Backing up UI configuration data (on-prem)

Agile Service Manager includes a backup facility, which lets you backup UI configuration settings such as user preferences, topology tools, custom icons, relationship types, rules, and advanced topology settings. This topic describes how to export these settings.

Before you begin

Remember: Backing up and restoring your UI configuration is a two step process. The first step, exporting data, is described in this topic. The second step, importing data to restore previous configurations, is described in the Restoring UI configuration data (on-prem) topic.
The tool detects the host, port, and tenant id for the Topology Service from the following environment variables:
  • TOPOLOGY_SERVICE_HOST
  • TOPOLOGY_SERVICE_PORT
  • TENANT_ID
Important: If you have a standard installation of Agile Service Manager core, and none of the default settings have been changed, the tool will work without you having to reset any of these environment variables. However, if you do have a non-standard installation, you need to reset these before running the tool.

About this task

When to export configuration data
Agile Service Manager UI configuration settings are stored in the topology service database. If that database is deleted, the configuration settings are also deleted. You may therefore want to create a backup of configuration data if you intend to conduct testing that may involve changes to your database. After installing or rebuilding a new database, you can then restore the configuration data.
You can export configuration data as part of your data protection strategy, to provide a backup in case of data corruption or accidental data deletion.
You can export configuration data from a staging system in order to then import it into a live system.
Backup syntax
This command applies to all UI elements other than filters.
This command must be run from the ASM_HOME directory:
backup_ui_config.sh
Example:
backup_ui_config [-config <config_type>] [-out <output_filename>] [-plainpassword] [-force] [-verbose]
Tip: For help: 
backup_ui_config.sh -help
Backup script for filters
You can use a separate script to back up custom filters. 
backup_filters.sh
This script creates the 'aiops_filter.dump' file in the 'backup' directory:
$ASM_HOME/data/postgres/backup/aiops_filter.dump
Note: The backup and restore scripts for filters use the 'pg_dump' and 'pg_restore' postgres utilities. For more information, see the following sites:
Export parameters
All parameters are optional.
Note: You can run the backup_ui_config command without setting any parameters. If you do, all Agile Service Manager UI configuration settings will be exported to the following default file: $ASM_HOME/data/tools/asm_ui_config.txt
config
The -config flag allows the type of configuration you want to export to be specified.
By default all UI configuration settings are backed up.
Settings for -config <config_type>
Backs up the following Agile Service Manager UI configuration settings
all
All UI configurations (default)
tools
Topology tools definitions
icons
Custom icon definitions
types
Resource type definitions
edges
Edge type definitions
links
Relationship type definitions
rules
Rule definitions
preferences
User preferences
settings
Advanced topology settings
criticality
Business criticality definitions
templates
Resource group template definitions
jobs
Observer job definitions
plainpassword
When exporting observer job definitions, use this parameter to export the passwords as plain text.
Important: This parameter is for development environments only. For production environments, ensure that the encryption keys for observer job passwords between the source and target system match. See the following topic for more information on Changing encryption keys and passwords.
out
The -out flag is the name of the backup file name to create.
The name must be a file name only, with no directory paths.
The default output file name is asm_ui_config.txt, and the output location is fixed as $ASM_HOME/data/tools.
Note: If the file already exists, the tool will indicate this and quit. For the existing file to be overwritten with new output, use the -force parameter.
force
If you set the -force parameter, the tool overwrites an existing output file with new content.
verbose
The -verbose flag runs the tool in verbose mode, whereby extra log messages are printed to the shell during execution.
This parameter is useful if a problem occurs while running the tool, and you want to re-run it with extra information made available.

Procedure

  1. To backup UI configuration data (other than custom filters):
    1. Using the syntax information provided, determine the export (backup) <options> you need to set, if any.
    2. Run the backup_ui_config command from your ASM_HOME directory, as in the following example. 
      backup_ui_config.sh <options>
    The Agile Service Manager UI configuration data is exported to the specified file in the $ASM_HOME/data/tools directory. If the -force flag has been set, an existing backup file is overwritten.
  2. To backup custom filters:
    1. As the nasm user, run the following command from the ASM_HOME directory: 
      $ASM_HOME/bin/backup_filters.sh
      The 'aiops_filter.dump' file is created in the 'backup' directory:
      $ASM_HOME/data/postgres/backup/aiops_filter.dump
    2. Move the file to a safe location.
    To restore custom filters into a new system, follow the restore steps.

Results

From the backup files, you can restore the settings using the Restoring UI configuration data (on-prem) topic.