When you make a backup of your database, we recommend that you include the server settings that are stored in one or more registry keys. The registry keys contain information about the server’s set up and are needed to help avoid configuration mis-matches if your backup files are loaded on to another server.
To include the ClearSCADA registry keys in a backup, select the Registry check box on the Backup form (see Configure a Backup Database Item).
The registry files that you include in a backup can be restored by experienced system administrators if:
- The settings need to be loaded onto a new server
- The settings on the original server have been lost
- The settings on the original server have changed unexpectedly.
ClearSCADA stores username and password information in the registry for use with features such as:
- Performance Monitors (Global Parameters)
- Linked ODBC Tables (SQL Query Configuration)
- E-mail (including for use with Alarm Redirection)
- Backup, File Upload, Printing, System Calls (System Configuration).
Such information is encrypted using machine details to prevent the encrypted data from being imported onto other machines. Encrypted data is intended only to be decrypted by the server that encrypted the data (and performed the backup). A diagnostic message is displayed if you attempt to restore encrypted registry settings on a different server:
This means that backing up the registry and then re-applying it to another machine requires you to recreate the security data, username, password and/or domain, in order to use the affected functions.
This is also true if Windows® is re-installed on the machine on which the data was encrypted.
ATTENTION: Reloading of backup files should only be performed by experienced system administrators. Please seek advice from Schneider Electric if you are unsure about restoring a backup (see Load your Backup Database Files). Loading backup files such as registry settings without expert guidance could have an unexpected effect on your system and could even stop a ClearSCADA server from running.