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Moving Portfolio 2.x to another server

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Jeff
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Description

I want to move Portfolio 2.x to another server. How can I do that?

Solution

It's fairly simple to migrate Portfolio 2.x from one server to another. The steps below will guide you.
Note: It's not possible to migrate from Mac to Windows or vice versa. Portfolio backups are platform specific!

 

Installation Prerequisites:

Confirm that the new server meets the minimum system requirements. They should be the same or better than the server you're migrating from. For system requirements and support files, please visit the following link"

https://www.extensis.com/support 


If Portfolio has to access files on another server or file share, its services need to run under an account that has read/write permissions to those locations. Before installing Portfolio on the new server, check the old server to see if it's running under a domain account.

Windows: Here’s how to find out what account Portfolio Server is running under:

  • Open the Services console found in your Control Panels, under Administrative Tools.
  • Look in the Name column for Portfolio Server, then look in the Log On As column for the domain and account name.
  • Make a note of the account details for later use.

Mac: Portfolio gets installed under the user account that is logged in when running the installer. To find out which account it was installed under:

  • Open Activity Monitor (in /applications/utilities)
  • Set the View to 'All Processes'
  • Look for processes named 'Java'
  • Make a note of the name that is listed in the 'Users' column next to the Java processes.

Portfolio requires Flash Player for Portfolio Administration and for Portfolio Web. It also requires Quicktime Player for some video formats and Adobe DNG Converter if you intend to work with DNG files. 
Make sure that the following are installed:

Watch Folders:

Make an inventory of the watch folders in each of your catalogs.

  1. Log into Portfolio Web with a catalog administrator account that has access to all of your catalogs
  2. Select the first catalog in the catalog list at the top left of Portfolio Web
  3. Select the top level watch folder in the folders pane (lower left)
  4. Right-click (Win) or Command-click (Mac) the folder and select 'Edit Folder'
  5. Make a note or screenshot of the Folder Path that is displayed in the Update Watch Folder dialog.
  6. Click Cancel to close the dialog
  7. Repeat steps 3-6 for additional watch folders. You do not need to do this for subfolders.
  8. Repeat steps 2-7 for each additional catalog.

Make each of the watch folders from step 5 above are available on the new server. The folders need to be mounted using the exact same path on the new server as on the old one.

Custom Locations:

It is possible to change the default locations that Portfolio uses for Autosync folders, Preview folders, Temporary work folder, and logs. If they've been changed on the old server, the new server should be set up with matching folders.

  1. Log into Portfolio Administration
  2. Click on 'Global Settings'
  3. Click on Catalog Defaults in the middle column
  4. Make a note of the Autosync and Preview folder paths
  5. Click on Server Data Locations in the middle column
  6. Make a note of the Temporary work folder path
  7. Click on Logging Configuration
  8. Make a note of the Log directory
  9. Keep the list of folder locations handy. You will need it after you install Portfolio on the new server.

Installation:

Download and install Portfolio. Installers for the latest version are on this page:

https://www.extensis.com/support

After the installation is complete, log into Portfolio Administration and enter your Portfolio licenses. You can use the same licenses that were used on the old server if it's being retired from production.

Make a Backup:

On the old server:

  1. Log into Portfolio Administration
  2. Click on 'Backup/Restore' in the left column
  3. Click on 'Backup Now' in the middle pane. Click 'OK' in the dialog that is displayed.
  4. Wait for the backup process to complete. This can take a while, depending on the amount of data in your Portfolio setup. Be patient!

Copy files to the new server:

  1. Recreate any folders from the custom locations section above
  2. Copy the backup to the new server
  3. Copy the preview folder from the old server to a matching location on the new one

Restore the backup:

  1. Log into Portfolio Administration on the new server
  2. Click on Backup/Restore
  3. Click on 'Restore From Backup File'
  4. Click 'OK' in the confirmation dialog
  5. Use the 'Browse Server Folders' dialog to browse to the backup file that you copied over. 
  6. Click 'Select' and the restore process will start. Depending on the size, the restore can take a while. Again - be patient!

This will restore your catalogs, users, custom location settings, Netpublish sites, and customized login screen.

Check Your Work:

Once the restore is done, log into Portfolio Administration to confirm that everything looks the same as on the old server. Also, log into Portfolio Web to check your catalogs. If you have Netpublish sites, log into them to make sure that they are working on the new server.

 

 

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