Can't find timesync.service

Technical Support
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1

I am using:
Software summary

Bootloader: U-Boot

Kernel version: 6.6.94-7.3.0-g5a62539de8f9 #1-Torizon SMP PREEMPT Wed Jun 25 09:14:55 UTC 2025
Kernel command line: root=LABEL=otaroot rootfstype=ext4 quiet logo.nologo vt.global_cursor_default=0 plymouth.ignore-serial-consoles splash fbcon=map:3 ostree=/ostree/boot.1/torizon/5c84b03643fe3e8b7be49b13c2171a7f45d0dce855097b9fafed3f75e9260a47/0
Distro name: NAME=“Torizon OS”
Distro version: VERSION_ID=7.3.0-build.18
Distro variant: VARIANT=“Docker”
Hostname: verdin-imx8mp-15132709

Hardware info

HW model: Toradex Verdin iMX8M Plus WB on Verdin Development Board

Toradex version: 0058 V1.1A
Serial number: 15132709
Processor arch: aarch64

I can’t seem to get the timesync to work, and I found that this service: dbus-org.freedesktop.timesync1.service, was masked. When I tried to unmask it, it said it was removed, and I can’t restore it. How is timesync supposed to work?

Steve

2

Hi, I’m the Toradex AI Assistant.

I might make mistakes or occasionally get you wrong. Our support team will step in if needed.

Time Synchronization in Torizon OS

Based on your system information, you’re running Torizon OS 7.3.0-build.18 on a Verdin iMX8M Plus. The time synchronization service you mentioned (dbus-org.freedesktop.timesync1.service) being masked is actually expected behavior in Torizon OS.

How Time Synchronization Works in Torizon OS

In Torizon OS, time synchronization is handled by systemd-timesyncd.service, not the D-Bus service you mentioned(1). This is the standard systemd time synchronization daemon that’s integrated into the boot process.

You can see from the boot analysis that systemd-timesyncd.service is part of the critical boot chain(1):

sysinit.target @2.005s  
  └─systemd-timesyncd.service @1.285s +718ms

Checking Time Synchronization Status

To verify if time synchronization is working properly, you can:

  1. Check the status of the timesyncd service:

    systemctl status systemd-timesyncd.service

  2. View time synchronization details:

    timedatectl status

  3. Check if NTP is enabled:

    timedatectl show-timesync --all

Troubleshooting Time Sync Issues

If time synchronization isn’t working:

  1. Ensure network connectivity - The service requires internet access to reach NTP servers

  2. Check if the service is enabled and running:

    systemctl is-enabled systemd-timesyncd.service
systemctl is-active systemd-timesyncd.service

  3. Restart the service if needed:

    sudo systemctl restart systemd-timesyncd.service

The dbus-org.freedesktop.timesync1.service being masked is normal and shouldn’t affect time synchronization functionality, as Torizon OS uses the systemd-timesyncd approach instead.

Best regards, Toradex AI Assistant.

Did you like my answer? :+1: :-1:

If I answered your question, please tick the “Solution” checkbox.

For follow-up questions to me, please use @ToradexAI in your post.

3

I did all that, it says it’s running now, but the date remains at Jan 20th, and I am pretty sure it’s February 9th.
Steve

4

Time Sync Issue Troubleshooting

Since systemd-timesyncd.service is running but your date is stuck at January 20th instead of February 9th, there are several potential issues to investigate.

Check RTC Status

Your Verdin iMX8M Plus has multiple RTCs available (1). Check the current RTC status:

timedatectl

(1)

This will show you both the system clock and RTC time. If you see something like this output, it indicates an RTC synchronization issue (1):

# timedatectl   
      Local time: Mon 2014-05-26 11:29:40 UTC  
  Universal time: Mon 2014-05-26 11:29:40 UTC  
        RTC time: Mon 2014-05-26 11:29:39  
        Timezone: Universal (UTC, +0000)  
     NTP enabled: n/a

(1)

Manual Time Setting

If the automatic NTP sync isn’t working, you can manually set the time (1):

timedatectl set-ntp false  
timedatectl set-time "2025-02-09 12:00:00"

(1)

When using timedatectl, the time gets stored into the hardware clock immediately when setting a new date or time (1).

Check Network Connectivity

The systemd-timesyncd service requires internet connectivity to synchronize with NTP servers (2). Verify your network connection and ensure the device can reach external NTP servers.

Potential systemd Issue

There’s a known issue with timedatectl failing when the RTC has invalid time, which affects systemd versions before 254.9 (3). Since you’re running Torizon OS 7.3.0, this should include systemd version 255.13 which has the fix (3), but if the RTC time was corrupted before the fix was applied, you might need to manually reset it.

Alternative RTC Commands

You can also use the hwclock command to directly manipulate the hardware clock (1):

hwclock -r

(1)

To set the hardware clock from system time:

hwclock -w

(1)

To set system time from hardware clock:

hwclock -s

(1)

Check Available RTCs

Your Verdin iMX8M Plus has two RTCs available (1):

  • An internal low power RX8130CE real-time clock from Epson (rtc0)
  • The i.MX 8M Plus SoC internal RTC (rtc1)

Check which RTCs are available:

ls /dev/rtc*

Try setting the time manually first, then re-enable NTP synchronization to see if it resolves the issue.

Best regards, Toradex AI Assistant.

Did you like my answer? :+1: :-1:

If I answered your question, please tick the “Solution” checkbox.

For follow-up questions to me, please use @ToradexAI in your post.

5

Hey @EvetsMostel1 ,

How are you doing with this topic?

-Eric