System date and time is wrong after starting SLEx 10

This document (3167373) is provided subject to the disclaimer at the end of this document.

Environment

SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 10
SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 10

Situation

The system date and time is wrong after starting the system; it shows the shutdown time from the last session when the system is restarted.
Upon booting SUSE Linux is changing the BIOS date and time to the shutdown time from the last session.
System settings for date and time are configured properly.
Adjusting the date and time with YaST or "date" does not fix the problem.

Resolution

Open a terminal console in superuser mode
Configure the timezone with tzselect
Set the current system time through
date -s "YYYY-MM-TT hh:mm:ss"
Delete the file /etc/adjtime:
rm /etc/adjtime
This file is used to correct systematic time drift and may be involved in the problem. It will be recreated automatically.
Set the hardware clock (also known as real time clock (RTC), BIOS clock or CMOS clock):
hwclock --debug --systohc --utc
When the RTC is kept in local time, use the option '--localtime' insteadof '--utc'
Redo steps 4 and 5.

Disclaimer

This Support Knowledgebase provides a valuable tool for SUSE customers and parties interested in our products and solutions to acquire information, ideas and learn from one another. Materials are provided for informational, personal or non-commercial use within your organization and are presented "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND.