How Do I Move My Database To A New Server? - Network Edition

This article will outline how to move your Network Edition database from an old server computer to a new server computer.

When you are ready to move your database, make sure the software is closed on all computers. Make sure no one is adding or modifying the database at all until you are done with the database move. It is also recommended to install with full local administrator privileges, and to temporarily pause or disable your antivirus, to prevent any installation issues.

Setting Up The New Server

On the old server computer (or any other computer with the client program files installed) go to File and choose Backup. Create a .zip file backup of your database. Save it to a memory stick/backup drive, or shared network location (or both), that's easy to access. We also recommend making a full copy of your C:\MP_DATA\ directory before continuing, as it will get wiped if the software is uninstalled.
On your new server, install the setup file for your version. It is normally called mpversion_net.exe (for example, mp2020_net.exe). If the file is not available, please refer to your original order email for the download link. You can also email us at support@mtcpro.com with the name the software is licensed to and we'll send you a download link.
Choose Client/Server for the install option. This way we'll have access to the program files. We'll need the program files to access the database restore function when we're ready for it.
Click Next. Choose the location for the database. C:\MP_DATA\ is the default.
Click Next to choose the Program Files location. The default is usually fine here.
Click Next to view the Client Configuration screen. It should have 'data share location' selected and pointed to the new data path, in this case C:\MP_DATA\
Click Next to choose the start menu folder location, then press Install to finish the installation process.

At this point, we have a blank sample database and program files installed on our new server. We're almost there!
Make sure to right click the icon on the desktop and choose 'Run as Administrator' for this step.

Open the software on the server computer. It will ask you to register. Enter your User Name and Serial Number that has been provided to you via email. You can re-use the same registration info as your previous installation, if we have not assigned you a new license key.
Once the software is registered it should let you open the program. You'll see your home screen and sample equipment list.
Now, we need to restore our database to this computer. Locate the .zip backup you created in step 1. Go to File/Tools | Restore. Click on Browse and choose the .zip file. Click on the Restore button to load the data. This will overwrite the blank sample database.

Note: If you do not see a .zip file to restore from, make sure you created one in step 1. If you saved the backup file to a memory stock, you can browse directly to your backup drive/memory stick and grab the .zip file from there. You can also browse to a network location.
Close and re-open the program once the restore is complete. You should now see your data here. Check your equipment list, maintenance history, etc, and make sure everything looks right. If not, make sure that you restored the .zip file you just created, and not an older copy.

If you can view your data on the new server then the data migration part of the process is complete! Now we'll need to point the workstations to look at the new server computer.

Note: Make sure ports 12010 and 12011 are open on the new server computer for inbound and outbound connections. Check your Windows Firewall and any other security software for this.

Cleaning Up The Old Server And Configuring The Workstations

On the old server computer our database service is still running. We will want to turn this off and rename our data folder to prevent any other workstations from accidentally accessing our old database.

To do this, open up the Windows Services list. You can get there from the run command by typing in services.msc and pressing OK. Locate the MPElevateDB Server service. Double click on it and set the Startup type to Disabled. Also click the Stop button to make sure the service is no longer running.

Once this is done, go to your C:\MP_DATA\ directory and rename it. You can add today's date, or add .old, at the end. Whatever you would like, as long as the name changes.

This will prevent any new connections being made to the old server's data via file share or via the database service.

Can't I just uninstall the software from the old server?

Yes, you could. However, uninstalling the software on the old server will delete the database service and wipe the data files. By simply disabling the service and renaming the folder, if something went wrong with the new server and we need to re-enable the old one quickly, we can do so. We recommended getting at least a few clients up and running with the new server and new database before completely uninstalling from the old server.
With the database inaccessible on the old server, try to open our software on one of the workstations. You will get an error message, and then you will see this Network Data Path Configuration screen:Simple enter in the new Host name or IP Address of the new server here and press Save. Try to open the software after saving. If you get your equipment list, then you are good to go on this workstation and can move on to the next one!

If you get this Network Data Path screen again, verify the information you entered to make sure it's accurate.

Note: If choosing IP address, make sure the new server has a local static IP address.
Repeat step 2 for any clients that have not yet been pointed at the new database.
If you believe all clients have been redirected, turn off the old server completely and verify. If all computers can access current data with the old server turned off (or disconnected from the network) then you are done with migrating the clients over to the new server computer.
Once everything is up and running and you have verified that the data is up-to-date and looks good, you may uninstall the software from the old server computer. This will remove the database service and data files from the old machine.

Additional information which may be useful

Do I need to get a new registration key for my new computer?
You do not need a new registration key. You can re-use the same user name and serial number that we sent to your email address upon initial purchase. If you have a key issued for a previous version it will not work. You'll have to purchase an upgrade from us to get a valid version key. Please contact us at sales@mtcpro.com for upgrade pricing.

I put in my user name and serial number in the registration window. However, the program doesn't open. It keeps asking to register.
On your desktop, right click the Maintenance Pro icon and choose "Run as Administrator". Then try to register. The software needs the extra admin rights in order to register the product.

I'm receiving a message saying the program version is out of date. What do I do?
This can happen if the installation file we used on the new server is more up-to-date than the clients at the rest of the office. Create a new backup by going to File | Backup and download the latest build update for your version from here: http://www.mtcpro.com/updates/. Install this update on the server and all workstations. Once the update is complete the version error should disappear. Make sure to install the latest build update on all computers. You can check which build number the machine is on by going to Help and About. It will be located on the Version line.