Offset from UTC was incorrectly set during IBM i installation

If the Offset from UTC (QUTCOFFSET) system value was not set correctly during the installation, the initial time zone value for your system might not be correct.

If you set the time zone before the installation of the IBM® i operating system, the offset from UTC is set according to the time zone you specified. If you set the time zone during an initial program load (IPL), the offset from UTC is set according to the time zone you specified during the IPL. Otherwise, the offset from UTC is determined by the initial time zone value.

This troubleshooting topic assumes that you did not set the Time zone (QTIMZON) system value before installation or during an IPL.

The offset might be incorrect if any of the following conditions exist:

  • The Offset from UTC (QUTCOFFSET) system value was set to 00:00 (HH:MM) before installation and it is not the actual offset.
  • The system was observing daylight saving time during the installation. Therefore, the system chose a time zone description based on an incorrect offset.

Recovery steps

The Offset from Coordinated Universal Time (QUTCOFFSET) system value is derived from the Time zone (QTIMZON) system value. Therefore, if the time zone is not correct, the offset is not correct either. After the Time zone system value is set correctly, the offset from UTC is correct.

To troubleshoot this situation, complete the following steps:

  1. Verify the time zone properties.
  2. Verify the time system values.