TZDIALOG(8) BSD System Manager's Manual TZDIALOG(8)NAMEtzdialog — set local timezone
SYNOPSIStzdialog [-enrsvX] [-C chroot_directory] [zoneinfo_file | zoneinfo_name]
DESCRIPTION
The tzdialog utility reads a database of timezone information and
presents a menu allowing the user to select a specific zone without know‐
ing the details of the database layout. The selected zone is installed
as the system default zone. The tzdialog utility also determines whether
any adjustment is necessary for systems where the hardware clock does not
keep UTC.
The following option is available:
-C chroot_directory
Open all files and directories relative to
chroot_directory.
-n Do not create or copy files.
-r Reinstall the zoneinfo file installed last time. The
name is obtained from /var/db/zoneinfo.
-s Skip the initial question about adjusting the clock if
not set to UTC.
It is possible to short-circuit the menu system by specifying the loca‐
tion of a zoneinfo_file or the name of the zoneinfo_name on the command
line; this is intended mainly for pre-configured installation scripts or
people who know which zoneinfo they want to install.
TIMEZONE DATABASE
The contents of the timezone database are indexed by
/usr/share/zoneinfo/zone.tab. This file lists, for each timezone data
file, the ISO 3166 territory code, approximate geographical coordinates
(in ISO 6709 format), and location within the territory.
The maintainers of the database maintain the following policies:
1. At least one zone for every country or inhabited geographical
territory.
2. One zone for every distinct, documented timezone history since
the beginning of the UNIX epoch (January 1, 1970, GMT).
3. Each zone is named for the most populous city therein. (Where
possible, the database includes pre-1970 history for its
city.)
The source code to the database (/usr/src/share/zoneinfo/[a-z]*) contains
many additional comments and documentation references for the histori‐
cally minded.
DEPENDENCIES
The following standard commands are required by tzdialog:
awk(1), cat(1), dialog(1), grep(1), id(1), ln(1), printf(1), rm(1),
sort(1), strings(1), stty(1), uname(1), which(1)
The following standard commands are optional, based on arguments passed
and situation, but enhance the abilities of tzdialog:
Xdialog(1)FILES
/etc/localtime current time zone file
/etc/wall_cmos_clock see adjkerntz(8)
/usr/share/misc/iso3166 mapping of ISO 3166 territory codes to
names
/usr/share/zoneinfo directory for zoneinfo files
/usr/share/zoneinfo/zone.tab mapping of timezone file to country and
location
/var/db/zoneinfo saved name of the timezone file installed
last
EXAMPLES
Normal usage, to select the right zoneinfo file via the dialog-based user
interface:
tzdialog
Install the file /usr/share/zoneinfo/Australia/Sydney:
tzdialog /usr/share/zoneinfo/Australia/Sydney
Install the zoneinfo file for Australia/Sydney, assumed to be located in
/usr/share/zoneinfo:
tzdialog Australia/Sydney
Reinstall last installed zoneinfo file (as specified in
/var/db/zoneinfo):
tzdialog-r
SEE ALSOdate(1), adjtime(2), ctime(3), timezone(3), tzfile(5), adjkerntz(8),
zdump(8), zic(8)DISCLAIMER
The representation of certain localities as being associated with certain
countries and/or territories is for the purposes of identification only,
and does not imply any endorsement or rejection on the part of the
FreeBSD Project of the territorial claims of any entity.
BUGS
Programs which are already running when tzdialog creates or updates
/etc/localtime will not reflect the updated timezone. When the system is
first configured for a non-UTC hardware clock, it is necessary to run
adjkerntz(8) (which normally happens as a part of system startup) in
order to update the kernel's idea of the correct timezone offset.
AUTHORS
Devin E. Teske.
BSD January 11, 2012 BSD
