While using Autodesk Vault, you may encounter the need to move your data from one server to another. Some of the reasons to move to another server could be due to hardware replacement, upgrades, or the wish to create a test environment with a copy of your production data. There are two supported methods to migrate your Autodesk Vault and its data to a new server:
- Performing a Vault Backup and Restore
- Using the ADMS Detach and Attach command.
Here we detail the ADMS tool, for details on using Backup and Restore, see (Part 1 ADMS Backup and Restore)
Is the ADMS Detach and Attach the right direction for your organization?
Pros: ADMS Detach and Attach creates all SQL permissions and migrates the databases to the proper version. You can copy the filestore, .mdf (data files) and .ldf (log files) directly to their final destinations on the new server. Subsequently, this method requires less downtime. Using Detach and Attach is faster than a backup and restore.
Cons: Using this method will delete user associations to individual vaults – if you have created user associations to the vaults by the user, you will need to re-assign those users to their respective vaults, whereas if you have created them by the group, you will need to re-assign the groups to the vaults. You are responsible to separately backup/copy each filestore, .mdf and .ldf to the new server.
Getting Started:
Before you begin you must have the following prerequisites installed: A matching or higher version of SQL Server as your original server and the same patch level version or higher of Autodesk Management Server (ADMS) Console installed. These can be installed on a single server or multi-application environment and as a local or remote SQL Server configuration. Instructions for installing SQL are available here (these include instructions for a remote SQL Server configuration) and help to install Vault can be found here. *IMPORTANT WARNING* After installing the ADMS Console do NOT open it on the new server/s, or you may not be able to proceed with the restore. Once you have finished installing Vault and SQL, you are ready to migrate your databases.
Steps:
- From the ADMS Console on your current server – Detach the Vault, Content Center, and the KnowledgeVaultMaster (KVM) databases in that order.
- Vault Databases: Under Vaults – Right mouse on the vault name/s and select Detach for each vault
- Content Center: Under Libraries – Right mouse in the content center library name/s and detach each library
- KVM: Under Tools – Detach master vault
- Copy the associated .ldf and .mdf files from the old SQL Server to the Datastore location on the new server (When using a remote SQL they must be in the default SQL datafile location)
- Copy the filestore from the old server to the new server – via whatever method you have chosen to use. You can put the filestore anywhere you wish, it does not have to be in the same location as the original.
- Open ADMS Console – when asked to create a vault – respond no
- From ADMS Console – attach the Master – KVM – Click on Tools -> Attach Master Vault
- From the Advanced Tab, enter the Location of the KVM .mdf /.ldf files
- Attach the content center databases – Right mouse on Libraries -> select Attach
- From the Advanced Tab, insert the location of the .mdf /.ldf of the Content Center library – repeat step 10 for each library.
- Attach the Vault Databases – Right Mouse on Vaults -> select Attach
- From the Advanced Tab, enter the location of the .mdf / .ldf of the Vault/s. when attaching the vaults, it will ask for the location of the filestore browse to the location of the Filestore
Note: You may have an unassigned site showing the old server name, you can delete the site.
Building a Test Server:
If you are making a test server and wish to use this method w/out the downtime of the detach, you can use SQL backup and restore, detach from SQL Server, and then attach the vaults and libraries from the new ADMS Console. The steps are as follows;
- Install Vault Server – do not open the ADMS Console
- Restore the databases on SQL Server using SQL Restore and then detach them from SQL using SQL Detach.
- From SQL Management Studio – Right Mouse on Databases and select restore
- Browse to the location of the database backup files and restore KVM, Content Centers, and Vaults
- Right mouse on the database to Detach click on Tasks ànd Attach
- Copy / Paste the Filestore to the desired location
- Open ADMS Console do not create a master vault – Attach the Master – KVM
- There will be an unassigned entry for each vault and content center database – you will have to delete each one
- you can now pick up from Step 4 above and finish the process in the same manner
- If you have followed this method, you will have an unassigned site showing the old server name – verify the validity of the Workgroup ID as follows before deleting the sight.
From SQL Server:
Hi Traci
This is a very fine article. Can the same steps be used if we are talking about a Publisher in a fully connected workgroup environment? The taget goal is to jump over the time consuming task to do a full Autodesk Vault System Backup and end up with a new “All-In-One” server before changing that one to a new Publisher on a new ADMS release? I am fully aware that I need to do all connected workgroup from scratch, but just looking for any possible way to make a shortcut. Many large customer has several terabytes filestore, som backup, restore takes days with downtime from system.