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NeedWisdom
Contributor
Contributor

Keep different system date within VM

I know that there are many threads about this, but I did not find the solution for a special problem.

I have a program installed within a VM that need to run the system date set back to 2015. I have solved this problem with add this line to the vmx file:

--rtc.startTime = "1420370315"--

To avoid that the VM synchronize with the host I have added also these lines:

tools.syncTime = "FALSE"

time.synchronize.continue = "FALSE"

time.synchronize.restore = "FALSE"

time.synchronize.resume.disk = "FALSE"

time.synchronize.shrink = "FALSE"

time.synchronize.tools.startup = "FALSE"

time.synchronize.tools.enable = "FALSE"

time.synchronize.resume.host = "FALSE"

This configuration set the system date at every reboot at 2015-01-04 11:18:35h. But the problem is, that the installed program recognize the last start time and gives an error when I reboot the VM and run the program again.

Is there any solution to set the system date at every reboot one day forward?

4 Replies
gimmely
Hot Shot
Hot Shot

It doesn't look like an "issue" with/concerning VMware, but the discussion in trying to find a solution can be pretty long.  So, it may be suitable in this forum.

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bluefirestorm
Champion
Champion

You could try to use rtc.diffFromUTC instead of rtc.startTime. In this case it is the number of seconds difference from current UTC time instead of number of seconds since 1 Jan 1970. So the time is then relative to current time instead of fixed 01 Jan 1970.

So 1000 days ago is sometime in Jan 2015.

1000 days x 86,400 seconds per day

rtc.diffFromUTC = "-86400000"

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NeedWisdom
Contributor
Contributor

@bluefirestorm

Your suggestion looks like the solution for this problem.

I think that these entries at the vmx file are not necesary anymore when I use "rtc.diffFromUTC".

Thats right?

tools.syncTime = "FALSE"

time.synchronize.continue = "FALSE"

time.synchronize.restore = "FALSE"

time.synchronize.resume.disk = "FALSE"

time.synchronize.shrink = "FALSE"

time.synchronize.tools.startup = "FALSE"

time.synchronize.tools.enable = "FALSE"

time.synchronize.resume.host = "FALSE"

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bluefirestorm
Champion
Champion

Those entries would still be needed as they are intended to disable time synchronisation.

The diffFromUTC just sets the time relative to the current UTC time during power up of the VM. So if time sync functionality was still enabled, the time within the VM might still get sync to the current time of the host machine; which you would not want to happen.