Symantec Netbackup Date/Time Format

[girishnair1984]

Hi.

We are using Symantec Netbackup 7.5 . I created a policy with BasicDisk as storage. I would like to understand the parameters formatting used in the attached .info file

[Marianne]

It is called 'Unix time' - the amount of seconds since 1/1/70. To convert to normal time, use bpdbm -ctime (10-digit-timestamp) Use bpimagelist with -L option to display image header info rather than opening .info file.

[girishnair1984]

Hi.

Is there any way that the image & info file is created in normal time format rather than timestamp.

[RiaanBadenhorst]

No

[Marianne · Accepted solution]

As I've said - the file is not meant for users. It is for NBU internal use. You can use bpimagelist -L to display header info in human readable format.

[sdo]

The bpclimagelist command can also be used for slightly different output style.  As Marianne says, use bpimagelist first, and possibly pipe into grep or find to select just the listed attributes that you are interested in.

[revarooo]

Impossible, Marianne has given you the commands to get the output you need, there is no other way and the formatting of this file in not changeable

[mph999]

What are you trying to achieve, why do you want the format of the time changed ?

Firstly, as pointed out by my wonderful 'forum' colleagues above, it cannot be changed.  Secondly, this file makes up part of the image (the actual data backed up) and any change in the file 'could' result in 'corrupting' the backup image.

Therefore, I really really recommend that you don't open these files, ever ...  With all good intentions, sometimes mistakes happen, the wrong file is editted and someome presses save ...

[Nicolai]

The EPOCH time format is used because its a universal method of storing time.

All Netbackup human readable time stamps, reads the EPOCH time and then apply your timezone configuration.

One example of this is daylight saving where the clock is moved one hour forward in the spring and is reserved in the autumn. Netbackup is completely immune to this shift time because of the EPOCH time format.

But also imageing two media servers in two diffrent time zones, e.g UK and Dubai. Clearly the pace of time is the same, but not the clock.  

girishnair1984 - I  hope you now understand why the time format is used and why it cannot be changeged.