Changes

The most important aspect of maintaining a properly functioning {{IMSMANG }} system is backing up and restoring data.Regular data backups are essential for maintaining the integrity of the system in case of sytem failure, software errors or accidental data deletion. Not only should information managers mandate that all IMSMA^NG {{IMSMANG}} data is regularly backed up, but more importantly a multitiered backup strategy should be used to eliminate data loss. Consider the following options below when developing a backup strategy for IMSMA^NG{{IMSMANG}}.

*{{IMSMANG}}-specific backups

The table below outlines the recommended schedule for backing up the {{IMSMANG }} database and other files. Note that an event-based change to the components necessitates a backup. Event-based changes include events such as:

<pre> Server Client Server and Client

{{IMSMANG}} contains several stores of information that can be backed up. By far, the most critical store is the {{IMSMANG}} database itself because it contains all of the actual data in {{IMSMANG }} including published reports, form templates and geographic data in addition to the typical mine action information. IMSMANG’s {{IMSMANG}}’s Backup capability backs up the {{IMSMANG}} database by executing a MySQL PGSQL database dump command that creates a complete backup of all of the data in the database including any additional tables, views and other customisations. The resulting dump.sql file, which is stored in a time-stamped directory for easy identification, includes the necessary commands to recreate the database with all of the existing data.

Information managers can augment the {{IMSMANG }} Backup capability with other scheduled backups using MySQL PGSQL Administration tools, for example, and build daily or weekly routines that back up the database automatically. These backups work similarly to {{IMSMANG }} Backup; however, any backup made outside of {{IMSMANG }} will have to be restored manually. Even so, regularly scheduled backups are an excellent component of a backup strategy.

{{note| In a client-server environment, backups should be made from the server rather than the clients. Similarly, backups can only be restored on the {{IMSMANG }} server

{{IMSMANG }} stores attachments on the server file system separate from the {{IMSMANG }} database. Because of the size of some attachments, it may not be beneficial or necessary to back up the attachments each time. {{IMSMANG }} Backup provides the option to exclude attachments when performing a backup.

===Backing Up Other IMSMA^NG {{IMSMANG}} Information===__NOEDITSECTION__In addition to the {{IMSMANG }} database and attachments stored on the server, {{IMSMANG }} Backup allows users to back up certain settings from the {{IMSMANG }} client. These include:

While {{IMSMANG }} stores all coordinate data in the MySQL PGSQL database that is backed up with the {{IMSMANG }} database, {{IMSMANG }} also stores coordinate data in a geodatabase file (IMSMA.mdb) on each client computer to allow data to be displayed on the map. This file should be included with each {{IMSMANG }} backup to shorten the time it takes to launch {{IMSMANG }} after a restore. {{IMSMANG }} automatically builds this file during system launch if the file is missing, but it can take several hours to do so.

IMSMA^NG {{IMSMANG}} map files can be loaded on a per-client basis and stored in IMSMA^NG {{IMSMANG}} Backup, providing an easy way to share maps between clients.

{{note| {{IMSMANG }} Backup backs up only the active map on each client. Other maps previously loaded on a client will need to be copied manually.

{{IMSMANG }} provides the capability to store copies or drafts of Data Entry Form templates and iReport templates to the file system during report design. While the published versions of the templates are backed up as part of the {{IMSMANG }} database backup, the files are only included if the option is selected on the {{IMSMANG }} Backup window. Storing these files in the backup is recommended as it makes it easier to resume drafting templates and reports.

{{IMSMANG }} stores translations of the application in several places. Translations and localisations of data elements are stored in the {{IMSMANG }} database and are backed up with the database backup. The .properties files used to translate the {{IMSMANG }} interface are stored externally to the database, but they can be added to the {{IMSMANG }} Backup as an option. If changes are made to the .properties files, it is recommended to back them up after each change as well as each time a full backup is made.

While {{IMSMANG }} Backup backs up all of the files used in the typical operation of {{IMSMANG}}, there are other customisable files that should also be backed up. These include:

{{IMSMANG }} does not automatically back up customisations made to maps used in {{IMSMANG}}. Users can make changes to the imsma.mxd file, create or modify ESRI style files, add symbology or make many other changes to maps, but these files are not included in the {{IMSMANG }} Backup and must be separately backed up and managed.

It is recommended that information managers make backups of maps that are imported into {{IMSMANG }} for use on client computers. While {{IMSMANG }} Backup backs up the maps when they have been imported, these base map files are not managed within {{IMSMANG }} and should be backed up manually to allow for customisation and later import.

External reporting tools and other add-ons are not backed up by {{IMSMANG }} and should be backed up manually. These include any tools using ODBC connections to {{IMSMANG }} such as Microsoft Access databases, Microsoft Excel spreadsheets, OpenOffice connections and Crystal Reports. Information managers should ensure that these tools get backed up manually or automatically.

{{important| {{IMSMANG }} Restore replaces all data in the {{IMSMANG }} database and may copy over existing files. Prior to restoring the {{IMSMANG }} database, information managers should ensure that all necessary data has been backed up. {{IMSMANG }} Restore operations cannot be undone

Backups created using {{IMSMANG }} Backup can be restored using {{IMSMANG }} Restore as well as other MySQL PGSQL tools if necessary. The {{IMSMANG }} Restore function can be used on both clients and servers to restore key information in the event of data loss or other restore needs (for example, after an upgrade).

{{IMSMANG }} Restore allows users to determine which components of an {{IMSMANG }} Backup to restore. The components available depend on the options that were selected during backup. Each option behaves slightly differently depending on whether the restore is occurring on a server or a client.

In a client-server environment, the {{IMSMANG }} database can be restored only on the server machine so as to prevent accidental deletion of data by client users. Conducting an {{IMSMANG }} Restore on the server machine (or a stand-alone machine) restores the {{IMSMANG }} database and the available attachments to the server, replacing any existing data in the {{IMSMANG }} database. When a restore is complete, {{IMSMANG }} closes and must be restarted.

{{IMSMANG }} Restore can also restore the GIS database, Data Entry Form templates, iReport templates, map files and translation .properties files; however, these are only necessary when running the client on the server or when running in stand-alone mode.

Except for instances where the client and the server are on the same machine, the {{IMSMANG }} database cannot be restored to a client-only machine. However, {{IMSMANG }} Restore can be used to restore client settings including the GIS database, Data Entry Form templates, iReport templates, map files and translation .properties files. This functionality is particularly useful when connecting new clients to a server as this allows information managers to prebuild the GIS database and map configurations and simply restore them to the new clients.

On a client machine, {{IMSMANG }} Restore acts as a file copying function, copying files included in the backup to the correct location on the client. {{IMSMANG }} Restore also attempts to back up any files it is replacing. These backup directories have “_orig” appended to their file names to distinguish them from the new files.

{{important| {{IMSMANG }} Restore preserves only one backup of these files. Previous _orig directories are replaced with each {{IMSMANG }} Restore so care must be taken to preserve these files, if desired, prior to running {{IMSMANG }} Restore

And because the client restore works as a file copy function, it is also possible to manually copy the desired files into the correct locations without running {{IMSMANG }} Restore. This can be a helpful shortcut when a full restore is not necessary.