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 an automation stitch (see automation stitches):

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.

Due to Windows limitations, the Windows FTP server will not allow file saves with ':' in them for automation stitch with variable date and time, therefore it will only save the configuration file name with variable date.