How to backup dbFront before an upgrade. I don't want to lose my settings.

Question

After I’ve downloaded the latest version, do I just need to do a custom install and install the updated service, or do I need to do a full install. I don’t want to overwrite all of what I’ve already done.

Answer 1

It is always a great idea to do a backup before performing an upgrade.

Backup Options

a) Virtual Machine Snapshot

The best possible option is to take a Virtual Machine snapshot. This allows for a quick and complete restore if the dbFront install fails for any reason.

b) Regular Server Backup

Regular server backups are a good option, but restoring a server backup can be a complex task.

c) Selective Folder Backup

Assuming a default install, the dbFront folders that should be backed up are:

• Service Folder: c:\program files(x86)\dbfront
• Website Folder: c:\inetpub\dbfront
• Data / Settings: c:\data\dbFront

To manually backup your IIS settings see: Backup and Migrate IIS Configuration

Upgrading dbFront on a Default Install

To upgrade dbFront you should be able to just run the dbFront installer and do a regular install and it will upgrade the service and the website files without damaging your setup. But just in case you should run a backup first.

You only need a custom install if you manually installed dbFront initially.

Comments

Will the IIS settings get overwritten when doing an upgrade? We have dbFront mapped to a URL and HTTPS set up, I don't want to lose that.

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dbFront will only create the IIS configuration if it is missing so an upgrade should leave your existing configuration untouched.   That said, please backup before you run the upgrade just incase something goes sideways.

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The installer also gives you the option of just saving out the files allowing you to do a manual install.   For manual instructions see: https://dbfront.com/websiteinstall

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Thanks Anthony, is backing up the folders as you wrote above in your answer all that is needed, or is there a separate IIS backup?

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The backups as listed above are all that is required.