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How to Change the Time Zone in Linux

Contributor
By eHow Contributing Writer
(4 Ratings)

Linux time zones are simple and quick to change. Linux uses a symbolic link to set the time zone. The symbolic link is a file that references another file in the form of a path. When the two are linked together, you have successfully changed the time zone. There are many time zones available on your system and you can update it at anytime.

Difficulty: Easy
Instructions
  1. Step 1

    Look in your directory under "/user/share/zoneinfo" and choose an available time zone. An example is "America/Los_Angeles."

  2. Step 2

    Browse to your directory "/usr/share/zoneinfo/your/zone," where "your" is the country and "zone" is the city that is most appropriate for your time zone.

  3. Step 3

    Replace "your/zone" with the time zone you chose in Step 1. An example is "/usr/share/zoneinfo/America/Los_Angeles."

  4. Step 4

    Enter the symbolic link "/etc/localtime" after the link in Step 2. An example is "/usr/share/zoneinfo/America/Los_Angeles/etc/localtime." This links your local time to your specified time zone.

Tips & Warnings
  • If you have an older version of Linux, the path to change your time zone is "/usr/lib/zoneinfo." Continue to use the path "/etc/localtime" after setting your time zone.
  • If a time zone you would like does not appear in your directory, it is invalid for your system to use.
  • The path "/etc/localtime" must be linked to your "/usr/share/zoneinfo" path in order for these steps to work.
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