Debian Desktop Time Adjustment

I have a great workstation that is powerful, has lots of space and runs one of the best Linux Distributions ever, Debian Linux....but it loses time constantly.  Yep, time drifts south at an irritating pace, making me late for appointments, messing up my automated activities.  This is a common problem with today's hardware.  Yes, this is not a Linux or a distribution issue this is related to a motherboard that just does not keep decent time.  The good news is that there is an easy way to fix it.

Download and Install ntp on Debian

As root download the ntp package:

sudo apt-get install ntp

Now go to your time on the Desktop Panel and choose "Adjust Time and Date".  The window below will open which displays the current Time zone.  The Configuration is set to automatically synchronize the time with servers on the Internet that are checking an atomic clock so they are extremely accurate.

You can see on a Debian system there are four servers selected for you.  You may want to choose one closer to your location.  You will choose several servers because one may be busy or have downtime so to keep maximum accuracy you will have a backup or two.

Debian Manual Time Configuration

The other option that you have is that you can use a Manual configuration.  Notice the icon to the right of the time listed, it will allow you to click and synchronize.

Setting your time to sync with a server that is connected to an atomic clock is a great way to solve hardware time issues.

Debian Users: Don't stop now. We've got plenty of useful Debian Linux Tutorials for you to read.