Help me with time settings (Localtime or UTC) before i install

[TLM]

Hello,
I am getting ready to install PCLOS 2012.2 KDE MiniME. This is not my first install, but i have experienced an odd problem everytime i install PCLOS.

First of all, i am multi-booting several Linux distros, as well as Windows XP. Now my problem is this: In the past when i have installed PCLOS and then booted into it, it messed up my time everytime i rebooted into another OS.

Example: I boot into PCLOS and set my time correctly. I then reboot into PuppyLinux and my time there is off by about 6 hours. and so on. This only happens when i boot into PCLOS, and then into another OS. I am pretty sure it is a simple matter of setting the type of time correctly, either UTC, or Localtime. I am pretty sure i have always chosen localtime, but cannot guarantee it. Please somebody help me before i begin my new install of PCLOS. I want to get it right this time. Sometime the simplest things give me the most trouble 

[djohnston]

IMHO, your best option is to set it for localtime. This is done on the first boot after installation. You'll also want to check the option to sync the time from an internet server.

Alternatively, you can set the time before starting the installation. Open the PCLinuxOS Control Center (Configure Your Computer), click System in the left pane and Manage date and time in the right pane. See if the time is correct. If not, set the time zone, check the Enable Network Time Protocol box, then select the appropriate server.

[TLM]

Thank you. Somehow i always choose the wrong thing and it messes up my time. Only have this issue with Mandriva based distros. I will try for better results this time. Thanks again.

[jimwilk]

TLM,
I wonder if one of your other distros might be Debian based?
I ask this because when I (years ago) mixed PCLinuxOS and a Debian based installation, there was a problem. The particular distro was Klikit Linux - which was based on another K version of the U distro. Somewhere in the /etc/rcS file, there is a line which reads
UTC=Yes. That had to be changed to UTC=No. Before that change was made, because we are normally 12 hours ahead of UTC here in NZ, it threw PCLinuxOS out by 12 hours each time I returned from Klikit.

I can't be certain exactly where the file is - somewhere in /etc - because it is years since I had such a distro.

Of course, now that I use nothing but PCLinuxOS, the problem doesn't arise. I suspect that the U distro had the same UTC problem.

Happy hunting

Jim

[greywolf]

My experience has been:

This test machine has run dozens of Linux versions over the years in multiboot scenarios. There is only one time rule I have ever followed and have never had a problem. If Linux is the only OS on the machine, set ALL time to UTC. You may be able to do it at install or you (rarely) have to do some post install editing, but, always use UTC on Linux-only machines.

If you have Windows as a boot option on the machine, you must set ALL Linux versions on the same machine to Localtime. Again, either at install or post edit.

Pretty obvious which OS has flexibility from that?! 

Syncing to a "quality" external server is always a good idea IMHO.

cheers,
greywolf.

[jimwilk]

TLM,
I wonder if one of your other distros might be Debian based?
I ask this because when I (years ago) mixed PCLinuxOS and a Debian based installation, there was a problem. The particular distro was Klikit Linux - which was based on another K version of the U distro. Somewhere in the /etc/rcS file, there is a line which reads
UTC=Yes. That had to be changed to UTC=No. Before that change was made, because we are normally 12 hours ahead of UTC here in NZ, it threw PCLinuxOS out by 12 hours each time I returned from Klikit.

I can't be certain exactly where the file is - somewhere in /etc - because it is years since I had such a distro.

Of course, now that I use nothing but PCLinuxOS, the problem doesn't arise. I suspect that the U distro had the same UTC problem.

Happy hunting

Jim

I decided to have another look for you. I fired up a live CD of a KDE version of a well known distro. There, I found the file that I was looking for.  /etc/default/rcS    contains a line "UTC=Yes". If you change that to No and save it, then the problem of upsetting a local time set clock under PCLinuxOS if you switch between that debian  based distro and PCLOS will be fixed.

Jim

[pags]

TLM,
I wonder if one of your other distros might be Debian based?
I ask this because when I (years ago) mixed PCLinuxOS and a Debian based installation, there was a problem. The particular distro was Klikit Linux - which was based on another K version of the U distro. Somewhere in the /etc/rcS file, there is a line which reads
UTC=Yes. That had to be changed to UTC=No. Before that change was made, because we are normally 12 hours ahead of UTC here in NZ, it threw PCLinuxOS out by 12 hours each time I returned from Klikit.

I can't be certain exactly where the file is - somewhere in /etc - because it is years since I had such a distro.

Of course, now that I use nothing but PCLinuxOS, the problem doesn't arise. I suspect that the U distro had the same UTC problem.

Happy hunting

Jim

I decided to have another look for you. I fired up a live CD of a KDE version of a well known distro. There, I found the file that I was looking for.  /etc/default/rcS    contains a line "UTC=Yes". If you change that to No and save it, then the problem of upsetting a local time set clock under PCLinuxOS if you switch between that debian  based distro and PCLOS will be fixed.

Jim

Based on the following:

Code: [Select]

[root@paglia-e6500 etc]# grep -r UTC= ./
./init.d/ntpd:  UTC=0
./init.d/ntpd:        UTC=true
./rc.d/init.d/ntpd:     UTC=0
./rc.d/init.d/ntpd:           UTC=true
grep: ./alternatives/mount.smb: No such file or directory
grep: ./alternatives/mount.smbfs: No such file or directory
grep: ./alternatives/rmid.bz2.ja_JP.eucJP: No such file or directory
grep: ./alternatives/policytool.bz2.ja_JP.eucJP: No such file or directory
grep: ./alternatives/tnameserv.bz2.ja_JP.eucJP: No such file or directory
grep: ./alternatives/rmiregistry.bz2.ja_JP.eucJP: No such file or directory
grep: ./alternatives/orbd.bz2.ja_JP.eucJP: No such file or directory
grep: ./alternatives/jvisualvm.bz2.ja_JP.eucJP: No such file or directory
grep: ./alternatives/java.bz2.ja_JP.eucJP: No such file or directory
grep: ./alternatives/keytool.bz2.ja_JP.eucJP: No such file or directory
grep: ./alternatives/servertool.bz2.ja_JP.eucJP: No such file or directory
grep: ./alternatives/javaws.bz2.ja_JP.eucJP: No such file or directory
./sysconfig/clock:UTC=false
[root@paglia-e6500 etc]#

I would say you want to check the /etc/sysconfig/clock file, and change it there, if need be.

Although, it looks that, if you're using ntp, you might want to fix those, as well.

This system is set to localtime (UTC=false) because it dual-boots with Windows 7. 

[Bald Brick]

My experience has been:

This test machine has run dozens of Linux versions over the years in multiboot scenarios. There is only one time rule I have ever followed and have never had a problem. If Linux is the only OS on the machine, set ALL time to UTC. You may be able to do it at install or you (rarely) have to do some post install editing, but, always use UTC on Linux-only machines.

If you have Windows as a boot option on the machine, you must set ALL Linux versions on the same machine to Localtime. Again, either at install or post edit.

Pretty obvious which OS has flexibility from that?!  

Syncing to a "quality" external server is always a good idea IMHO.

cheers,
greywolf.

This is the perfect answer. If you multiboot, time must be set the same way for all your operating systems. Using UTC is the Linux way, but Linux can be set up for local time; Windows can only handle local time. But setting up PCLinuxOS to use local time won't fix anything if some of your other Linux systems still use UTC. (Personally I solved this problem a long time ago by simply removing Windows....)

If you edit /etc/sysconfig/clock manually in PCLinuxOS, don't forget to edit /etc/adjtime too. (Change 'UTC' to 'LOCAL'.)

[TLM]

Good information, and a helpful thread now i can reference back to. Yes indeed another one of my distros is Ubuntu based. Also a couple of PuppyLinux derivatives, and as aforementioned winXP. All of these seem to interact ok. It is when i install PCLOS that the problem arises. Still have not done my PCLOS installation yet, but will get to it this weekend. Thanks to all who have presented helpful information.