Sawmill Documentation
Technical ManualFAQUser GuideWWW Sawmill

FAQ: Upgrading Without Losing Data


How can I upgrade to a new version of Sawmill without losing my profiles, databases, and other data?

Short Answer

When upgrading 8.6.x to a newer 8.6.x on Windows, just install the new version on top of the old. When upgrading from an older 8.1.x version to a newer 8.6.x version on Windows, just install the new version on top of the old; when you next view the profiles, it will ask you to convert the older-format profiles and databases to the new. When upgrading 8.x to a newer 8.x on non-Windows, install the new and copy profiles, databases, etc. from the old LogAnalysisInfo to the new; if it's from 8.1.x to 8.6.x, it will prompt for conversion. When upgrading 7 to 8.6.x, use the Import link in the Admin menu.

Long Answer

Upgrading and older Sawmill 8.x to Sawmill 8.6.x (Windows)

Sawmill 8.6.x can be installed directly on top of 8.1.x, or on top of an older 8.6.x. On Windows, just run the installer; it will simply install what's necessary and will not overwrite or remove your existing profiles, databases, or any user configuration data. Installation will not result in data loss. Once the install is complete, you are now ready to continue using Sawmill. If you're upgrading from 8.1.x to 8.6.x, Sawmill will detect your 8.1.x profiles, and will prompt you to convert them when you next view the Profiles list. Databases are converted at the same time as profiles, so you should copy the databases before you run the conversion.

Upgrading an older Sawmill 8.x to Sawmill 8.6.x (non-Windows)

If you're upgrading from an older 8.x to a newer 8.x on a non-Windows installation, start by installing/unpacking the new installation. Don't run it yet, though. In order to preserve profiles, settings, databases, and more, you need to copy them from the old LogAnalysisInfo directory. Here are the parts you may want to copy:

  1. Profiles. Copy the entire profiles folder in the LogAnalysisInfo directory, to the new one.

  2. Preferences. Copy preferences.cfg from your LogAnalysisInfo directory, to the new one.

  3. Databases. Copy directories from your existing LogAnalysisInfo directory to the new one.

  4. Schedules. Copy the file schedules.cfg from your existing LogAnalysisInfo directory to the new one.

  5. Users. Copy the file users.cfg from your existing LogAnalysisInfo directory to the new one.

  6. Licenses. Copy the file licenses.cfg from your existing LogAnalysisInfo directory to the new one.

  7. Startup Data. Copy the file system.cfg from your existing LogAnalysisInfo directory to the new one.

  8. Roles. Copy the files roles_enterprise.cfg and roles_standard.cfg from your existing LogAnalysisInfo directory to the new one.

  9. User Settings. Some per-user settings, including temporary modifications to report (e.g., showing more rows), and report filters, are in the users_cache directory in LogAnalysisInfo. Copy these from the old installation to the new, to preserve these settings.

If you edited the graph colors file (LogAnalysisInfo/graph_colors.cfg) or the field categories file (LogAnalysisInfo/field_categories.cfg), copy those from the olg LogAnalysisInfo to the new also.

There is a perl script in Extras, update.pl, which does all these copies in a single step.

After these files are copied, you can start the server in the new installation, and all your data should be preserved. If you're upgrading from 8.1.x to 8.6.x, Sawmill will detect your 8.1.x profiles, and will prompt you to convert them when you next view the Profiles list. Databases are converted at the same time as profiles, so you should copy the databases before you run the conversion.

Upgrading from Sawmill 7

To upgrade a Sawmill 7 installation to Sawmill 8, install Sawmill 8 in a different location (don't install it over Sawmill 7!), and then in the Admin menu of Sawmill 8, choose Import. Choose the location of the Sawmill 7 LogAnalysisInfo folder (in the installation directory), and you will be prompted to import profiles, databases, and users from the Sawmill 7 installation. After the upgrade is complete and you have verified that all components were upgraded successfully, you can delete the old installation.

WARNING: Regardless of the upgrade version path, back up your existing installation before upgrading. The upgrade process is complex, and if it fails for any reason, it can result in the corruption of the profiles, databases, etc. Be sure you have a backup before upgrading.