Cisco Physical Access Manager Appliance User Guide, Release 1.2.0

Backing Up and Restoring Data

This appendix describes how to backup and restore the Cisco PAM database.

Create at least one data backup during the initial server configuration and after every upgrade. Data is backed up to a .zip file and automatically stored on the server disk drive. The file can also be downloaded to a workstation or network drive.

You can restore the data from a .zip archive only when the server is stopped.

Note You must have at least one backup to restore the server software using the recovery CD. See Reinstalling the Cisco PAM Server Software from a Recovery CD, page B-14 for more information.

Contents

•Backing up the Cisco PAM Database

•Archiving the Historical Events Database

•Restoring a Server Backup File

Backing up the Cisco PAM Database

Use the Backup page to back up all Cisco PAM data and configurations, including live events and historical events. You can perform a one-time backup, or configure an automatic backup schedule. You can also copy the backup to a remote server.

Note•In Cisco PAM release 1.2.0 and higher, data can be restored to a server with a different high-availability (HA) configuration. For example, data from a standalone server can be restored to a server in HA mode.

•To remove historical events from the main database and reduce the size of the backup file, complete the instructions in Archiving the Historical Events Database.

To backup the Cisco PAM data and configurations, do the following:

Step 1 Log on to the Cisco PAM appliance as described in Logging on to the Cisco PAM Server Administration Utility, page 2-2.

Step 2 Select the Setup tab, and then select Backup, as shown in Figure A-1.

Figure A-1 Backup Window in the Cisco PAM Server Administration Utility

Step 3 Enter and re-enter the password for the backup file.

This password must be entered when the backup file is used to restore the system.

Step 4 (Optional) Create an automatic backup schedule.

a. Check the Automatic Backup check box to display the Recurrence settings, as shown in Figure A-1.

b. Select the days when the backups will automatically occur:

–To schedule backups for one day per month, select Date and then select a day of the month.
For example: 15.

–To schedule backups once per week, select Weekday and then select a day of the week.
For example: Tuesday.

–To run backups every day, select Daily.

c. Enter the Time when the automatic backups will run.

Enter the time in 24 hour format (hh:mm:ss). For example, to run backups at 2 p.m., enter 14:00:00. To run backups at 1 a.m., enter 01:00:00.

d. Click Update to save the changes.

Step 5 (Optional) Automatically copy the backups to a remote server.

Use this option to automatically copy the backups to a remote FTP or SFTP server. The three most recent backups are also stored locally on the Cisco PAM server.

a. Check the Copy to remote server check box.

The remote server settings appear, as shown in Figure A-1.

b. Select the server protocol:

–FTP: for standard File Transfer Protocol servers.

–SFTP: for secure file transfers using the Secure File Transfer Protocol (also known as the SSH File Transfer Protocol).

c. Enter the IP Address of the FTP or SFTP server.

d. Enter the Username for the FTP or SFTP server account.

e. Enter the Password for the FTP or SFTP server account.

f. Enter the directory Path on the for the FTP or SFTP server where the backup should be saved. The path must exist on the remote server. If the directory is not available, the backup will fail.

Note If the IP address, username, password, or path is incorrect, or if the server is not available, then the backup is not copied to the remote server. The backup is still created on the Cisco PAM server.

Step 6 Click Backup Now to begin the backup process and create a new .zip backup file.

•If a an automatic backup is scheduled, the backup will occur at the scheduled day(s) and time.

•When the backup is complete, the new backup file is added to the top of the screen, as shown in Figure A-1.

–The file name includes the date and the server software version number.
For example: December 16, 2009 11:53:15 AM PST.

–The three most recent backup files are saved to the Cisco PAM server. When a new backup file is added, the oldest file is deleted.

–To manually save the backup file to another location, right-click the filename and select a save option from the browser menu.

•If the backup is copied to a remote server, a copy of the file is saved to the server location configured in Step 5.

–If the remote server settings are incorrect or the directory path does not exist, the file is not copied and an error message is displayed.

–The backup is still saved to the Cisco PAM server even if the remote server in unavailable.

Archiving the Historical Events Database

When you copy and prune old events (as described in Archiving Historical Events, page 10-47) the events are moved to a separate Cisco PAM database. Although the events are no longer displayed in Events and Alarms, they are still included in the backup file (see Backing up the Cisco PAM Database).

Archiving these historical events removes them from the database and saves them to .zip file that can be saved to another location. The file includes a password-protected SQL script, and can be run on an offline database to view the purged events. Archiving historical events also improves system performance and reduces the size of the backup file.

Complete the following instructions to archive the historical events.

Step 1 Copy and prune the events, as described in Archiving Historical Events, page 10-47.

Tip To automatically copy and prune historical events based on a schedule, see Creating an Automated Rule to Archive Historical Events, page 10-51.

Step 2 Log on to the Cisco PAM appliance (see Logging on to the Cisco PAM Server Administration Utility, page 2-2).

Step 3 Select the Setup tab, and then select Archive (Figure A-2).

Figure A-2 Archive Window in the Cisco PAM Server Administration Utility

Step 4 Enter and re-enter the administrator password.

Step 5 Click the calendar icon to select the Archive Date & Time. Any events older than the selected date & time are included in the archive.

Step 6 Click Start Archive to begin the archive process and create a new .zip file. When complete, the new file is added to the top of the screen. The file name includes the Archive Date & Time.

For example: June 01, 2009 11:16:08 AM PDT.

Note The three most recent archive files are saved. When a new archive file is added, the oldest file is deleted.

Step 7 To save the file to another location, right-click the filename and select a save option from the browser menu. The saved file includes the date (mm/dd/year), the Cisco PAM version number, and other information. The following file includes events from June 01, 2009 and earlier.

cpam-06012009-1116081.1.0_0.2.415.archive.zip

Restoring a Server Backup File

You can restore data from a backup file, or from an archive file.

Before You Begin

Note the following when restoring a backup or archive file:

•Data can be restored only when the server is stopped.

•Backup files include the Cisco PAM configuration and other data. See Backing up the Cisco PAM Database.

•In Cisco PAM release 1.2.0 and higher, data can be restored to a server with a different high-availability (HA) configuration. For example, data from a standalone server can be restored to a server in HA mode.

•Archive files include only historical events that were removed from the database using the Archive function. Data is restored from an archive file so the historical events can be viewed using Cisco PAM events and reports. See Archiving the Historical Events Database for more information.

Procedure

To restore the data from a backup or archive file, do the following:

Step 1 Verify that you have the correct backup file from either the Active or Standby server.

See Backing up the Cisco PAM Database.

Step 2 Stop the Standby server, if installed.

Note•For redundant HA configurations, ensure that both the Active and Standby servers are stopped (in Down state). Restoring a backup while either of the servers is up will result in unexpected behavior.

•If you are upgrading or reinstalling the server software, the Standby server should already be in the Down state.

a. Log on to the Standby Cisco PAM appliance.

b. Select the Commands tab, and then select Stop Server.

c. Select Monitoring and then select Status.

d. Verify that the Admin State is Down, as shown in Figure A-3.

Figure A-3 Server Admin State (Down) for the Active Server

Step 3 Stop the Active server.

Note•For redundant HA configurations, ensure that both the Active and Standby servers are Down (Admin State). Restoring a backup while either of the servers is up will result in unexpected behavior.

•If you are upgrading or reinstalling the server software, the Standby server should already be in the Down state.

a. Log on to the Active Cisco PAM appliance.

b. Select the Commands tab, and then select Stop Server.

c. Select the Monitoring tab and then select Status.

d. Verify that the Admin State is Down, as shown in Figure A-3.

Step 4 On the Active server, select the Setup tab, and then select Restore, as shown in Figure A-4.

Figure A-4 Restore Window in the Cisco PAM Server Administration Utility

Step 5 Enter and re-enter the password for the backup file. This is the password entered when the backup file was created, as described in Backing up the Cisco PAM Database.

Step 6 Click Browse to locate and select the .zip backup file.

Step 7 If the file is an archive file, select the Is Archived File checkbox.

See Archiving the Historical Events Database for more information.

Step 8 Click Restore.

Step 9 If restoring a backup file, wait for the Active server to automatically restart.

•A pop-up message appears informing you that the Web administrator utility is restarting.

•If the Cisco PAM Server Administration utility disconnects, a browser error message may be shown. Wait approximately five minutes for the server to restart, and then refresh your browser to log in again.

Step 10 Verify that the Active server is up.

a. Log on to the Active Cisco PAM appliance.

b. Select the Monitoring tab and then select Status, as shown in Figure A-5.

c. Verify the following:

–The Admin State is Up.

–The Server Mode is Active.

Figure A-5 Server Admin State (Up) for the Active Server

Step 11 Restart the Standby server, if installed.

a. Log on to the Standby Cisco PAM appliance.

b. Select the Commands tab, and then select Start Server.

c. Select the Monitoring tab and then select Status.

d. Verify the following:

–The Admin State is Up.

–The Server Mode is Standby.