Replicating a SystemLink server configuration

[MichaelBalzer]

I have a test bed SystemLink server running in a VM, and have configured a set of clients, groups, tags, column layouts, etc. It's all working well, so I'd like to get it running on a production system. Is there any way of replicating an entire SystemLink server configuration?

[JoshuaP]

With the current version it is a little difficult.  You need to first install a product to a local system using the NI Package Manager and then if you click on the gear icon in the top right of NIPM and can check the first box to show the feeds.  Select the feed you want to replicate and click edit to copy the Feed URL.

SystemLink 17.5 will make this much easier, but you can use the work around listed above for now.

[MichaelBalzer]

Hi Joshua,

Thanks for the response, that answers part of the question. Is also possible to export the settings from a live server installation (with the config including clients, groups, tags and so on) and import them into a new installation? For example say I have a development SystemLink server with 20 client cRIOs, split into 5 groups, with a large number of tags and pre-generated files. Is it possible to export this configuration and import it into another SystemLink server instance (for example a customer server)?

[JoshuaP]

Sorry I missed that question in your original post. 

We currently don't have the ability to export a server's configuration and then import it into another server.  That is certainly something we can add to the backlog and look at adding in a future release.

[JKSH]

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JoshuaP wrote: 

We currently don't have the ability to export a server's configuration and then import it into another server.  That is certainly something we can add to the backlog and look at adding in a future release.

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Please do! The ability to export/import server configurations would be very useful if we ever need to migrate the server.

It would also be a nice way to take a snapshot of the system for source control (history tracking) or documentation. I currently use NI MAX's export tool this way purposes.

[andre.buurman@carya]

Please add to the front of the backlog. To me this is a must-have feature.

I'm developing in a VM, but have to deploy to a customers server to which I only have access to from their offices.

Replicating the settings for alarm/notifications and other settings manually is tedious and error-prone. Tags if generated client side don't pose a problem, only in case historical data needs to be preserved, but from development to production this wouldn't be an issue. With upgrading/moving to a more powerful system this would be a necessity.

[DerrickB]

Necroposting to keep this on the list.

IT security likes testing updates before putting into production which means setting up a staging server. Or ignoring IT processes. It would be great to have a better migration/update processes in place. Unfortunately some assumptions have been made that are contrary to typical apache server usage (like completely disabling port 80 access when HTTPS is enabled? Instead of a redirect to HTTPS?) which means even core configurations are being customized to make the system usable. Something else very useful would be the ability of installing the web server's document root somewhere outside of program files. I am doing this even though I'm predicting issues down the road (confirmed in emails with support) but extra configuration seems like the better choice in the long run, would be awesome to see it officially supported.

A lot of our intended use case for systemlink was using it as a tag and file storage engine which we could then develop plugins that would add additional apis to the system, testing lifetime hooks, and post test reporting and analysis tools.

[~jiggawax~]

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@JoshuaP wrote:

We currently don't have the ability to export a server's configuration and then import it into another server.  That is certainly something we can add to the backlog and look at adding in a future release.

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Has this been added JoshuaP?

Asking for a friend.

[JoshuaP]

Not yet, but we understand this is a high priority for several customers and hope to have a solution later this year.  In the meantime, below are a set of manual steps that you can use if you need to replicate a server's configuration and data to a new system.

1. Install SystemLink Server on the system you are migrating to.
2. Stop the ‘NI SystemLink Service Manager’ Windows service on both server instances
3. Copy the following contents from the current server to the new server.
• ‘C:\ProgramData\National Instruments\Skyline\Config\*’
• ‘C:\ProgramData\National Instruments\Skyline\Data\*’
• 'C:\ProgramData\National Instruments\Skyline\Install\*'
• 'C:\ProgramData\National Instruments\Skyline\JupyterHub\*'
• 'C:\ProgramData\National Instruments\Skyline\KeyValueDatabase\*'
• 'C:\ProgramData\National Instruments\Skyline\NoSqlDatabase\*'
• 'C:\ProgramData\National Instruments\salt\*'
• 'C:\ProgramData\National Instruments\Systems Management\*'
• 'C:\Program Files\National Instruments\Shared\Web Services\NI\repo_webservice\files\*'
4. Restart the ‘NI SystemLink Service Manager’ Windows service
5. Verify in the ‘SystemLink Server Configuration’ application that all SystemLink Services return to a live state.

[~jiggawax~]

Thank you for the quick response.  We will try this.  We were just doing a couple of the folders.  Didn't know ALL of them.

Cheers,