Time settings offered within the management tool are more than adequate for most system needs. For more information on the specific parameters available, see Using the Browser-Based Management Tool to Set the Time.
The following additional flexibility in setting system time, including changing the GMT offset and daylight saving parameters, is available through the command line interface:
You can either set the time manually or synchronize it using the network time protocol (NTP). The appliance uses NTP by default and comes pre-configured with two servers:
You can add additional servers or delete them using the browser-based management tool and the command line interface. For more information regarding NTP functionality, see Using the Command Line to Set NTP Time Sources.
To add or delete an NTP Server:
Start the browser-based management tool > click System > Date/Time.
Select Use Network Time Protocol.
Do one of the following:
To add a server, click Insert, then type the URL or IP address of the server.
To delete a server, select the server, then click Delete.
Changes in the Date/Time page are immediately effective.
To set the time manually:
Start the browser-based management tool > click System > Date/Time.
Select Set Time Manually.
Click Set Time.
Using the drop-down lists, select the correct time and date.
Click OK.
Do one of the following:
Add an NTP server address by entering
add ntp server=128.115.14.97
To enable NTP, enter
set ntp enable=yes
To disable NTP, enter
set ntp enable=no
To have the changes take effect, enter apply.
For more command line options, refer to the appliance's command line help.
When you specify an NTP server, synchronization between the NTP server clock and the appliance clock might not be immediate.
If the NTP server clock has an earlier date and time setting than the appliance clock, the system slows down the appliance clock until the two are synchronized. This provides for proper incrementation of log files and other time-sensitive information during the synchronization process.
If the NTP server clock is later than the appliance clock, synchronization between the two is generally be immediate. However, in certain situations you might observe the appliance clock incrementing by 600-minute intervals. This is normal system behavior.
The fact that the Apply button changes from Wait back to Apply indicates only that the NTP configuration change has been made, not that the appliance clock is fully synchronized with the NTP server.
If the above features are problematic in your situation, you can manually set appliance time to the target time and then re-enable the NTP feature.S