1. Why it matters
Wrong date and time cause issues for TLS certificates, logs, scheduled jobs, and authentication.
2. NTP configuration
Check/edit /etc/ntp.conf with reliable NTP servers.
server 0.pool.ntp.org iburst
server 1.pool.ntp.org iburst
server 2.pool.ntp.org iburst3. Enable and start
chmod +x /etc/rc.d/rc.ntpd
/etc/rc.d/rc.ntpd start4. Checks
date
ntpq -p
tail -n 50 /var/log/messages | grep ntpdAfter a few minutes,
ntpq -p should show reachable peers and a stabilizing offset.5. Common issues
- Firewall blocking UDP 123
- DNS not working
- Initial time too far off
Quick checklist
[ ] ntp.conf configured
[ ] rc.ntpd enabled
[ ] rc.ntpd started
[ ] ntpq -p OK
[ ] System time correct