# NTP: Server 203.0.113.1 stratum 16, too high to synchronize

- **ID:** `networking/ntp-stratum-too-high`
- **Domain:** networking
- **Category:** protocol_error
- **Verification:** ai_generated
- **Fix Rate:** 85%

## Root Cause

The NTP server reports a stratum value of 16, indicating it is unsynchronized or has lost its upstream reference clock, making it unusable as a time source.

## Version Compatibility

| Version | Status | Introduced | Deprecated |
|---------|--------|------------|------------|
| NTP 4.2.8 | active | — | — |
| chrony 4.3 | active | — | — |
| OpenNTPD 6.2 | active | — | — |
| Windows Time Service 10.0 | active | — | — |

## Workarounds

1. **Check the NTP server's upstream connection: on the server, run 'ntpq -p' to verify reachability and stratum of upstream servers, then fix network issues or reconfigure the server to use a reliable upstream** (85% success)
   ```
   Check the NTP server's upstream connection: on the server, run 'ntpq -p' to verify reachability and stratum of upstream servers, then fix network issues or reconfigure the server to use a reliable upstream
   ```
2. **Switch the client to a different NTP server with a lower stratum, e.g., replace 'server 203.0.113.1' with 'server pool.ntp.org iburst' in /etc/ntp.conf** (90% success)
   ```
   Switch the client to a different NTP server with a lower stratum, e.g., replace 'server 203.0.113.1' with 'server pool.ntp.org iburst' in /etc/ntp.conf
   ```

## Dead Ends

- **** — The client NTP service is not the problem; the server's stratum is still 16, so the client will continue to reject it. (95% fail)
- **** — This may cause the client to use a bad time source, leading to clock drift and potential synchronization issues. (80% fail)