Backing up or moving EPISuite to a new computer
Q1. What files do I need to backup in EPISuite?
A1. You need to backup your EPISuite database file (Microsoft Access, *.mdb) and all of your card design files (*.gdr for v5 and *.dgn v6)
Q2. Where is my EPISuite Database Stored?
A2. It could be stored anywhere. It depends on how it was setup. To find out where it is stored (v5 and v6), go to “View”, “Options”. Click the
“Database tab”. This will show you the path and name of the database. You might need to click the “Other Database…” button to see the whole
path.
Using Windows utilities, you can make a backup copy of this database.
Q3. How do I find where my card design files are stored?
A3. As with the database, the card design files could be stored anywhere. Each card design has its own file. To find where these files are go to
“File,” “Card Format Setup…”. Select a card format, and click the “Change Button”. This will show you where the file is stored. Again you may
need to click the “Browse…” button to see the full path.
If this was setup correctly, all of the card design files should be stored in the same folder, but over time with new people working on the system,
it is possible that these files could be scattered into many different folders, so it is a good idea to check each card design individually. Once you
have found these files, you can use windows utilities to copy the files for backup.
Automating your EPISuite Backup
1. We are going to create a DOS BATCH file that will create five days of backup files, and then we are going to use Windows Task Scheduler
to run the script every day. The basic script is outlined in step 3 below.
2. In the script below, the following constants in green need to be replace to reflect your setup (Note: spaces are important):
bkfolder = the full path to where you are going to store your backups. It should be on a network driver or an external hard drive.
Databaselocation = the folder in which your Access Database is stored. To find the location, see Q2 above.
Databasename = the name of your Access database without the ".mdb" extension. Again see Q2 above.
CardsFolder = the folder with all of your card design files. If some of your card designs in a different folder, you will need to move them
to this folder. See Q3 above to find the location.
Write down your constants here:
bkfolder =
Databaselocation =
Databasename =
CardsFolder =
3. Copy the Script below in into notepad:
Echo off
copy "Databaselocation\Databasename.mdb" "bkfolder\"
if exist "bkfolder\Databasename.mdb" (
Rem backup 5 days of database files
del "bkfolder\Databasename5.mdb"
ren "bkfolder\Databasename4.mdb" "Databasename5.mdb"
ren "bkfolder\Databasename3.mdb" "Databasename4.mdb"
ren "bkfolder\Databasename2.mdb" "Databasename3.mdb"
ren "bkfolder\Databasename1.mdb" "Databasename2.mdb"
ren "bkfolder\Databasename.mdb" "Databasename1.mdb"
ECHO The database file backup was SUCCESSFUL
) ELSE (
ECHO The database file backup was Unsuccessful
)
Rem Copy the Card Designs
if not exist "bkfolder\Cards" (
MD "bkfolder\Cards"
Echo bkfolder\Cards was created
copy "CardsFolder\*.*" "bkfolder\Cards"
rd /S /Q "bkfolder\Cards5\"
ren "bkfolder\Cards4" "Cards5"
ren "bkfolder\Cards3" "Cards4"
ren "bkfolder\Cards2" "Cards3"
ren "bkfolder\Cards1" "Cards2"
ren "bkfolder\Cards" "Cards1"
Echo THE CARDS BACKUP WAS SUCCESSFUL
) Else (
Echo The cards backup was Unsuccessful
)
Pause
4. Modify the script:
a. In Notepad use edit replace (Crtl-H):
b. Find "bkfolder" and replace with the full path to your backup folder. For example, my backup folder is "G:\backups\EPISuite":
Press "Replace All"
c. Next, find "Databaselocation" and replace it with the full path to your database folder. For example, I’ll use the default location
on a 64bit windows computer:
"C:\Program Files (x86)\ImageWare Systems\EPISUITE\6\DB":
Press "Replace All"
d. Next, find "Databasename" and replace it with the name of your Access database. For example, I’ll use the default database,
"EPISuite" (leave the ".mdb" extension off):
e. Finally, find "Card Folder" and replace it with the name of folder with your card design files. I’ll use "C:\Program Files
(x86)\ImageWare Systems\EPISUITE\6\Cards", for an example:
5. My final script looks like this:
Echo off
copy "C:\Program Files (x86)\ImageWare Systems\EPISUITE\6\DB\EPISuite.mdb"
"G:\backups\EPISuite\"
if exist "G:\backups\EPISuite\EPISuite.mdb" (
Rem backup 5 days of database files
del "G:\backups\EPISuite\EPISuite5.mdb"
ren "G:\backups\EPISuite\EPISuite4.mdb" "EPISuite5.mdb"
ren "G:\backups\EPISuite\EPISuite3.mdb" "EPISuite4.mdb"
ren "G:\backups\EPISuite\EPISuite2.mdb" "EPISuite3.mdb"
ren "G:\backups\EPISuite\EPISuite1.mdb" "EPISuite2.mdb"
ren "G:\backups\EPISuite\EPISuite.mdb" "EPISuite1.mdb"
ECHO The database file backup was SUCCESSFUL
) ELSE (
ECHO The database file backup was Unsuccessful
)
Rem Copy the Card Designs
if not exist "G:\backups\EPISuite\Cards" (
MD "G:\backups\EPISuite\Cards"
Echo G:\backups\EPISuite\Cards was created
copy "C:\Program Files (x86)\ImageWare Systems\EPISUITE\6\Cards\*.*"
"G:\backups\EPISuite\Cards\"
rd /S /Q "G:\backups\EPISuite\Cards5"
ren "G:\backups\EPISuite\Cards4" "Cards5"
ren "G:\backups\EPISuite\Cards3" "Cards4"
ren "G:\backups\EPISuite\Cards2" "Cards3"
ren "G:\backups\EPISuite\Cards1" "Cards2"
ren "G:\backups\EPISuite\Cards" "Cards1"
Echo THE CARDS BACKUP WAS SUCCESSFUL
) Else (
Echo The cards backup was Unsuccessful
)
Pause
6. Now save this text file in your backups folder. Call it "backup.bat"
(the ".bat" extension is important. It makes it executable. Double
click on it to test it. If you get a Security Warning, go ahead and
run it. If you did everything correct, you should get a DOS
Window that looks like the one on the right. Since this was the
first time you ran the script, you will get several lines stating that
"The system cannot find the file specified". This is okay. The
important lines to look for are "The Database file backup was
SUCCESSFUL" and "THE CARDS BACKUP WAS SUCCESSFUL". The
following file should appear in your backups folder:
"Databasename1.mdb". A subfolder, called "Cards1" should also
appear in your backups folder. It should have all of your card design files in it. On
subsequent executions, you will get "Databasename2.mdb" and "Cards2" up to 5. If
you execute this file once per day, you can go back five days. After the sixth
execution, "Databasename5.mdb" and "Cards5" the oldest file and folder will be
deleted.
7. Now that our ".bat" file works properly, we need to set it to run automatically. (This procedure is for Windows 7)
a. Click Start, type "task" and start up Task Scheduler.
b. Click on "Create Basic Task…"
c. Enter a Name and Description. See my example above and click Next.
d. Set the Trigger to the appropriate task level, i.e. Daily, Weekly, etc. I choose Daily at 9:00 AM and click Next.
e. Action will be "Start a Program" and click Next
f. Choose Browse, and then search for and select your "backup.bat" file. Click Next
g. Verify on the Summary screen that everything is proper and click Finish.
h. My Summary is below:
8. Verify these functions; while in Task Scheduler, click on “Task Scheduler Library” on the left and in the middle area look for the
description "EPISuite Backup" and then click on it.
a. This will bring up the task information and you can manually run this task (see yellow highlights below).
b. Verify they worked properly.
c. There is a similar procedure in Windows XP.