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2.2. Command Line Configuration

In case your system does not have the Date/Time Properties tool installed, or the X Window Server is not running, you will have to change the system date and time on the command line. Note that in order to perform actions described in this section, you have to be logged in as a superuser:
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~]$ su -
Password:

2.2.1. Date and Time Setup

The date command allows the superuser to set the system date and time manually:
  1. Change the current date. Type the command in the following form at a shell prompt, replacing the YYYY with a four-digit year, MM with a two-digit month, and DD with a two-digit day of the month:
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    ~]# date +%D -s YYYY-MM-DD
    For example, to set the date to 2 June 2010, type:
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    ~]# date +%D -s 2010-06-02
  2. Change the current time. Use the following command, where HH stands for an hour, MM is a minute, and SS is a second, all typed in a two-digit form:
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    ~]# date +%T -s HH:MM:SS
    If your system clock is set to use UTC (Coordinated Universal Time), add the following option:
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    ~]# date +%T -s HH:MM:SS -u
    For instance, to set the system clock to 11:26 PM using the UTC, type:
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    ~]# date +%T -s 23:26:00 -u
You can check your current settings by typing date without any additional argument:

Example 2.1. Displaying the current date and time

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~]$ date
Wed Jun  2 11:58:48 CEST 2010
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