How to Check Timezone in Linux

How to Check Timezone in Linux. Maintaining proper time management is crucial for any system, especially a Linux server. This article delves into the various ways to check your system’s time zone, catering specifically to novice users.

Several utilities exist in Linux to handle time, including date and timedatectl. These tools not only display the current time zone but also facilitate synchronization with remote NTP servers for automatic, accurate timekeeping.

Let’s embark on a journey through the different methods of discovering your system’s time zone:

1. The Traditional Route: The date Command:

To reveal the current time zone using the classic date command, simply type:

date

Alternatively, you can leverage specific format specifiers to customize the output:

• %Z displays the alphabetic time zone.
• %z displays the numeric time zone.

For example:

date +"%Z %z"

Utilize the man command to explore various format options available:

man date

2. Unveiling the Time Zone with timedatectl:

Executing timedatectl without any arguments provides an overview of the system, including the time zone:

timedatectl

For a more focused approach, combine timedatectl with the grep command to filter the output:

timedatectl | grep "Time zone"

3. Exploring the Time Zone File:

Users of Debian-based distributions can view the contents of the /etc/timezone file using the cat utility:

cat /etc/timezone

4. Symbolic Links and Time Zone Management:

For users of Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL)/CentOS 7 and Fedora versions 25-22, the /etc/localtime file serves as a symbolic link to the actual time zone file located within the /usr/share/zoneinfo directory.

5. Setting the Time Zone:

You can modify the time zone by creating a symbolic link from /etc/localtime to the desired zone file within /usr/share/zoneinfo.

Here’s the syntax:

sudo ln -sf /usr/share/zoneinfo/zoneinfo /etc/localtime

• -s: Creates a symbolic link.
• -f: Removes any existing destination file.

For instance, to switch to the Africa/Nairobi time zone:

sudo ln -sf /usr/share/zoneinfo/Africa/Nairobi /etc/localtime