Ubuntu Server Time Incorrect

Symptom:

Ubuntu Server edition generates incorrect timestamps. For example, when issuing the date command or using the date() function in PHP.

Cause:

The server isn’t properly synchronized to an NTP (Network Time Protocol) server.

Solution:

Install an NTP time server

sudo apt-get install ntp

Troubleshooting Steps:

1. Installed NTP server with sudo apt-get install ntp
2. Tried to get update from Ubuntu’s NTP server with sudo ntpupdate ntp.ubuntu.com
3. Checked time zone with more /etc/timezone
4. Waited a couple of minutes

References:

http://www.christopherirish.com/2012/03/21/how-to-set-the-timezone-on-ubuntu-server/