Summary: script for setting localtime in /usr/lib/zoneinfo

From: Paul Evan Matz (bmskc!moe!paul@uunet.UU.NET)
Date: Sat Nov 09 1991 - 04:35:38 CST


Sorry this one is SOOO late, but we've been a little tied up...

Original Posting, circa 10/9:

>I was wondering if anyone had come across a script, like what runs
>during suninstall, to set the time zone? I've looked everywhere I can
>think of for details on setting it. I know about /usr/lib/zoneinfo and
>localtime, and have guessed how to switch between EST and CST, but had
>some reservations; Should localtime be a hard or symbolic link? (it
>seems to work either way) Is a reboot required after a change? (date
>seems to immediately take note of the newly set zone).
>
>If there is no way to get access to the portion of suninstall that
>provides the interface for setting/changing the zone interactively, is
>there a list of the zones and their corresponding /usr/lib/zoneinfo
>file? (I've found the time zone appendix C in The System and Network
>Administration Manual).

The responses contained the following interesting tid bits:

o localtime can be either a hard or symbolic link, or a copy of the
        original file.

o see the manpage for zic(8). Once zic is run, I was also told to
        remember to run tzsetup to update some outdated (but sometime
         used) structures in the kernel. (Thanks for this one.
        Never would have stumbled onto either of these).

o some suggested a reboot might be in order, although others said
        definitively that none was needed.

o one nice person sent me a little bit of a script:
        (From /usr/etc/install/config_host - what suninstall uses...)

        #
        # Set timezone
        #
        cwd=`pwd`
        cd ${ZONEINFO_DIR}
        rm -f ${ZONEINFO_DIR}/localtime- 2>/dev/null
        mv -f ${ZONEINFO_DIR}/localtime ${ZONEINFO_DIR}/localtime- 2>/dev/null
        ln ${timezone} localtime 2>/dev/null
        cd ${cwd}

The problem is, what is $timezone? Looks like it comes from
/etc/install/sys_info. Who sticks it in there?
Seems like zic is a better approach.

Alas, no one knew how to run the interactive portion of suninstall that
allows you to answer: country, timezone, etc., without actually re-installing
the system.

Thanks to:
        uunet!etnibsd!vsh
        uunet!julian.uwo.ca!hacksaw
        uunet!oddjob.uchicago.edu!oconnor!sbcoc.com!miker
        uunet!noao.edu!jdavis
        uunet!nosun.West.Sun.COM!cadreor!cadreor!neil
        uunet!ocean.ml.csiro.au!hart
        uunet!Aus.Sun.COM!kevins
        uunet!ksm.my!chchua
        uunet!eua.ericsson.se!Henrik.Martin
        uunet!auspex!auspex.com!guy

Regards,
 ____________________________________________________________
| Paul E. Matz, Principal Engineer, PPG Biomedial Systems |
| RR 2, Box 55, 26 Lewis Road, Pound Ridge, NY, 10576 |
| Phone: 914-234-0745, or 914-234-0661 |
| (in KS:) |
| PO Box 15955, 16505 W. 113 St, Lenexa, Kansas 66285-5955 |
| Phone: 913-894-7500 x7179 Fax: 913-894-7600 |
| email: {...}!uunet!bmskc!paul or paul@bmskc.ppg.com |
|____________________________________________________________|



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