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Please help me help my host - KVM VPS Wrong Time
MTUser2012
Member
I have a KVM VPS from a provider that advertised here that will rename nameless for now. (I suspect I've bought a lemon from a summer host.) I've actually had several panels with this provider in a couple of months due to various "problems." Non have had the ability to set the clock/time. In all other panels that I have with KVM providers, there is a setting to adjust time to local or utc or default. On these other panels with different providers, I've had no trouble setting the correct time for my time zone.
I've tried setting the time on this KVM VPS to correct time in my time zone. When I do the actual time is 6.5 hours fast.
I've tried to raise this with the host. I think he thinks I am smoking crack. What do I need to tell him so he can fix this, I can set the time correctly?
Comments
Tell him to go and learn how to run a VPS host, and to stop having to get his clients to go out and ask how do to things, THAT HE SHOULD KNOW.
If its KVM then you can set your own date/time.
You can only set the time from the panel if you are using container or paravirtualization where the container gets time information from the hypervisor. Otherwise usually the VM OS will keep track of it's own time, based on the UTC clock provided by hypervisor; this means reboot would be needed to update time, since access to filesystem is needed to update the timezone in VM's OS. Just search around for it, e.g. https://help.ubuntu.com/community/UbuntuTime
Run your own NTP client and don't count on your host to know what time it is!
Once I figure it out with the help I've received here, I'll let him know. I want to see if I can fix this first, then I am going to ask him to fix the I/0, less than 20mb/s and the connectivity.
Thanks. I didn't know you could do this. I found this for Centos:
cyberciti.biz/faq/howto-install-ntp-to-synchronize-server-clock/http://
I am going to give it a go.
I am glad you figured out you could do that as that is what I used to configure my vm's to run ntp to pick up the correct time.
as that site is very good in putting out good information and how to do things.
cyberciti has been a great resource for short tutorials for a long time now. Very useful.
Related:
If you have an OpenVZ VPS, then you cannot change the clock. (NOTE: The OP has a KVM VPS, which is different.)
With an OpenVZ VPS, you can set its timezone, but not its clock. If your OpenVZ VPS's clock is 23 minutes off, then there is nothing you can do except beg the provider to fix it. ... and wonder why the provider has not coupled the node to a reliable NTP time server.
I had this problem with one of my first OpenVZ VPSs. It caused real problems. The VPS provider was slow to respond. They clearly did not understand the severity of the issue. I was flabbergasted that someone could deploy a VPS server with a clock that was not coupled to a reliable NTP source. Eventually they fixed it, weeks after I opened the ticket. It was a frustrating experience. I would name the provider, but it happened so long ago that I cannot remember.
Yes, OpenVZ is easy. I have a document I made myself of steps I follow to set the VPS up, and one of the first commands (Centos) I run is:
ln -sf /usr/share/zoneinfo/America/Denver /etc/localtime
service rsyslog restart
But, I have never had a provider before this current one where the time is off.
sorry to say, but a provider of an unmanaged KVM vps probably doesn't care about your clock and is right in doing so.
kvm means full virtualization which includes that it presents your own htc and does not depend on the clock of the node!
it is your own responsibility to setup your clock on this one accordingly. just do something like
and you are done. read some manuals how to setup your timezone on the os you are using.
Yes. Thanks. This was pointed out earlier in thread. I found a manual on it for Centos, and this is the solution I will be pursuing. My many thanks to all LET members who are so helpful sharing their knowledge so we can all independently, better host our sites.
Thanks to everyone that helped. I got this working and my two KVM VPSs with the wrong time are now correct.