File-Path Rules for UNIX Clients

The general requirements for pathnames on UNIX clients are as follows:

• Enter one pathname per line. NetBackup supports a maximum path length of 1023 characters on UNIX clients.
• Start all pathnames with a slash (/).
• You can use the following meta or wildcard characters in policy backup selection lists:

   *
   ?
   [ ]
   { }

The following are example UNIX file specifications that use this capability:


   /home/.[a-zA-Z0-9]*
   /etc/*.conf
• To use meta or wildcard characters literally, precede them with a backslash (\). Assume, for example, that the brackets in the following pathname are used as literal characters:

   /home/abc/fun[ny]name

In the backup selection list, precede the brackets with a backslash as in


   /home/abc/fun\[ny\]name

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  Note    A backslash (\) acts as an escape character only if it precedes a meta or wildcard character. NetBackup normally interprets a backslash literally and it is a legal character to use in pathnames.

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The following topics provide more information on specifying UNIX file paths to back up.