• From: California
  • Registered: 2010-01-02
  • Posts: 89

Topic: Changing UTC / Timezone / Network Time

When I installed Statler Alpha, I didn't understand the UTC question and chose incorrectly.

A dual-boot computer with Windows, should have the hardware clock should be set to local, not UTC.

To set it to local time, set UTC=no in the file /etc/default/rcS
To change timezone, run sudo dpkg-reconfigure tzdata
To manually update time, install the ntpdate package and run sudo ntpdate pool.ntp.org

Last edited by 73ChargerFan (2010-06-14 19:41:13)

  • From: Ontario, Canada
  • Registered: 2009-06-29
  • Posts: 1,420

Re: Changing UTC / Timezone / Network Time

Cool thanks for that Chargerfan!

just call me...
~FSM~
  • From: Lost River Lake
  • Registered: 2009-02-19
  • Posts: 516

Re: Changing UTC / Timezone / Network Time

Thanks a lot for this. Somehow, my laptop's clock had suddenly gone berserk. I tried sudo dpkg-reconfigure tzdata, but it was still three hours ahead of time. I installed ntpdate, ran sudo ntpdate pool.ntp.org, and sudo dpkg-reconfigure tzdata again, and now the computer knows it's 09:20 and not 12:20 in Helsinki (UTC+3).

I never use smilies, but there are exceptions that prove the rule wink
Now playing: Libre.fm
  • Registered: 2009-07-30
  • Posts: 50

Re: Changing UTC / Timezone / Network Time

How did you install ntpdate?

HAF Desktop:
Core i7, 6GB RAM, 750GB HDD (W7), GeForce GTX 260
Thinkpad Edge (14"):
Core i3, 4GB RAM, 500GB HDD (#! 10)
  • From: California, USA
  • Registered: 2008-11-29
  • Posts: 8,647

Re: Changing UTC / Timezone / Network Time

sudo apt-get install ntpdate?

Note: ** Please read before posting **

BTW if you wish to contact me, send me an e-mail instead of a PM.
  • Registered: 2009-07-30
  • Posts: 50

Re: Changing UTC / Timezone / Network Time

anonymous wrote:

sudo apt-get install ntpdate?

Durr. I was on a fresh install and forgot to do apt-get update, so I couldn't at first.

Anyways, this worked. Thank you.

HAF Desktop:
Core i7, 6GB RAM, 750GB HDD (W7), GeForce GTX 260
Thinkpad Edge (14"):
Core i3, 4GB RAM, 500GB HDD (#! 10)
  • From: California
  • Registered: 2010-01-02
  • Posts: 89

Re: Changing UTC / Timezone / Network Time

Glad to help. 

It took me a few hours reading pages & obsolete HOWTOs before I understood the problem and could fix it.  I'm really glad that I could contribute something, anything to the #! community.

  • From: Traverse City, Michigan
  • Registered: 2008-12-18
  • Posts: 33

Re: Changing UTC / Timezone / Network Time

Thanks for the help, 73ChargerFan. Worked great.

Give A Monkey A Brain and He'll Swear He's the Center of the Universe

jasonwert's Website

  • From: Belgium, Europe
  • Registered: 2009-10-16
  • Posts: 368

Re: Changing UTC / Timezone / Network Time

anonymous wrote:

sudo apt-get install ntpdate?

I tried, but get this:

root@debianludo:/home/ludo# sudo apt-get install ntpdate
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree       
Reading state information... Done
E: Couldn't find package ntpdate

I also tried  

/usr/bin/tzselect

and could set to Europe, Brussels, but the time is still 4 hours off (also after reboot).

Any more ideas to try?

#!+mocp=music in my ears

catch22's Website

  • From: California, USA
  • Registered: 2008-11-29
  • Posts: 8,647

Re: Changing UTC / Timezone / Network Time

Make sure to run "sudo apt-get update" first then try installing ntpdate.

Note: ** Please read before posting **

BTW if you wish to contact me, send me an e-mail instead of a PM.
  • From: Belgium, Europe
  • Registered: 2009-10-16
  • Posts: 368

Re: Changing UTC / Timezone / Network Time

anonymous wrote:

Make sure to run "sudo apt-get update" first then try installing ntpdate.

That's another issue I have, because apparently I'm not in the sudoers list (that's why you see I went as 

su root

first in the above post)

I did find this post somewhat helpful (although not 100% clear either) http://www.go2linux.org/sudoers-how-to but found that in statler doing 

visudo

the file is opened in nano hmm (and read that it's safest with vi in this particular case)

#!+mocp=music in my ears

catch22's Website

  • From: California, USA
  • Registered: 2008-11-29
  • Posts: 8,647

Re: Changing UTC / Timezone / Network Time

catch22 wrote:

That's another issue I have, because apparently I'm not in the sudoers list

Its a known issue:

http://crunchbanglinux.org/forums/topic … riveliges/

As for nano, it doesn't matter. Its just a text editor.

Note: ** Please read before posting **

BTW if you wish to contact me, send me an e-mail instead of a PM.
  • From: Belgium, Europe
  • Registered: 2009-10-16
  • Posts: 368

Re: Changing UTC / Timezone / Network Time

anonymous wrote:
catch22 wrote:

That's another issue I have, because apparently I'm not in the sudoers list

Its a known issue:

http://crunchbanglinux.org/forums/topic … riveliges/

As for nano, it doesn't matter. Its just a text editor.

ok, so after the line
root ALL=(ALL) ALL
I typed another line
ludo ALL=(ALL) ALL
put a new blank line after that and saved with CTRL-o

I still can't sudo (not after reboot either)

#!+mocp=music in my ears

catch22's Website

14 Reply by wuy

  • wuy
  • #! Member
  • Offline
  • Registered: 2009-02-05
  • Posts: 74

Re: Changing UTC / Timezone / Network Time

To add your user to the sudo group you can boot in recovery mode (single user mode) and run

usermod -G -a sudo yourusername

If you want every user you create to belong to sudo group, edit /etc/adduser.conf and remove the comments from the lines below (add the sudo group and edit the others to your preference)

# Set this if you want the --add_extra_groups option to adduser to add
# new users to other groups.
# This is the list of groups that new non-system users will be added to
# Default:
EXTRA_GROUPS="dialout cdrom floppy audio video plugdev users sudo"

# If ADD_EXTRA_GROUPS is set to something non-zero, the EXTRA_GROUPS
# option above will be default behavior for adding new, non-system users
ADD_EXTRA_GROUPS=1

Last edited by wuy (2010-09-04 16:51:51)

  • From: Belgium, Europe
  • Registered: 2009-10-16
  • Posts: 368

Re: Changing UTC / Timezone / Network Time

wuy wrote:

To add your user to the sudo group you can boot in recovery mode (single user mode) and run

usermod -G -a sudo yourusername

the return is:

usermod: group '-a' does not exist
#!+mocp=music in my ears

catch22's Website

  • From: California, USA
  • Registered: 2008-11-29
  • Posts: 8,647

Re: Changing UTC / Timezone / Network Time

Try this command:

gpasswd -a username sudo
Note: ** Please read before posting **

BTW if you wish to contact me, send me an e-mail instead of a PM.
  • From: Belgium, Europe
  • Registered: 2009-10-16
  • Posts: 368

Re: Changing UTC / Timezone / Network Time

anonymous wrote:

Try this command:

gpasswd -a username sudo

this gives me

bash: gpassword: command not found
#!+mocp=music in my ears

catch22's Website

  • From: California, USA
  • Registered: 2008-11-29
  • Posts: 8,647

Re: Changing UTC / Timezone / Network Time

Run this as root:

apt-get install passwd

Then try running gpasswd again.

Note: ** Please read before posting **

BTW if you wish to contact me, send me an e-mail instead of a PM.

19 Reply by wuy

  • wuy
  • #! Member
  • Offline
  • Registered: 2009-02-05
  • Posts: 74

Re: Changing UTC / Timezone / Network Time

Sorry try usermod -a -G sudo username

man usermod for help

  • From: Lost River Lake
  • Registered: 2009-02-19
  • Posts: 516

Re: Changing UTC / Timezone / Network Time

I am just wondering: would it not be a good idea to check if the time is correctly set in BIOS? I successfully changed the time with ntpdate (as I told in post #3 above), but afterwards I also corrected it in BIOS since one of the family's Windows gamers notified me that the time is not right on the Vista side of the dual boot laptop.

I never use smilies, but there are exceptions that prove the rule wink
Now playing: Libre.fm
  • From: Nagoya, Japan
  • Registered: 2009-01-07
  • Posts: 1,971

Re: Changing UTC / Timezone / Network Time

In #!9.04 (Ubuntu), anyway, I'm not in the sudo group (nor is anyone else) but I am in admin, and can do sudo commands OK using my password. Maybe this line in sudoers is what's needed?

# Members of the admin group may gain root privileges
%admin ALL=(ALL) ALL

and to make sure you're in the admin group. You can add yourself to admin with 

adduser <username> admin

edit: but of course that needs to be run as root! You'd have to reboot into recovery mode to run it.

Last edited by johnraff (2010-09-04 18:02:00)

John
------------------------
( a boring Japan blog , and idle twitterings )
“Good morning sir, which way up would you like your reality today?”  "As it comes, Jeeves, as it comes..."

johnraff's Website

  • From: Belgium, Europe
  • Registered: 2009-10-16
  • Posts: 368

Re: Changing UTC / Timezone / Network Time

Piraja wrote:

I am just wondering: would it not be a good idea to check if the time is correctly set in BIOS? I successfully changed the time with ntpdate (as I told in post #3 above), but afterwards I also corrected it in BIOS since one of the family's Windows gamers notified me that the time is not right on the Vista side of the dual boot laptop.

spot on!
no need to do anything except set it right in BIOS, I thought hmm, but setting it correct in BIOS didn't correct it in #!

#!+mocp=music in my ears

catch22's Website

  • From: Belgium, Europe
  • Registered: 2009-10-16
  • Posts: 368

Re: Changing UTC / Timezone / Network Time

anonymous wrote:

Run this as root:

apt-get install passwd

Then try running gpasswd again.

I did su root  and then entered the command, but got this 

E: Invalid operation passwd

EDIT: oops I misstyped and forgot "install"
corrected and yes, now I can sudo smile
thank you nn (that means anonymous, if I remember well)

Last edited by catch22 (2010-09-04 18:22:23)

#!+mocp=music in my ears

catch22's Website

  • From: Belgium, Europe
  • Registered: 2009-10-16
  • Posts: 368

Re: Changing UTC / Timezone / Network Time

anonymous wrote:

sudo apt-get install ntpdate

so now that I'm a sudoer cool I tried again, and still get this

Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree       
Reading state information... Done
E: Couldn't find package ntpdate
#!+mocp=music in my ears

catch22's Website

  • From: California, USA
  • Registered: 2008-11-29
  • Posts: 8,647

Re: Changing UTC / Timezone / Network Time

If you want to continue troubleshooting, check what mirrors you're using.

Otherwise you could try installing it manually:

http://packages.debian.org/squeeze/ntpdate

Note: ** Please read before posting **

BTW if you wish to contact me, send me an e-mail instead of a PM.