Applies only to SafeConsole OnPremise

 

Since a SafeConsole server is not required for devices to function, it is not considered critical and fail-over is not built into the product. Preparing for and performing disaster recovery on SafeConsole is relatively easy though.

 

There are a couple of things that must be consistent for SafeConsole to function:

  • Database and configuration files.
  • Certificates for SSL and data recovery.
  • DNS record to the SafeConsole server.


The best practice in order to restore SafeConsole in case of a complete failure is summarized as:

  • Back up these SafeConsole files and folders at least once every 24 hours (or the entire folder for incremental backups).
    • /db folder
    • /cert folder
    • /properties folder
    • safeconsole.ini
    • keystore.p12
  • Make sure that the DNS record for the SafeConsole server can be reconfigured to point to a new machine if needed.
  • Save the password to the SSL certificate in a safe location. This will be required during the reinstallation. Loss of this password will require you to generate a new certificate, and all devices currently connected to your server will have to be reset and reconnected to the new server.


If a server has crashed, follow this process to recover:

  1. Download SafeConsole to a new machine and perform the installation.
  2. Shutdown the SafeConsole service.
  3. Restore the SafeConsole files and folder declared above from the backup.
  4. Run the SafeConsole configuration utility and import the old keystore.p12 restored from backup instead of generating a new one. 
  5. Alter the DNS entry so that the SafeConsole server URL points to the new machine.

 

Your environment should now be up and running as if nothing ever happened.