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Migrating an Orchid Core VMS Installation to a New Server

The following documentation is available for download below:

Background

If you are re-installing the operating system on your Orchid Core VMS server, or if you are installing a new server, you may wish to migrate your previous Orchid installation. By migrating your Orchid installation, you preserve camera, user, retention configurations, licensing, and internal information for accessing footage recorded on your storage volume.

 

**Note** - To access previously recorded video from the Orchid server you are migrating from you will have to migrate the video data to the new Orchid server.

 

The Orchid migration process will require you to stop the Orchid Core VMS service on your original server temporarily. While the service is stopped, all access to the Orchid web interface and recorded video will be inaccessible. Video will also not be recorded at this time. Prior to migrating, please make sure you have the necessary resources and plan ahead in order to minimize downtime.

Required Items

  • Access to the original Orchid Core VMS server (The "Old Server")
  • Access to the new Orchid Core VMS server you wish to migrate to (The "New Server")
  • A storage device for saving files (a flash drive, network storage, etc.)
  • A copy of the Orchid Core VMS installer for your new server's operating system (available here)
  • Familiarity with installing and administering Orchid Core VMS (Please consult our Orchid Core VMS Installation Guide and Orchid Core VMS Administrator Guide for detailed instructions and information.)
  • (Optional) If you are using Orchid Fusion VMS, access to your Orchid Fusion VMS installation, and familiarity with administering Orchid Fusion VMS (Please consult our Orchid Fusion VMS Administrator Guide for detailed instructions and information.)

Part 1: Backing up the Configuration from the Old Server

1. On the old Orchid Core VMS server, check the Activation tab for the Support Expiration date.

    • If your Support Agreement has not yet expired, you may install the latest version of Orchid Core VMS on your new server.
    • If your Support Agreement has expired, and you will only be able to install the last version of Orchid Core VMS released before the date. Please check the Orchid Core VMS download page, reference the release dates, and download the latest version of Orchid Core VMS release before the Support Expiration date on your installation of Orchid Core VM

2. Stop the Orchid Core VMS service on the old server.

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    • Consult the Orchid Core VMS Installation Guide for detailed instructions for managing the Orchid Core VMS service for the server's operating system.
    • Please be advised that stopping the Orchid Core VMS service will disable all access to the Orchid Core VMS web interface, will stop all camera recording, and will stop the server from communicating with any Orchid Fusion VMS server it may be attached to. You may wish to schedule a point in time to perform this due to the server downtime.

3. Once the Orchid Core VMS service has stopped gracefully, copy the files "orchid.sqlite" and "orchid_server.properties" to a safe location off of the old server.

You may restart the Orchid Core VMS service on the old server while you prepare the new server.

 

Part 2: Restoring the Configuration on the New Server

1. Install the version of Orchid Core VMS you will be using on the new server.

2.Stop the Orchid Core VMS service on the new server.

3. Replace the copies of "orchid.sqlite" and "orchid_server.properties" created by the Orchid installation after reinstalling with the copies you have made from the old server.

4. Restart the Orchid Core VMS service on the new server.

5. Check the archive directory.

      • If you have set up the new server to record to the same storage device and directory path as before, Orchid will recognize the archive directory, connect to it, and begin recording footage to it as before.
      • If you are using a new storage device and/or path, you will need to generate a new archive directory. For detailed instructions on performing this, please consult the section "Changing the Orchid Core VMS Archives Storage Location" from the Orchid Core VMS Installation Guide.

6. If the Orchid Core VMS installation was connected to a Fusion server, and the new server is configured with a different IP or DNS hostname, you will need to recover the server in Fusion. For detailed instructions on performing this, please consult the section "Edit Orchid Core VMS Server Settings" from the Orchid Fusion VMS Administrator Guide.

7. If you have migrated your Orchid Core VMS installation to new hardware, you may receive a "degraded state" error indicating a "hardware mismatch." If this is the case, please submit a support request so that our Support team may resolve the issue.

Part 3: Confirm Server Health

  1. Check the Camera Configuration, Users, and Retention Policy tabs to ensure that all camera stream settings and users are present, and that the retention rate is expected given the storage volume you are using to store recorded footage.
  2. If you migrated your storage volume along with Orchid Core VMS, open up the stage and confirm you are able to play back recorded footage from before the migration.
  3. Check the Activation tab to ensure that the server is not in a degraded state. If the server is in a degraded state, the server will not record video. If your server is in a degraded state, please submit a support request so that our Support team may resolve the issue.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding the Orchid migration process, or if you experience any issues, please do not hesitate to submit a support request so that we may assist.

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