change time from command line?

[spreelanka]

hey, my system sync's with a ntp server upon bootup, but even though it's a laptop that doesn't happen so often.
anyway, how do i change the kernel time from the command line? so i can tell cron to do it every once in a while. even better, is there a way that i can just have it sync with an ntp server without grepping+ changing time format + other stuff that would probably be fun but might not work?
thanks in advance

[Hayl]

you could put this in your /etc/cron.hourly
#! /bin/sh

/usr/sbin/ntpdate -u -b -s swisstime.ethz.ch > /dev/null
/sbin/hwclock --systohc > /dev/null

exit 0note: sometimes ntpdate is in /usr/sbin and sometime it is in /usr/bin.

you need root access to set the hardware clock.

[spreelanka]

thanks!
> /dev/null , that just keeps it from going to stdout right?
cool! 2 for the post of one!

[Hayl]

Originally posted by spreelanka
> /dev/null , that just keeps it from going to stdout right?

yep

[redcape]

If you allow the output to go to stdout you get an email every day telling you how much your clock drifted that day.

Hmm I just realised you are doing it every hour. Hourly emails might be annoying! If you want that level of precision you should probably set up the NTP damon and leave it running all the time.

[spreelanka]

thanks, i'll look into man ntpdate (or man ntpd, whatever the daemon is) knowing how much my clock drifts everyday might help me eliminate my problem, this system is a laptop and i've heard( and noticed) that the battery level applet slows the clock when it checks the battery level. I haven't found a way to fix this, but to be honest i haven't looked. It isn't crutial for this system but anyone with a fix, lemme know