How to copy file with timestamp preservation?

Copying Files with Timestamp Preservation in Ansible

When working with files in Ansible, it's often important to preserve the original file timestamps, especially when dealing with configuration files or other sensitive data. This ensures that the modified files maintain their original creation and modification times, which can be crucial for maintaining proper system behavior and compliance.

Ansible provides a built-in module called copy that allows you to copy files from the control node (where Ansible is running) to the managed nodes (the target hosts). By default, the copy module does not preserve the original file timestamps. However, you can achieve this by using the remote_src and preserve options.

Here's how you can copy a file with timestamp preservation using Ansible:

- name: Copy file with timestamp preservation
  copy:
    src: /path/to/local/file.txt
    dest: /path/to/remote/file.txt
    remote_src: yes
    preserve: yes

Let's break down the key options used in this example:

1. src: Specifies the path to the local file that you want to copy.
2. dest: Specifies the path to the remote file on the target host where the file will be copied.
3. remote_src: When set to yes, this option tells Ansible to treat the src parameter as a remote file (on the target host) instead of a local file (on the control node).
4. preserve: When set to yes, this option ensures that the original file timestamps (creation and modification times) are preserved when the file is copied.

By using the remote_src and preserve options together, Ansible will copy the file from the control node to the target host while preserving the original file timestamps.

Here's a Mermaid diagram that illustrates the process:

This diagram shows that the file is copied from the control node to the target host, and the original file timestamps are preserved in the copied file.

It's important to note that the remote_src option is necessary when the source file is located on the target host, rather than the control node. This is a common scenario when you're managing configuration files or other sensitive data that should not be stored on the control node.

By using the copy module with the remote_src and preserve options, you can ensure that your files are copied to the target hosts while maintaining the original file timestamps, which is crucial for maintaining system integrity and compliance.