Cent OS 6 clock 3 minutes 35 seconds in the future

Question

I run Cent os 6 64 bit on linode.

server (incorrect):

date Thu Aug 29 11:41:00 BST 2013

client (correct):

date Thu Aug 29 11:37:25 BST 2013

As you can see the server clock is in the future.

so far I have ensured the server is running at GMT time, by doing

sudo ln -s /usr/share/zoneinfo/Europe/London /etc/localtime

but no joy, and by installing NPT, which is suggested by Linode.

215 seconds seems like its not a GMT time issue, as I would expect that to be likes of multiples of 1 hour in future/past.

Any tips?

Installing ntp is not enough, you need to configure and start ntpd or just use ntpdate pool.ntp.org for a one-time clock sync — Kdecherf, Aug 29, 2013 at 10:47
thanks, I did ntpdate pool.ntp.org and that solved! if you post an answer I shall accept. — Code Review Doctor, Aug 29, 2013 at 10:54
ntpdate is useful for a one-time update but the answer of @dsumsky is better in your case — Kdecherf, Aug 29, 2013 at 11:01

dsmsk80 · Accepted Answer · 2013-08-29 10:52:34Z

3

I would either verify that the server time is synchronized with XEN host

echo 0 > /proc/sys/xen/independent_wallclock

or I would disable this method and configure standalone time synchronisation via NTP

echo 1 > /proc/sys/xen/independent_wallclock

yum install ntp
service ntpd start
chkconfig ntpd on

Put this line to /etc/sysctl.conf to make wallclock independent persistent

xen.independent_wallclock = 0

answered Aug 29, 2013 at 10:52

dsmsk80

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1

Tip: a clock sync is not instant with ntpd, it will sync smoothly. You can use ntpdate before starting ntpd if you need a first "direct" sync
– Kdecherf
Aug 29, 2013 at 11:04

Add a comment |

trante · Accepted Answer · 2014-01-24 12:01:42Z

to check server time

# date

check connectivity to sync servers and look for the time difference:

# ntpdate -q 0.rhel.pool.ntp.org

synchronize time manually with servers:

# ntpdate 0.rhel.pool.ntp.org 1.rhel.pool.ntp.org

if you want to check system time on boot:

# chkconfig ntpdate on

2 Answers 2