Backup and Restore a Vault

The server console automates the backup and restore process by locating the databases and file store for all vaults, including the master vault, and backing them up to a specified location. It also returns archived files to their correct locations.

The data management server summary displayed in the main pane summarizes server statistics including:

The number of days since the last incremental backup.
The number of incremental backups performed since the last full backup.
Whether the server is currently eligible for an incremental restore.

This section of the summary is grayed out if Incremental Backup and Restore is disabled because administrative operations or other events have occurred that require a full backup. Incremental Backup and Restore is enabled by default.

Creating incremental backups at different sites in a multi-site environment may prevent data from being restored. As a best practice, perform all back up and restore operations at a single site in a multi-site environment.

Rules for Creating a Backup in a Multi-Site Environment

Before you create a backup, enable all vaults at a site.
Before you create a backup, replicate the data. If any of the vaults are not replicated, you are prompted to either continue with the backup or cancel the backup operation. If you choose to continue, the data is synchronized automatically during the back up process; however, this extends the time required to back up the data, and other sites cannot access the database for the duration of the back up process.
As a best practice, perform all backup and restore operations at a single site in a multi-site environment.
For best performance, create the backup on a server that is in close network proximity to the SQL database.

Rules for Restoring a Backup in a Multi-Site Environment

As a best practice, perform all backup and restore operations at a single site in a multi-site environment.
All existing data, both the database and the file store, are overwritten when a backup is restored on a site. Any remote file stores are abandoned once data is restored on a site. The vault administrator must either clean up or remove the old, unused file stores.
If the site at which the data is being restored is not configured for a multi-site environment, the site list will be empty once the data is restored.
If the site at which the data is being restored is configured for a multi-site environment, the site list is restored as well; however, all vaults on remote sites are disabled. The vaults for the current site are enabled. The vaults at the remote sites must be enabled by the administrator at the remote sites.

About Incremental Backup and Restore

Note: Incremental Backup and Restore applies to Autodesk Vault Collaboration and Autodesk Vault Professional editions.

The options available on the second screen of the Backup and Restore Wizard depend on whether Backup or Restore was selected on the first screen.

Creating incremental backups at different sites in a multi-site environment may prevent data from being restored. As a best practice, perform all backup and restore operations at a single site in a multi-site environment.

Tip: The text file ADMSConsoleLog-yyyymmdd.txt summarizes server events that impact backup and restore operations. The log file indicates whether or not the server is eligible for either backing up or restoring as well as the user and event that cause the change in eligibility.

Start the Backup and Restore Wizard

Launch the Autodesk Data Management Server Console.
Select Tools Backup and Restore.
In the Backup and Restore Wizard dialog box, select either Backup or Restore.
Click Next.

Back Up a Vault

Note: A log file named Backup History.txt is created for both full and incremental backup operations. The file contains a chronological list of all backups created since the last full backup. This log file is included in the directory containing the backup.

Select either Full Backup or Incremental Backup. If a full backup has not yet been performed, Incremental Backup is not available.
Note: Incremental Backup and Restore applies to Autodesk Vault Collaboration and Autodesk Vault Professional editions.

Full Backup backs up all data in the file store and database for the selected vault. Perform a full backup:
- Before you perform an incremental backup for the first time
- If a vault or library has been added to or removed from the Autodesk Data Management Server
- If no changes have occurred
Incremental Backup backs up only new or modified files in the file store as well as any changes to user accounts. Files and libraries that have not changed are not included in an incremental backup. Because standard libraries do not change, they are also not included in a incremental backup.

Following an upgrade to the Autodesk Data Management Server, an incremental backup cannot be performed until a full backup is performed again.
Specify the location to store the backed up data. To browse for a location, click ... and then locate a directory using the file browser. An incremental backup folder is named using the same naming convention as full backups, with the addition of _INCxx, where xx indicates the increment number.
Note: The destination folder for an incremental backup does not need to be the same as the folder containing the full backup.
Turn on the Validate check box to verify the archive is good once it is created.
By default standard Content Center libraries are included in the back up process. To exclude standard Content Center libraries from the back up, turn off the Backup Standard Content Center Libraries check box.
By default a backup will wait until all files that need to be replicated are replicated before starting. Check the Ignore non-replicated files check box to start the backup without waiting for these files to replicate.
Click Finish.

Restore a Vault

Note: A backup created on an Autodesk Data Management Server that has Incremental Backup and Restore cannot be restored on an Autodesk Data Management Server that does not have Incremental Backup and Restore.

Note: Access to the vault database is blocked during this task. Data management clients cannot access the database until the task is complete.

Select either Full Restore or Incremental Restore.
Note: A full restore overwrites all of the data sets and file store for the selected vault.
Select From Directory to restore a vault from a backup directory.
Note: Incremental backups can only be restored in chronological order. An older incremental backup cannot be restored once a newer incremental backup has been restored.
If you are performing a full restore, select whether the database is to be restored to the default location or a different location. If you choose Select Restore Location:
- Specify a target directory for the database.
- Specify a target directory for the log file.
Note: This option is not available when performing an incremental restore.
If you are performing a full restore, select whether the file store is to be restored to the default location or a different location. If you choose Select Restore Location, specify a target directory for the file store. This option is not available when performing an incremental restore.
Click Next.

The vault data is automatically migrated when it is restored using the server console. If you are restoring the data using the command line, you must migrate the data after it is restored.

View Results

The last screen in the Backup and Restore Wizard indicates if the operation was successful.

Click Log File to view the ADMSConsoleLog file in a text editor.
Click Close to close the Backup and Restore Wizard.

Schedule a Vault Backup

The data management server uses the Windows Tasks Scheduler to schedule vault backup based on the schedule configured. Perform the following steps to create a scheduled backup.

Start the Backup Configuration Dialog

Launch the Autodesk Data Management Server Console.
Select Tools Scheduled Backup.
In the Backup Configuration dialog, enter the folder location where you want the backup to be stored.
Enter the backup log file location and name with a txt file extension.
Note: If this field is left blank, a backup log file will not be created.

Set Credentials

Select the Use Vault user account or Use Windows Authentication as the credentials that will be used to perform the backup.
Note: The credentials used must be an account with Vault administrative privileges.
If you have customized the SQL sa credentials, you will need to enter the new credentials in the SQL Credentials tab.

Select the Backup Type

The backup configuration dialog gives you the ability to schedule a full and/or incremental backup.

In either the Full or Incremental backup tab, select the checkbox to schedule a backup.
Set the Start date and time the backup should run.
Select the check box next to backup Content Center libraries (full backup only). (optional)
Select the check box next to Validate the backup files. (optional)
Select the day when the type of backup you are creating should be scheduled.
Once you are finished selecting all of the options, select the OK button to create the backup batch file.

The batch file is saved in the <>\Autodesk\ADMS 20XX\ADMS Console directory. The full backup batch file is named VaultFullBackup.bat and the incremental backup is named VaultIncrementalBackup.bat.install directory.

The backup is scheduled in the Windows Task Scheduler. If necessary, this is where you can make changes to the task.

Manually Restore Only the File Store

The file store can be manually restored by itself from a backup package to a remote location in a multi-site environment. This process should only be done by experienced vault administrators.

Within the selected backup package, open the folder FileStores. The FileStores folder contains one folder for each vault in the backup. Each folder is named according to the vault to which it belongs.
Locate the appropriate file store folder and copy it to the remote location.

Resolve a Data Validation Error

Before data is backed up or restored, it is checked for integrity.

If a file is missing from the file store or from the backed up data, the Validate Datasets and File Stores dialog displays the following error:

ERROR: File not found in file store for .file namedatabase name

If an entry is missing from the database, the Validate Datasets and File Stores dialog displays the following warning:

WARNING: File not found in database for .file namedatabase name

You can click OK to proceed with a back up or restore the data.

Procedures

Backing Up Data

Resolve the error by re-adding the file or files missing from the file store.

In the Validate Datasets and File Stores dialog, note the name of the file or files missing from the file store.
Locate a local copy of the missing file in a working folder.
In Autodesk Vault, search for and delete the files indicated in the Validate Datasets and File Stores dialog.
Re-add the file to the vault using the corresponding Vault Add-in for the file type.
Return to the server console and rerun the Backup command.

If either the warning or the error has not been seen on prior back ups, restore the most recent backup.

If the missing file or files cannot be located in a working folder or the data is corrupt, restore the most recent back up of the data.
Note: Restoring data replaces current vault data. Any recent changes to the data is lost. The vault is reset to the state of the previous back up.

Restoring a Backup

In the Validate Datasets and File Stores dialog, note the name of the missing file or files, and then click OK to proceed with restoring the data.
Locate a local copy of the missing file in a working folder.
In Autodesk Vault, delete the file from the file list.
Re-add the file to the vault using the corresponding Vault Add-in for the file type.
Use the server console to back up the data to avoid having this issue recur.

Set Up a Remote Backup Location

If you plan to back up your vault data to a remote share, you must create a new domain user account, create a remote share, and set the new account in the Autodesk Data Management Server Console. After these steps are complete, modify the SQL Service to use a domain account using the following steps.

Note: The new domain account created for these steps needs to be added to the default SQL users group for the AutodeskVault instance. The group created by SQL 2008 is called SQLServer2008MSSQLUser$<computername>$AUTODESKVAULT.

In the Control Panel, Administrative Tools, double-click the Services icon.
Double-click the SQL Server (Autodeskvault) service, and select the Log On tab.
Select the This Account radio button, and enter a domain account in the form of Domain_Name\Domain_account (with the correct password).
Note: If you change the login credentials of the service, you are prompted to restart the MS SQL Server service. Please do so for changes to take effect. In addition, ensure that clients are not using the Autodesk Vault Server before restarting SQL Server.
Verify that the account specified has write access on the share to which you are backing up.