A Guide to Adjusting Timezone via Ubuntu Command Line.

A timezone refers to a predefined standard time used in a specific geographical location. It is essential to set the appropriate timezone to avoid confusion and potential errors. Have you ever wondered why a certain cron job or task runs at an unexpected time?

Luckily, changing the timezone in Ubuntu is easy with the timedatectl command. Let's take a closer look at how to do it.

Check your current timezone

Before making any adjustments, it's best to check your current timezone. Launch the timedatectl command by typing the following in your terminal:

• $ timedatectl

The "Local time" line tells you what timezone your system is currently following. This affects everything from scheduling tasks to displaying the correct time. In this example, the timezone is "Etc/UTC," which stands for Greenwich Mean Time.

View all available timezones

If your current timezone isn't the one you want, you can easily switch it. But first, you need to know what timezones are available on your system. Type the following command to get a list:

• timedatectl list-timezones
• This will show you a scrollable list of every timezone available on your system.

• Change your timezone

• Once you find the timezone you want, type the following command to switch to it:
• sudo timedatectl set-timezone TIMEZONE

Replace TIMEZONE with the name of your chosen timezone, such as "Asia/Kolkata." This will set your timezone to the one you selected. You can confirm by running the timedatectl command again:

$ timedatectl

Your "Local time" line should now show the correct timezone and time for your location. Alternatively, you can look through the /usr/share/zoneinfo directory to find a city that matches your timezone. Symbolically linking to this path can update your timezone.

Knowing how to modify your timezone can save you time, confusion, and alleviate any potential errors.