Run a test backup

In this example, the backup directory is assumed to be E:\pibackup\ and the Data Archive directory is assumed to be C:\pi\.

1. To monitor messages that are written to the PI Message log during the backup, start PI SMT and select Operation > Message Logs.

2. In the Windows Task Scheduler, right-click the PI Server Backup scheduled task and select Run.

   Files are backed up to the following directories.

   • Archives are backed up to E:\pibackup\arc.

   • Files from C:\pi\dat, C:\pi\adm, C:\pi\log, and C:\pi\bin are backed up to E:\pibackup\dat, E:\pibackup\adm, E:\pibackup\log, and E:\pibackup\bin, respectively.

3. Monitor the PI Message Log messages from SMT. At the beginning of the backup, you should see the message Backup operation started. When the backup is complete, you should see the Backup operation completed successfully message. Alternatively, to find out if the backup is complete, check the task status in the Windows Task Scheduler.

4. After the backup is complete, examine the backup log in E:\pibackup.

   The log name format is pibackup_dd-MMM-yy_hh.mm.ss.txt. The log file includes the following information:

   • Near the beginning of the log, the currently registered archives are listed. This archive list can be helpful during restore operations. For example, when restoring Data Archive, it is helpful to know at the time of the backup which archive was the primary and which directories the archives were in.

   • If the backup is successful, at the end of the log you should see the message pibackup.bat script completed successfully.

   • A Verbose File Backup Report indicating which files were copied to the backup directory.

   • The list of subsystems that were registered for backup and the subsystem version numbers.

   • A summary of the backup that looks similar to the following.

     Backup in Progress: FALSE
     Files Copied: 24
     Files Skipped: 36
     File Copy Failures: 0
     Total File Count: 60
     Last Backup Start Pending: 1-Nov-09 03:15:05
     Last Backup Start: 1-Nov-09 03:15:26
     End: 1-Nov-09 03:15:42
     Status: [0] Success
     Last Backup Type: INCREMENTAL, VSS, Component Mode
     Last Backup Event: BACKUPSHUTDOWN
     Last Backup Event Time: 1-Nov-09 03:15:43
     Verification Start Time: 1-Nov-09 03:15:42
     VSS Supported: TRUE

     The type of the backup should be INCREMENTAL. The first incremental backup of a newly installed Data Archive should be equivalent to a full backup. A backup type of NUMARCH/CUTOFF is possible only if the backup task is left over from an upgrade.

5. Restore the Data Archive server from the backup, as described in Restore a backup to an existing Data Archive server, then check the restored server to make sure the backup and restore were successful.