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I have a Debian server running on some hardware from ca 2004, and the real time clock is running too fast. I have set it to run ntpdate every hour, so the clock is mostly correct, but this seems kinda like a hack.
AFAIK there are a couple of reasons it could run wrong. The first is that the CMOS battery is old. But the server is always on, so I don't see why this should have any effect. The server is in a really warm room, but it's running fine, so I don't think this is the reason.
If the battery is old, can I change it without turning the server off (Hot-swappable battery)?
Indeed. That sounds like asking for trouble. Besides, it's not the battery that determines the pace of the clock.
– oKtosiTe – 2010-12-02T18:01:59.850Have a look here.