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You are here: Chapter 10: Database Administration > Backups and Disaster Recovery

Backups and Disaster Recovery

The FootPrints application and database must be backed up on a regular basis as part of a total IT disaster recovery plan.  It is very easy to backup as part of the normal disk backups done by any organization.  This section discusses which files and databases need to be backed up, procedures for getting a new emergency license during an Emergency restore, and other database-relevant information.

Database Requirements

FootPrints requires a database to store data.  Currently supported databases and servers are listed in detail in the Technical Overview and System Requirements PDF on our Support Web site.

Back up the Database

FootPrints typically resides in c:\FootprintsServiceCore on Windows systems and in /usr/local/footprintsservicecore under Unix or Linux systems.  These directories are used in all examples.

First, the FootPrints directory, as well as all database directories, must be backed up daily. This should be part of the customer’s typical IT infrastructure backup and rotating media should be used so that catastrophic failure of a hard disk does not cause the loss of data.  BMC is not responsible for your data backup.

In all cases, the FootPrints directory tree must be backed up.  In the case of some versions, you must also backup the database directory, using special database procedures.

Here are details on the different systems, the locations, and suggested methods of backup.

  1. MS SQL Server (all versions, including SQL Express)—You must backup the FootPrints directory. In addition, this article by Microsoft gives full details of recommended database backup procedures:

Back Up and Restore of SQL Server Databases

This site have additional information on Differential backups and Transaction log backups for restoring databases from logs so that no data is lost, even up-to-the-last-minute of a server failure.

  1. Oracle—You must backup the FootPrints directory.  For the database, Oracle includes a comprehensive backup and recovery system called RMAN.  For more information on this system, go to:

1.5 Backup and Recovery with RMAN

  1. MySQL—You must backup the FootPrints directory.  For the database, MySQL provides backup and restore procedures.  For more information:

MySQL 5.7 Reference Manual — Chapter 7: Backup and Recovery

  1. Postgres—You must backup the FootPrints directory. For the database, Postgres provides backup and restore procedures. For more information:

PostgreSQL 9.3.1 Documentation — Chapter 24: Backup and Restore

Note

All links were current at time of publication.

Disaster Recovery

There should be only four steps required when the server on which FootPrints resides gets a catastrophic failure:

  1. Restore the FootPrints directory—Restore your latest copy of the FootPrints directory from tape backup. Typically this means c:\FootprintsServiceCore for Windows or /usr/local/footprintsservicecore for Unix or Linux.
  2. Restore the Database—Follow the steps outlined in the documents above for all of the commercial databases.
  3. Restore the Web Server settings—Please refer to the README file that came with your FootPrints installation to re-add the aliases and Perl association to your web server.

Licenses

To obtain your license, follow the instructions in our Support article: Downloading and licensing FootPrints 11.x. Once you log in to your profile on our Support Web site, you can obtain your production, backup, and emergency license.

Support

BMC Support is available at 800 537 1813 (USA and Canada) or by email for help with any of these topics.

 

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