Technical Tip: Automated configuration backups with variable names based on the date

sgiannogloudis · ‎05-13-2022

Description

This article describes how to configure automation stitch settings to generate configuration files with different names based on the date the script triggers.

Scope

FortiGate v6.4.9+ and v7.0.2+GA releases, 7.2.4.

Solution

Create a trigger with the type 'Schedule'.

The following script will be triggered daily at 20:00 (according to the time configured on FortiGate).

config system automation-trigger

edit "TFTP_Backup_Daily"

set trigger-type scheduled

set trigger-frequency daily

set trigger-hour 20

Create an action with the 'CLI Script' type with a %%date%% variable:

config system automation-action

edit "backup_date"

set action-type cli-script

set script "execute backup config tftp Μy_Config_Name%%date%%.conf IP_Address Username Password"

set accprofile "super_admin"

Create a stitch:

config system automation-stitch

edit "date_test"

set trigger "TFTP_Backup_Daily"

config actions

edit 1

set action "backup_date"

set required enable

end

The configuration backup files on the TFTP server will then look like this:

Μy_Config_Name2022-08-19
Μy_Config_Name2022-08-20
Μy_Config_Name2022-08-21
Μy_Config_Name2022-08-22

Note:

In v7.2.4, %%date%% and %%time%% do not work as expected in an automation stitch. Use %%log.date%% and %%log.time%% instead.

For example:

config system automation-action

edit "backup_date"

set action-type cli-script

set script "execute backup config tftp Μy_Config_Name%%log.date%%_%%log.time%%.conf IP_Address Username Password"

set accprofile "super_admin"

Note:

%%time%% or %%log.time%% not working for some of the TFTP/SFTP/FTP servers as it analyzed as bad characters for the title.

Here is the output:

Screenshot 2023-08-18 163850.png

Note:

To check if the backup configuration is working with variables (date/ time) needs to be done using automation stitch only and does not change the variables if checking from CLI console or SSH.