Recommended Backup and Restore Strategies

Overview

Customers need to back up the Gateway and the Database separate, in sync, and daily for Production Environments.

For Development Environments where Production Data (OEE Counts etc) are less important, we still recommend taking a Gateway backup before AND after any change in
the Production Module (and a DB backup to be on the safe side!)

The Gateway backup becomes less important in 3.0 since all the data is stored in the DB, but we still rely on some things like shifts or tags that are stored in the Gateway backup.

The ignition gateway backup can be taken manually or scheduled
(https://docs.inductiveautomation.com/display/DOC79/Gateway+Automatic+Backups)

in Gateway → Configure → example

This includes:
- the production model (2.0 only),
- web services consumers providers (obviously if using WebServices),
- Business Connector charts (again if using BC),
- shifts, tags, windows, scripts, etc...

for the database(s) backups (as it can be two DBs if the Analysis and Runtime DB are separate),
please refer to each DB vendor as they offers different ways to back up or schedule backups.
for example (suggested links)

MySQL https://dev.mysql.com/doc/refman/8.0/en/backup-and-recovery.html
MSSQL https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sql/relational-databases/backup-restore/quickstart-backup-restore-database?view=sql-server-ver15
Oracle https://docs.oracle.com/cd/B19306_01/server.102/b14220/backrec.htm
PostgreSQL https://www.postgresql.org/docs/9.1/backup.html

This stores the Production Model (3.0 only), Materials, Supplemental Equipment, States, Modes, Classes, Operations, Run Data, SPC Sample Data, Recipe Values.

Scheduling Operations on Windows https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/win32/taskschd/task-scheduler-start-page
Scheduling Operations on Linux https://opensourceforu.com/2018/06/how-to-schedule-tasks-in-linux-systems/

For Restore we recommend the following steps

Step 0 : ALWAYS test your backup and restore strategy BEFORE having an issue and regularly on a separate server to
"randomly" check the validity of your backups

Step 1 : ALWAYS take an extra backup of your Gateway and your Database(s) prior to any restore.
Store these separate. These could be fall back on a not perfect situation if the backup you thought were valid .. are not

Actual Restore Steps:

Inform your users that you must restore. Everyone should be disconnected
Make sure that no Operation are running
Use the Ignition Restore Menu => we recommend performing a restore "Disabled"
that way you can control access to the Database after it was restored as well (or if you are in the very special case
mentioned above)
Follow Ignition Documentation to Enable
- Database connection(s)
- OPC
- Tag (History/Realtime)
- Enable Projects

Applies To and Version Info

MES 2.0 GW : Production Model + Projects + Tags
DB : MES Config (Materials, States, Mode, Production Data)
MES 3.0 GW : Projects + Tags
DB : Production Model + MES Config (Materials, States, Mode, Production Data)

(for 3.0 please also refer to Enterprise Gateway Import/Export and Sync Functions)

Special Case

Case where

If a Site (or an Area or a Line) and its children is deleted, but nothing else was modified, and ONLY the gateway backup was restored,
then upon Production Module startup or restart we would re-enable all the equipment to match the back up.
In that case restoring ONLY the Gateway should work.

This is because all Sites, Areas, Lines, Cells, Cell Groups, etc, are stored with their UUID in the gateway backup.

But to do a full restore we need both the gateway backup and the database backup