[gpfsug-discuss] Creation time

[Jonathan Buzzard]

On 01/10/2026 14:22, Ahmed Essam Mahrous Gaber Elmazaty via gpfsug-
discuss wrote:
> 
> In addition to rsync, we have migrated to GPFS using AFM and it
> preserves all the metadata including modification timestamps Best
> regards,
If it does then a GPFS API must exist even if undocumented for modifying 
it. However I don't think it does.

Note that creation/birth time is not POSIX and GPFS only acquired it in 
version 3.2 from memory, at the same time as MS-DOS attributes were 
added. Presumably added as part of being able to mount GPFS on Windows, 
with the fun fact you needed a GPFS file system created under 3.2 or 
later to do so.

It is a common misconception that ctime is a creation time, it is in 
fact the time you last changed permissions.

I am talking about the "Creation Time" as reported by mmlsattr -L or on 
XFS the Birth time you see on when stating the file.


JAB.

-- 
Jonathan A. Buzzard                         Tel: +44141-5483420
HPC System Administrator, ARCHIE-WeSt.
University of Strathclyde, John Anderson Building, Glasgow. G4 0NG