Backing up project and server information using validate_backup

A backup created with one version of validate_backup cannot be restored with a different version of validate_restore. For example, a backup created with Validate 24.4 cannot be restored using Validate 24.3 or 25.1. Use the same version of Validate to back up and restore a project or server. To avoid compatibility issues when you migrate to a new server version, we recommend that you create new project and server backups after you finish the migration.

You can use validate_backup to back up both project and server information.

To customize the backup and restore processes, modify the backup.py and restore.py scripts in your Validate server installation's exec\noarch\backup directory.

The parameters are shown in the following table.

Options

Name Description
--db-host Specify the database server host; use when DNS resolution fails (default: None)
--db-password

Specify the database server password (default: <Empty>)
--db-port Specify the database server port; use when configured port differs from external port (default: None)
--db-user Specify the database server user (default: kw)
--help, -h Show this help message and exit
--log-level Log level to filter the type and severity of logged events. Accepted values: DEBUG, INFO, WARNING, ERROR, CRITICAL. (default: INFO)
--project-name Specify the project name to back up (default: None)
--projects-root Specify the path to the projects root folder (default: None)
--server-info-backup Specify if backing up general server info. If backing up a project, specify --project-name instead. (default: False)
--ssl Specify if the target server has SSL enabled. The specified value will not be written to the target projects root. (default: False)
--target

Specify the path to the target location to store the backup (default: None)
--validate-installation

Specify the path to the Validate installation directory, for example: C:\Perforce\Validate_24.4 (default: None)
--verbose

Enable verbose logging for some internal backup commands (default: False)
--web-host Specify the Validate server host; use when DNS resolution fails (default: None)
--web-port Specify the Validate server port; use if the configured port is different than the external port (default: None)

Backing up project information

You can create a backup of a project and any streams it contains, then restore the project to a Validate server at a later date.

Prerequisites:

  • The server for the project that you are backing up is running
  • The project exists on the server
  • The project is a base project that contains streams, or a standalone project (not a stream)
  • The project state is "active" or "inactive" (see Project states)

You must specify the following parameters:

  • --project-name "My Project" (The project name to back up)
  • --projects-root (The path to the projects root folder)
  • --target (The path to the target location to store the backup)
  • --validate-installation (The path to the Validate installation directory)

Back up a project's information

Run the following command: 

<validate installation>/bin/validate_backup(.cmd) --project-name myProject --projects-root <projects root path> --validate-installation <validate installation path> --target <backup (archive) path>
While the script is running, the project state is changed to inactive. During this period, you cannot view information or perform actions related to the project (for example, view issues or load builds).

Backing up server information

Server information and project information cannot be stored in the same archive.

To back up both server and project information, create individual archives for each server and each project that you want to back up, then run the backup.py script individually for the server and for each project. For example:

# Each call to backup creates a separate archive. For the example below, four separate archives are created:
validate_launcher ... --project-name a --target /backups/projABackup
validate_launcher ... --project-name b --target /backups/projBBackup
validate_launcher ... --project-name c --target /backups/projCBackup
validate_launcher ... --server-info-backup  --target /backups/serverBackup

You can create a backup of your Validate server's non-project configuration and information, including:

  • Authentication and Tomcat configuration
  • User, group, and role information
  • Template workspace project
  • Configured license and custom taxonomies
  • Server logs

Prerequisites:

  • The server that you are backing up is running

You must specify the following parameters:

  • --server-info-backup (Where the server backup will be created)
  • --projects-root (The server's projects root location)

Back up a server's information

Run the following command:

<validate installation>/bin/validate_backup(.cmd) --server-info-backup --projects-root <projects root location> --validate-installation <validate installation> --target <location where the backup will be created>