Making source station backups

A station backup (.dist file) from a Backup command is the preferred archive source when migrating AX-3.8 station.

Prerequisites:

The station’s BackupService is configured appropriately.

Using Workbench, you can make either a online backup (typical) or an offline backup.
- For an online backup, right-click the Station node and select Backup Station.
  The station continues running while first it saves is configuration locally, then saves a backup .dist file in the backups folder of your niagara_home (install) folder.
- For an offline backup, make a platform connection, stop the station from the Application Director, then, from the Platform Administration view, select Backup.
  NOTE: An offline backup applies to JACE stations only. For any local station, such as a Supervisor, you must make an online Fox backup (with station running).After the backup completes, you may restart the station so that it can continue working while you run the migration tool in preparation to convert the platform.
As a best practice, consider renaming the resulting backup .dist file to a short, meaningful name.
This simplifies typing in the source .dist file name in the command-line migration tool. Do not rename the .dist extension.

For example, if the file name is backup_stationName_141221_0757.dist, shorten it to: stationName.dist, where stationName is a logical station name.
If the new Supervisor or engineering workstation is on a different PC, copy the backup .dist file to a location on that PC.
If the new station is on the same PC, simply leave all the backup .dist files in the default backups folder.
For best performance, do not save backup.dist files in the Niagara 4 System home or User home directories. The files can be located anywhere else, for example: C:\AxBackups.
Repeat this procedure for all AX-3.8 stations to be migrated.

Making source station backups

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