Network Time Protocol is an internet protocol that is used to synchronize the system clock between devices. Please see How to sync S3 Bucket with an EC2 instance. Kerberos error: Clock skew too great while getting initial credentials. And how to fix “Google Chrome reports your clock is behind: How to fix clock synchronization issues in Windows“. In this article, you will learn how to Enable or disable Linux System’s Clock Sync with NTP Server.

NTP uses a hierarchical, semi-layered system of time sources. Each level of this hierarchy is termed a stratum.

It is assigned a number starting with zero for the reference clock at the top. A server synchronized to a stratum n server runs at stratum n + 1.

The Timedatectl Command

The timedatectl utility enables you to automatically sync your Linux system clock with a remote group of servers using NTP. For more information on how to change the system time zone under RedHat and CentOS, and How to sync on-premises AD with Azure AD via Azure AD Connect.

The prerequisite is to have an NTP server installed on the device. This will enable automatic time synchronization with an external NTP server.

Enable the Linux System’s Clock Sync

Therefore, to enable automatic time synchronization with a remote NTP server, type the following command at the terminal. Please see how to upgrade VMware Tools in vSphere. Please, see how to fix ‘We cannot sign you with this credential because your domain isn’t available: Make sure your device is connected to your organization’s network and try again“.

timedatectl set-ntp true

Disable the Linux System’s Clock Sync

To disable NTP time synchronization, run the following command at the terminal as shown below. Please see this Synchronize your Domain Controller with a n external time source on how this is performed in Windows.

timedatectl set-ntp false

I hope you found this blog post helpful on how to enable or disable Linux System’s Clock Sync with NTP Server. If you have any questions, please let me know in the comment section.