NTPPOOL agent can't run inside docker container?

Monitoring Operators
,
1

Hello. I run NTP servers on RouterOS for a few years and now I gotta try to add monitors. Most staple place do deploy monitor that I have for now it’s a debian system inside container on my main RouterOS. I try, but I can’t! Package ntppool-agent when it gotta be configured catch an error “System has not been booted with systemd as init system (PID 1). Can’t operate.”

I can’t use barebone installed system for now for monitors.

Is this limitation have any purpose? And can I bypass it somehow?

2

Hi. The apt post-install script tries to detect systemd to configure the package correctly. I think what happens is that systemd is detected but not active (because you are in a container).

You can try the docker image that the CI/CD system builds:

docker run --rm -ti --entrypoint /app/ntppool-agent harbor.ntppool.org/ntppool/monitor-api:latest setup -e test
3

Try to use that container, but it return errors like this:
msg=“failed to create state directory” env=test dir=/bin/sh/.config/ntppool-agent/test err=“mkdir /bin/sh: not a directory”

Maybe I missing something?

4

Not quite the same underlaying hardware, my test Docker server runs off a Debian a Lenovo SFF PC and and it work for me.

One small change - I did need to add the container to the correct VLAN

root@Zeus:~# docker run --network=docker_red_vlan --rm -ti --entrypoint /app/ntppool-agent harbor.ntppool.org/ntppool/monitor-api:latest setup -e test
Unable to find image 'harbor.ntppool.org/ntppool/monitor-api:latest' locally
latest: Pulling from ntppool/monitor-api
6a0ac1617861: Already exists
764fc6d248a5: Pull complete
09b93dfa012d: Pull complete
f706a77ef0cf: Pull complete
a6fdff56d92a: Pull complete
af8aa1c0efa3: Pull complete
623a7a808842: Pull complete
08ad7e88a071: Pull complete
9aae1ccabaa9: Pull complete
89732bc75041: Pull complete
Digest: sha256:3fdf17ae321a0cc659f7ae947e2bc5ca014a877feb59980e6bfb909c1aea601c
Status: Downloaded newer image for harbor.ntppool.org/ntppool/monitor-api:latest
time=2026-06-04T05:26:31.351Z level=INFO msg="using hostname for registration" env=test hostname=086a821295db

Please visit the following URL to complete the monitor registration:

        https://manage.beta.grundclock.com/manage/monitors/confirm/{redacted}