Hey everyone, I've recently set up an Entra DS managed domain in the US East region, but I've run into an issue with the time zone. It seems to default to UTC, and all the servers joined to the domain are synced to this UTC time. However, I really need them to operate on Eastern Standard Time (EST). Since it's a managed domain and I don't have direct access to domain controllers, how can I go about changing the time zone? Any help would be greatly appreciated!
3 Answers
If you want to set a specific time zone across your managed devices, you might want to consider using Intune. You can create a policy that sets your desired time zone and assign it to all relevant devices. Azure tends to default to UTC for consistency, but this method could help you get around that limitation! I found a useful guide that explains how to implement this, [here](https://cloudinfra.net/set-time-zone-to-automatic-on-windows-using-intune/) to get you started.
Just a heads-up, the time for domain-based setups is usually synced to UTC via NTP. Instead of trying to change the domain time zone, it's common to set the time zone directly on each server. This way, you won't run into domain trust issues, and it allows for flexibility across servers in different locations.
It seems like you're on the right path with Entra Domain Services! You can actually connect to domain controllers if you have a VM with the AD Management tools installed. Just make sure you're using an account that's part of the AAD DC Administrators group. But keep in mind, changing the time zone itself directly might not be possible since Azure handles the FSMO roles and defaults to UTC.
I hear you. I can manage users through my VM too, but I ran into the same limitation. It seems like Azure's infrastructure manages the time settings from their end.