New server: set time zone to GMT?
 

I'm setting up my first real linux colocated server. This is intended to be a platform for a small (4-site, low volume) shared and tightly-managed hosting environment, with a portion of this used to host a slowly-increasing population of beta test sites (distributed embedded linux boxes that periodically ftp environmental monitoring data to a mysql database via a php front end). These boxes all operate on GMT and run nntp to keep in synch.

I've been using an ISP located in the CST (US Central Time zone) and have had to fiddle with time such that I always come out in GMT, which is my desired time format.

Therefore on the new server I'd like to set it to operate on GMT (even tho it lives in the US eastern time zone).

First, (Red Hat 8) what is the best way to go about changing the time zone to make it a permanent change? I am already running the nntp daemon to keep things synchronized.

Second, does it make sense to set the server's clock (both hardware and O/S) to GMT? Maybe there's other processes that won't like this? I can stick with the various workarounds that were built for the server operating in CST, but I'd rather not.

I'd very much appreciate hearing several takes on this from those who go GMT and others who don't, and why.

Thank you!

Mark

I personally use GMT for servers, although living in the UK helps :)

The reason I did this was because of timestamps, and when you have servers syncing across timezones thats very important, as theirs no daylight saving to be accounted for, and multiple changes, can be ordered correctly.

I usually have hardware always set to GMT on everthing, and have software take account of local time.

This might help:
http://www.redhat.com/advice/tips/timezone.html

Tips & Tricks: Changing timezone
How do I change my system timezone from the command line without using redhat-config-date?

- I think you're on the righ ttrack. I'm not quite a sysadmin, but I'm sure that others will chime in and say that you are probably approaching this the right way.

Based on the Red Hat link that jhibbets sent along, I found this one:
www.linuxsa.org.au/tips/time.html

The article goes through also changing the hardware clock.

Now that I've done so, I just hope I have done the right thing. Thanks!

(Now that I can easily see UTC I see that you chaps in the UK get up early!)

-m-