Backup PINsafe on a Software Only Install

Overview

To make a backup of a Swivel server that is using the internal database, the Apache Tomcat process must first be stopped, as file locking prevents access to the required data. Whilst Tomcat is stopped users will not be able to authenticate using Swivel.

Swivel virtual or hardware appliance's automatically handle the start and stop of Tomcat, and on a software only install it is possible to create scripts to do this. If assistance required please contact your sales representative.

Note: This process does not backup any OS related information, this needs to be backed up using other tools as required.

Note: If an external database is used for storing data such as MySQL, MSSQL, Oracle, then appropriate backup tools should be used for these.

See also Backup PINsafe How to Guide

Prerequisites

Swivel Software only install (i.e. not a Swivel 2.x appliance)

Solution

Stop Tomcat on the Swivel server

On a Unix OS software only install stop the Tomcat service:

service tomcat5 stop

On a Windows OS software only install stop the Tomcat Service from either:

• Services

or

• Taskbar Service Controller

Copy Swivel files required

Note: Swivel version 3.9.1 onwards has a Transient Data Storage with data that should be backed up. View this article for file locations that need to be backed up. Custom modifications and additional transports and database drivers will also need to be backed up.

For Swivel versions 3.9 (but not 3.9.1) and earlier, the best way is to backup the entire Swivel folder, as this will include all custom transports, filters, and modifications. Ensure file permissions and ownerships are retained.

On a Unix OS software only install, Swivel is usually located under:

/usr/local/<apache-tomcat-version>/webapps/pinsafe

On a Windows OS software only install, Swivel is usually located under:

C:/Program Files/Apache Software Foundation/<Tomcat Version>/webapps/pinsafe

Start Tomcat on the Swivel server

Once the backup is complete then start Tomcat

On a Unix OS software only install start the Tomcat service:

service tomcat5 start

On a Windows OS software only install start the Tomcat Service from either:

• Services

or

• Taskbar Service Controller

Verify Swivel is operational

Carry out an authentication using Swivel to verify the backup is complete.

Sample Windows backup program

If you need to back up the internal database, an example script to do this on a Windows machine is as follows. It may need to be modified to suit the local environment:

 net stop tomcat6
 xcopy %CATALINA_HOME%\webapps\pinsafe\*.* <backup location>
 net start tomcat6

replace <backup location> with the location of where Swivel is to be backed up to.

This assumes that you are using Tomcat 6, running as a service. If you are using Tomcat 5, replace tomcat6 with tomcat5. If Tomcat is not running as a service, instead of the net stop and net start commands, use the following:

 call %CATALINA_HOME%\bin\shutdown.bat
 call %CATALINA_HOME%\bin\startup.bat