How can I set my system's clock?

Setting our clock to another system's time in Linux is easy. Getting that value into your BIOS may not be; your mileage may vary.

Quick and easy way is to follow these steps:

1. Make sure your timezone is set correctly
2. Become root
3. Execute rdate -s clock.yale.edu, or any other appropriate xntp server. The closer network-wise the server you choose, the more accurate your time will be. More accurately, the lower jitter, the more accurate the time will be.

Wasn't that easy?

Of course, if you know the local time, you don't want to use rdate, you want to use date instead. man date for more details.

Note, by the way, that time doesn't perform a date-related function. time reports how long a process takes to complete, instead. man time for more information.