Back up Archives Automatically

About this task

You must back up archive files periodically to ensure that your data is protected. These backup files contain tag data as well as alarms and events data. You can send these files to a shared network location or to physical media.

Planning for data recovery means always having up-to-date backup files for important information that you can call up and restore quickly when the need arises.

The .IHC file, which contains all configuration information, is an important file to back up. The .IHC file is automatically backed up when, and only when, you back up the current archive .IHA file. With the .IHC file, you can always restore the system configuration to the state it was in before the event occurred.

It is also important to backup the current online archive files *.IHA. If you restore the archive files, along with the configuration, you can quickly pick up where you left off when the event occurred with a minimum loss of data.

By default, the .IHC backup path is the same as the archives path. The .IHC uses the following naming convention: ComputerName_Config-Backup.ihc. If the default backup path is different than the archives path, the .IHC file is copied to the backup folder with the standard .IHC naming convention: ComputerName_Config.ihc.

Important points to remember:

  • The .IHC file is automatically backed up when, and only when, you back up the current archive .IHA file. By default, the .IHC backup path is the same as the archives path.

  • The .IHC backup file uses the following naming convention: <system name>_Config-Backup.ihc. If the default backup path is different from the archives counterpart, the .IHC file is copied to the backup folder with the standard .IHC naming convention: ComputerName_Config.ihc.

  • In the mirroring system, Client Manager sends a backup message to Data Archiver located on the Client Manager node to which you are connected. The back up then happens in the specified location on that node. If that Data Archiver is not running, a NOT_CONNECTED error message appears, and the backup will not happen.

  • If you back up an archive more than once, by default, the backup tool will attempt to use the same name for the backup file and will detect that an archive with the same name already exists. Rename the backup archive file or move the original backup archive file to a different folder.

Procedure

  1. Access the ihArchiveBackup.exe file. By default, it is located at C:\Program Files\Proficy\Historian\Server.
  2. Run the following command if you want to back up multiple archives at the same time:
    AT <time> /EVERY:<days of the week> "ihArchiveBackup.exe [-s <Historian server name>] [-u <Username>] [-p <Password>][-t <Timeout seconds>][-n <Number of archives>]

    Run the following command if you want to back up a single archive file:

    AT <time> /EVERY:<days of the week> "ihArchiveBackup.exe [-s <Historian server name>] [-u <username>] [-p <password>][-t <timeout seconds>] [-a <archive name>]"

    The following table describes the parameters.
    Switch Parameter Description
    AT Time The time at which you want to back up the archives.
    EVERY Days of the week The days of the week on which you want to back up the archives (for example, EVERY:M,T,W,Th,F).
    -s Historian server name The IP address or the host name of the Historian server on which the archive is available.
    -u Username The user name required to connect to the Historian server.
    -p Password The password required to connect to the Historian server.
    -t Timeout seconds The time, in seconds, to wait before the process times out.
    -n Number of archives The number of archives to back up, counting backwards from the current archive.
    -a Archive name The name of a specific archive to back up.
    -c Backs up only the Historian configuration (.ihc) file.
    -d Data store name The name of the data store that stores the archive data.
    Note: Using one instance of ihArchiveBackup.exe you can point to one data store, and by using multiple instances you can point to multiple data stores.
    If you do not provide any parameters, only the current archive file is backed up.
    AT 23:59 /EVERY:M,T,W,Th,F "ihArchiveBackup.exe [-s MyHistorianServer] [-u User1] [-p password123][-t 10] [-a MyHistorianServer_DS1_Archive004]"