The topics in this section explain how to make a backup of your database at any time, typically for restoration or archival purposes. Geo SCADA Expert also has the ability to generate an automatic backup of the database whenever you upgrade the Geo SCADA Expert software on a server. This is a different type of backup.
Geo SCADA Expert allows you to back up your database at any time either locally or to a location on a network or a mapped drive.
To back up to a network location or mapped drive, Geo SCADA Expert needs to use a Windows User Account. The access privileges of the Windows User Account determine the locations to which Geo SCADA Expert can write.
Using another user account in this way enables the Geo SCADA Expert server to access network resources to which it would otherwise not have access. The process of logging on under a different Windows user account is known as 'user impersonation'. For more information about how Geo SCADA Expert uses user impersonation,
LOSS OF DATA
During the backup process, Geo SCADA Expert will not save to disk any changes that users make to the database. Geo SCADA Expert will store the changes in memory, and then save them to disk when the backup is complete. Therefore, there is a potential risk that you could lose data if you are not using a high-speed LAN connection (for example, a 1 Gbps connection) to back up to a remote server. This is because the backup may take some time. If an anomaly occurs during the backup (for example, power loss) you could lose the most recent data. Therefore, if you do not have a high-speed connection, consider configuring Geo SCADA Expert to:
- Back up the Geo SCADA Expert database locally.
- Copy the generated zip file to the remote server.
For more information, see Example 3: Back Up a Database and Copy the Resulting Zip File Over a Network
To define the Windows User Account you want to use for backups to a network location or mapped drive:
- Access the Geo SCADA Expert Server Configuration Tool. Log on using a Geo SCADA Expert User Account that has the System Admin permission.
- Navigate to the Backup settings in the System Configuration category.
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Define the Name, Password and Domain (if required) of a Windows User Account. Geo SCADA Expert can only back up to network locations and mapped drives that are available to the Windows User Account you specify.
The Domain is only required if the Windows User Account is stored on another computer on the network.
Use Microsoft Windows to set up a Windows User Account that has access to the required network locations, mapped drives and 'logon as a service' permissions.
- Apply the changes to the server.
When you have set a Windows User Account for backups, you can access the locations that are available to that User Account from the Default Parent Directory browse button. Geo SCADA Expert displays this button on the configuration form for Backup items (see Configure a Backup Database Item)