Backups

A backup is a copy of your system database which serves as a substitute or alternative in case the computer fails. Backing up your files safeguards them against accidental loss when for example the hard disk fails or when you accidentally overwrite or delete data. If your computer system fails, you may restore a backup copy onto another computer, on which the EntraPass server has been installed .

The EntraPass Backup tab allows operators to perform manual backups of the system data (D), archive (A), In/Out (T) and video (V) databases. It is also used to restore backup data. Safeguard tips:

•   Back up your files regularly, at least once a week or more if many modifications were made to the database.

•   We recommend that you make two backups of all your database files. To be safe, keep them in different locations.

•   To backup your files, you can use:

○   The menu of the EntraPass Backup utility, or

○   The EntraPass Backup Scheduler to apply automatic schedules parameter, or

○   Other third party software and hardware.

NOTE: By default when you backup or restore files, the EntraPass database will temporarily be disabled. In the EntraPass application main window, you will notice that the second coloured square at the bottom left of the screen turns red when the database is unavailable. Modifications made on the workstations will not be applied to the database until the database is available again.

All the system data can be found under the following path: C:\Program Files\Kantech\ Server_CE\XXXX. If you are using a third party program to perform backups, it is recommended to backup the whole Kantech directory and sub-directories. Each time a backup is done (even if it is done automatically), a new sub-folder containing the data or the self-extracting file is created. If you are using the “incremental” backup type and you want to restore information, you will have to restore all the sub-folders one-by-one (starting with the oldest).

Creating Backups of Type D, A, T and V

By default, the name of the sub-directory in which the data/archive/In-Out/Video databases will be saved is generated automatically according to the following convention:X_YYYY_MM_DD-h_mm_ss, where X is the data type (D for Data, A for archive, T for In/Out, V for video). The following steps explain how to backup data. The same steps apply also when you backup archives or In/Out data.

1 - Select the item you want to backup: data, archive, In/Out or video databases. The system displays the backup sub-directory in which the information will be saved. You may keep the default folder, or you may browse your disk to specify a new destination folder for the backup.

NOTE: By default, the system/workstation will backup all the information originating from the following directory: C:\Program Files\Kantech\Server_CE\Data or Archive or In/Out to  C:\ProgramFiles\Kantech\Server_CE\Backup\ X_YYYY_MM_DD-h_mm_ss, where X is the data type. The data type is followed by the year, month and day information as well as the time of the backup.

2 - Select the Backup type:

•   Separate file : The system will back up the databases one by one (standard). This backup type includes the Regdata.ini  file containing the following identification data: software used to create the backup, backup type (data, archive, In/Out), operator who requested the backup, date and time of the backup as well as the software version.

•   Self-extracting compressed file : The system will create an executable file (.exe) that will compress the information so as to reduce the amount of disk space taken by the backup. The system displays information identifying the backup: software used to create the backup, backup type (data, archive, In/Out), operator who requested the backup, date and time of the backup as well as the software version.

NOTE: If you want to use the .exe file on its own to restore a self-extracting backup, make sure that the EntraPass system code is the same as the one stored in the .exe backup file or else the extraction will not work. In cases where your system has failed and EntraPass data and applications are no longer available, we strongly suggest that you reinstall EntraPass and use the backup functionality to restore your backup instead of using the .exe file on its own.

3 - From the Drives drop-down list, select the drive on which the backup will be performed. A list of choices is available according to your computer settings. To save as default, leave as is.

4 - You may click the New folder button if you want to specify a new destination folder.

5 - Click OK  to launch the backup procedure. The backup process can be viewed on the bottom part of the window.

NOTE: You can use the “Backup Scheduler” to schedule or plan automatic backups. To schedule automatic backups see Backup Scheduler. When you backup or restore files, the Server databases are temporarily disabled. You cannot modify the databases when a backup is in process.