Keeping your server time accurate with Chrony on AlmaLinux 8

Time synchronization is essential for server reliability. Whether you’re logging data, syncing files, or running scheduled tasks, accurate timekeeping ensures everything runs smoothly. At Liquid Web, we recommend Chrony—a powerful and reliable time synchronization tool—for all AlmaLinux 8 servers.

This guide covers how to:

• Check if Chrony is installed
• Install it if needed
• Configure it to use Liquid Web’s time servers
• Sync time manually

Check if Chrony is installed

Run this command:

systemctl | grep -i 'ntp|chrony'

If you see output that includes chronyd, it’s already installed and running.

Install Chrony (If not installed)

If Chrony is not found, install it using the following command (requires root or sudo access):

dnf install chrony -y

Once installed, enable and start the Chrony service:

systemctl enable chronyd --now

Now you can continue with configuration.

Configure Chrony to use Liquid Web time servers

1. Open the configuration file:

nano /etc/chrony.conf

2. Find the existing pool line:

pool 2.almalinux.pool.ntp.org iburst

3. Comment it out and add Liquid Web’s servers:

#pool 2.almalinux.pool.ntp.org iburst
server 0.time.liquidweb.com
server 1.time.liquidweb.com
server 2.time.liquidweb.com
server 3.time.liquidweb.com

4. Save and close the file. Then restart Chrony:

systemctl restart chronyd

Verify time synchronization

Run this command to check synchronization status:

chronyc tracking

Sample output:

System time     : 0.000004672 seconds slow of NTP time
Last offset     : -0.000005877 seconds
Reference ID    : 4510EA65 (n03.mx.liquidweb.com)

This confirms it’s synced with Liquid Web’s time servers and operating normally.

Force an immediate time sync (if needed)

Chrony typically makes gradual adjustments. To immediately align system time (useful if there’s a large time gap):

chronyc makestep

Need help?

If you’re running into issues with time sync or Chrony on your Liquid Web server, contact our support team.