool.ntp.org

Or using the flag:

rkik --server time.cloudflare.com

This runs a single request, using the synchronous NTP client. Use --verbose to get more detail.

Compare multiple servers (async)

rkik --compare time.google.com time.cloudflare.com 0.de.pool.ntp.org

RKIK will resolve and query all servers in parallel and output their offset relative to the local system clock.

You can pass 2 or more servers. Example output:

Comparing (async): 3 servers
time.google.com [142.251.129.16 v4]: 1.034 ms
time.cloudflare.com [162.159.200.1 v4]: 0.867 ms
0.de.pool.ntp.org [85.214.110.245 v4]: 2.348 ms
Max drift: 1.481 ms (min: 0.867, max: 2.348, avg: 1.416)

You can also format as JSON:

rkik --compare time1 time2 time3 --format json

Additional Flags

• --verbose — shows NTP stratum and reference ID.
• --ipv6 — forces AAAA resolution (IPv6 only).
• --format json — machine-readable output.

Use Cases

• Spot-check your system clock drift:

  rkik --compare time.google.com time.cloudflare.com
  

• Monitor NTP consistency across providers or ISPs.
• Validate reachability and IPv6 NTP responses:

  rkik --compare --ipv6 time.cloudflare.com 2a00:fb01::1
  

• Scripted JSON output for integration with logging or SIEM systems.

Troubleshooting

• “Failed to resolve hostname”
  → Check DNS resolution or try adding --ipv6 if needed.

• “Timeout or no response”
  → Ensure your firewall allows UDP port 123.

• “Offset too large”
  → Your system clock may be significantly out of sync.

FAQ

Q: Does RKIK support IPv6?
A: Yes. Use --ipv6 to force AAAA queries.

Q: Can I compare more than 2 servers?
A: Yes. --compare supports 2 or more servers. All are queried in parallel.

Q: Can RKIK adjust my system clock?
A: No. RKIK only queries servers. It never changes your time.

Licensing

RKIK is open-source, licensed under the MIT license.

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