Typically, cloud servers are initially set up using Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) or the local time of the data center. If used domestically, this can affect the accurate display of website data and system log times. This guide demonstrates how to change the time zone of a cloud server to Beijing time, specifically for Ubuntu systems.

Step One: Check the Current Time Zone

To view the current time and time zone, we use the date command.

date

The returned result is as follows:

Fri Feb 21 06:44:55 UTC 2020

This indicates that the cloud server is currently using the UTC time zone (Coordinated Universal Time).

Step Two: Change the Time Zone

Use the following command to change the time zone.

dpkg-reconfigure tzdata

This command opens a graphical interface, navigated using the up and down arrow keys. To change the time zone to Beijing time, select “Asia” and confirm with Enter.

Then select the city. As there are many cities listed, pressing the 's' key can quickly locate “Shanghai,” followed by another Enter to confirm.

The time zone has been successfully changed, as indicated by the system prompt.

Current default time zone: 'Asia/Shanghai'
Local time is now:      Fri Feb 21 14:46:08 CST 2020.
Universal Time is now:  Fri Feb 21 06:46:08 UTC 2020.

Step Three: Install the NTP Service

The NTP service is a daemon that runs on Linux operating systems for synchronization with remote NTP servers. Use the following command to install the NTP service.

apt-get install ntp

Step Four: Configure the Firewall

Since the NTP service requires communication through port 123 to function properly, this port needs to be opened in the firewall.

Use iptables:

iptables  -A  INPUT -m state --state NEW -m udp -p udp --dport 123 -j ACCEPT

Or use UFW:

ufw allow 123

With this, the time zone change and firewall configuration for the Ubuntu cloud server are complete.