6.12 System Exporter

Owned by Jenni Wallin
Last updated: May 08, 2023 by Former user (Deleted)
5 min read

System Exporter enables you to export data from your system either into a ZIP file or to a specific directory. The export contains data about your system, its configurations, and run-time information. You can send this export data to another system, where you can use the System Importer to import it and embed its contents locally.

Example - How System Exporter can be used

A system can import a tested export ZIP file of configurations from a test system and use it safely in production.

In System Exporter you can select data from the following folder types:

  • Configuration: Workflow configurations, agent profiles, workflow groups, Ultra formats, or alarm detectors.

  • Run-time: Data that is generated by the system during workflow run-time.

  • System: Other customized parts such as: ECS, Event Category, Folder (structure), Pico Host, Ultra, User, or Workflow Alarm Value.

Note!

  • Historical data is not exported.
  • Imported Event Notifications will be disabled. You must enable these manually.

Exporting

To open the System Exporter, click the Tools button in the upper left part of the Desktop window, and then select System Exporter from the menu.

 

The System Exporter view


Properties

Abort On Error

Select this option to cancel the creation of an export file if an error occurs while in process.

By default, an export file is created regardless of errors. If errors occur, the export file might be missing components.

Select Dependencies

Select this option to enable an automatic selection of dependent entries.

Note!

When you select an entry from the Available Entries table, all the dependent entries are automatically selected, as well.

Encryption

The export file is a ZIP file that contains a collection of XML files. Select the Encryption option to make these files password encrypted.

UDR data such as archived data, will be encrypted as well.

Directory Output

Select this option to prevent your selections from being packed into a ZIP file. Your selections, XML files, and their tree view layout that you see under Available Entries will be exported to the Target Output that you specify instead.

Exclude Runtime Data

Select this option to exclude runtime data such as ECS or archive data. You would typically want to exclude the runtime data when you export a large amount of data, and you are only interested in the configurations.

View Menu
View Log

Select this option to open a log of the export file production.

Export Log

Collapse All

Select this option to collapse the folders so only the folders are visible.

Expand All

Select this option to expand all of the folders to display the folders and all the configurations that they contain.

Refresh

Select this option to refresh the System Exporter view.
Buttons and Fields

Output Target

Click on the Browse button to select the path and enter the name of the file where the export data is saved.

Available Entries

Contains a tree layout view of the data you can select to export.

Export

Click on this button to copy the selections to either an export ZIP file or directly to the Target Output address; The Export button will change into Abort, which enables you to cancel the Export process.


To Export Data:

Note!

Since no runtime configuration change is included in the exported data and only the initial value is exported, you need to take a note of information such as file sequence numbers in Collector agents.


  1. In the System Exporter, select options according to your preferences in the Edit menu.
     

  2. Click on the Browse button to select the directory path to where you want to save your selections, either ZIP-packed or not.

    Hint!

    To configure what default directory you want to have when you click the  Browse  button, add the Desktop property mz.gui.systemexport.default.dir, and the value must be the full path to an existing directory, e g /home/mz.

    The Exporter will also remember the last directory to which an export was made, and will open the file browser in this directory the next time you click on the Browse button. This directory will be kept in memory until the Desktop is closed.

  3. In the Available Entries field, expand the folders and select the check boxes for the entries you want to export in the  Include  column.
     

  4. Click on the Save as... button if you want to save data about your export.

    Note!

    After you have selected the entries that you want included in the export ZIP file, you can save your selections combination before you click Export. This is particularly useful if you export a certain set of selections regularly.

    The saved selection combination is a *.criteria" file that contains data only about your selections. It is not an export ZIP file. The *.criteria" file is stored on your local disk and not in the system.

  5. Click on the Export button to start the export process.

    Either an export ZIP file will be created at the Output Target, or the selected structure will be exported to the specified directory.

    Note!

    In the export material you will also find three directories: one that includes the Ultra code that your export involves, one that includes profile-relevant APL code, and another one that contains workflow-related data. You can use the files that are included in these directories to compare the export material with the data on the system to which you export.

Export File Structure

When you save a profile or a workflow configuration, you create a database entry. When you then export a tree-structured data of your profiles and workflows, this database entry is included in the exported material as a file.

If the profile or workflow data is password encrypted, it is exported as it is. Otherwise, a directory named after that export data file, is created. In this directory, the contents of the export data file are divided into files, as follows:

  • The Ultra directory contains the files:

    • Internal: Ultra profile related meta information

    • Ultra_Format: Your Ultra code embedded in XML code

  • The APL directory contains the files:

    • Internal: APL profile related meta information

    • APL_Source_Code: Your APL code embedded in XML code

  • The Workflow directory contains the files:

    • Internal: Workflow related meta information

    • Template: Workflow data, such as Agent configurations

    • Workflow_Table: Workflow-table workflows related data

The tree structure of the exported material is identical to the structure that is displayed on the System Exporter view. See the figure above, The System Exporter View.

Next:
6.13 System Importer