mellonbot
MaintenanceExplains, you decide

Clock drift

Your server keeps its own clock. If it drifts even a few minutes off, certificates can look invalid, logs show confusing times and some logins and payments fail. It’s rare, but hard to spot when it happens.

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At a glance
Group
Maintenance
Mellonbot
Explains, you decide
What it does
Explains how to switch on automatic time sync.
Approval
You make the change

What you’ll notice

  • Times in your logs don’t match the real time
  • Certificate or login errors that come and go
  • Scheduled jobs run at the wrong time
  • Two-factor codes from the server don’t work

Why it usually happens

  • Automatic time sync is switched off
  • The time service can’t reach the internet
  • The server was restored from an old snapshot
  • A virtual server’s clock drifted after being paused

Fix it yourself

How to fix it by hand

Comfortable with a terminal? Here’s what an experienced admin would do. Start with the read-only commands.

  1. 01

    Check the time and sync status

    Look for “System clock synchronized: yes”.

    timedatectl
  2. 02

    Check the time sync service

    This is the service that keeps the clock right.

    systemctl status systemd-timesyncd --no-pager
  3. 03

    Switch automatic sync on

    Turns on network time sync if it was off.

    sudo timedatectl set-ntp true
  4. 04

    Confirm it’s synchronised

    Check again after a minute.

    timedatectl show --property=NTPSynchronized

With Mellonbot

How Mellonbot helps

  • Checks whether your server’s clock is accurate and kept in sync.
  • Explains what a wrong clock can break, in plain English.
  • Walks you through switching on automatic time sync — you make the change.
  • Re-checks afterwards to confirm the clock is right.
What Mellonbot can and can’t do →

FAQ

Clock drift: common questions

Why is my server’s time wrong?

Usually automatic time sync is switched off or can’t reach a time server. Turning it on normally fixes it within a minute.

Can a wrong clock break SSL?

Yes. If the clock is far enough off, certificates can look not yet valid or expired, and secure connections fail.

Related

Often seen together

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