# Maintain file timestamp during copy

**URL:** <https://forum.ansible.com/t/maintain-file-timestamp-during-copy/12546>\
**Category:** Ansible Project\
**Tags:** ansible-project\
**Created:** [March 21, 2013, 4:12am UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/maintain-file-timestamp-during-copy/12546 "2013-03-21T04:12:40Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![kahlil.hodgson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b9bd4f/32.png) [@kahlil.hodgson](https://forum.ansible.com/u/kahlil.hodgson)\
**Post date:** [March 21, 2013, 4:12am UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/maintain-file-timestamp-during-copy/12546/1 "2013-03-21T04:12:40Z")

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Argument could go the other way. Preserving the timestamp hides the destination file timestamp. You would not be able to tell, by looking at the server, exactly when the configuration changes took effect. This info could be very useful for system forensics/autopsy or for debugging issues with you configuration management process itself.

K

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**Author:** ![Peter\_Pletcher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b3f665/32.png) [@Peter\_Pletcher](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Peter_Pletcher)\
**Post date:** [March 21, 2013, 5:56pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/maintain-file-timestamp-during-copy/12546/2 "2013-03-21T17:56:34Z")

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Information about when configuration changes were made is already available in other places.  
And of course it goes both ways, that is why this would be a configuration option.