Altair® Panopticon

 

Upgrading Panopticon Real Time

The server stores all its content in the AppData (e.g., c:\vizserverdata) directory. Ensure that you back up this directory frequently. You can always revert the server to an earlier state by restoring the entire AppData directory from a backup.

In general, a newer server will use an AppData from an older server, with exceptions for some types of content that you may need to migrate manually. In contrast, the server will refuse to start if you point an older server to an AppData that has been used with a newer server.

 

   NOTE

Two servers should never share the same AppData directory.

 

 

It is recommended that you try out the new server version with your existing content before you decide to upgrade. The best way to do this is on a dedicated server machine, or at a minimum on a separate Tomcat instance. You should use a separate AppData directory for the new server while you are evaluating it --- if for some reason you decide to wait with the upgrade, you will not be able to use the new version's AppData on the old server, even if you have not made any changes.

Summary of steps:

1.      Make a full backup of the old server's AppData directory.

2.      Configure a new Tomcat, ideally on a separate machine.

3.      Put the new server WAR file in the new Tomcat's webapps directory.

4.      Copy the entire AppData from the old server to the new server.

5.      Make sure the new server is pointed at the new AppData copy.

6.      Read below for how content is migrated between versions.

7.      Start the new server and then review its log file carefully to see if there were any warnings related to migration.

8.      Try out the new server. Keep in mind that content created or changed on the new server cannot be moved back to the old server if you decide to roll back.

If you have continued to use the old server in parallel with testing, you should copy over the AppData again to make sure you have the latest content.