Why does error message "the NTP socket is in use, exiting" occurs while excuting ntpdate command ?

Solution Verified - Updated -

Issue

  • While trying to sync time from a time server using ntpdate, it throws below error message:
# ntpdate x.x.x.x
13 Mar 18:23:32 ntpdate[31778]: the NTP socket is in use, exiting
  • What does above error message means and how to resolve issue ?

Environment

  • Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4
  • Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5
  • Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6

Subscriber exclusive content

A Red Hat subscription provides unlimited access to our knowledgebase, tools, and much more.

Current Customers and Partners

Log in for full access

Log In

New to Red Hat?

Learn more about Red Hat subscriptions

Using a Red Hat product through a public cloud?

How to access this content