Which command determines where the NTP server obtains the time from and follows the chain of NTP servers back to its primary time source?

• A. ntptrace
• B. ntpdc
• C. ntpdate
• D. ntpq

Answer: (A)

Tracking the path of your time sources is what ntptrace is for. It traces the chain from the local NTP server outward to the root reference clock, showing which upstream servers are being used and how far away the primary time source sits in the hierarchy. This helps you verify that you’re pulling time from the intended sources and can reveal misconfigurations or network issues that cause skew.

Other tools serve different tasks: ntpdate simply asks a server for the current time to set the local clock, ntpq can report status and show which peers the local daemon is currently using but doesn’t give the full upstream chain, and ntpdc is an older utility with similar limited capabilities.