Messing with date & time on Tails OS

1

I work on an air-gapped Tails OS. And i need the time to be correct without having to set an Admin password. When i shut down windows and boot into tails the time is correct, its the local time. But when I boot from linux to Tails linux the time is utc. I tried changing the way in which my linux box saves time, i.e, - timedatectl set-local-rtc 1 --adjust-system-clock.

Any suggestions?

2

It would help a lot, if you would explain more and add more details to your request for help.

For example:

Why?

4

https://tails.boum.org/doc/first_steps/welcome_screen/administration_password/index.en.html

The abovementioned url explains it. I would have no problems otherwise.

5

So, it’s a matter of security and you do not want to make your Tails any more insecure and less private, correct?

Setting the correct time for your location may make it less private, too.

6

It’s air-gapped. Doesn’t connect to the internet.

I appreciate you concern but do you have a solution?

My query is simple -
How do i replicate the effects of windows 10?

7
8

Tried it. Didn’t work. Tried this and the one you stated.
Any other tips?

9

Hmmm, weird. Not sure. :thinking: I will add more information, if I come up with a better idea. Perhaps, in the meantime, someone else will help more successfully.

10

I’m lazy - sometimes I do this :

sudo ln -sf /etc/zoneinfo/Australia/Perth /etc/localtime

(note : pretty sure above is only valid on REL 5, 6 and 7, probably not on 8 or any Debian distros)…

Maybe more like (this might work on e.g. Ubuntu 20.04)

sudo ln -sf /usr/share/zoneinfo/Australia/Perth /etc/localtime ???

in all cases, YMMV, always back files up… (e.g. sudo cp -p /etc/localtime /etc/localtime.BKUP)

11

This seems very interesting, will try it. But I’m a Linux noob. Could you explain what the debian command does and how would i undo it?

And what’s the backup for?

12

In case things go horribly wrong?

Famous last words : “this is very low risk, nothing can go wrong…”
Murphy : “here, hold my beer…”

13

What about undoing it? And its brief explanation?

14

What we’re doing is creating a symbolic link so that /etc/localtime points to the timezone file that has the offset from UTC… in my case that’s Australia/Perth - your’s will probably be different (but to confuse matters with a digression, there is another Perth, in Australia, on the island of Tasmania, just inland from the port of Devonport).

In this case we’re also forcing it with “f”…

ln -sf $Source $Desination

Where “-s” is “source”, and “f” is force…

Backing out is as simple as

sudo mv /etc/localtime.BKUP /etc/localtime