Introduction
In this article we will show you how to correctly create a full backup of your Myriad Playout v5 system and how to restore it if you need to.
Please note that this article refers to Myriad 5 but all steps are relevant to Myriad 5 or Myriad 6
Prerequisites
You will need to following in order create a backup or restore from a previous backup:
- Windows User with Admin rights (or the admin password so you can authorise as required)
- Backup drive (internal or external) with sufficient space to store a complete backup of all your audio & data.
- Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio (a free download from Microsoft)
- Access to the PC that Microsoft SQL Server (Express or Standard) is installed on.
Backup drive restrictions
Before we start on the actual backup process, it is worth mentioning that several of the steps below may only work reliably when exporting the backup to your local C Drive, so for the purposes of this walkthrough we will use that location. This is due to window file security permissions which can be overcome but that falls outside of this walkthrough, so for now we would suggest following these instructions to export your SQL back to your C drive then copy the backup file to your ultimate backup destination. The Myriad folder can be copied directly to your end backup destination but in this walkthrough we will assume we are also copying the Myriad folder to the C drive.
Creating a backup
To create a backup of all your audio plus the databases you will need to follow a two step process:
- Create a copy of your Myriad folder onto your backup drive or location.
- Create a backup file of the two SQL databases that are used by Myriad Playout v5 (Station & Directory)
Let's take a closer look at these steps.
Backing Up The Myriad Folder
To create a copy of all your data and audio files for backup purposes (except the SQL database), all you need to do is take a copy of the Myriad data folder.
In a default installation, this will be: D:\Myriad
If you want to check to make sure you are copying the correct folder, you can confirm by looking in:
Myriad Playout > Settings Menu > Applications Settings > Data Locations Tab.
Once you have confirmed you know the correct folder, simply copy this folder to your backup location using Windows Explorer.
Automating the data copy process
You can also automate this process using the Robocopy feature built into Windows. From a command prompt:
robocopy "D:\Myriad" "your backup drive" /e
This script will copy anything that is new or changed but will not removed items from the backup that have been deleted on the source.
For example:
robocopy "D:\Myriad" "E:\Myriad" /e
Alternatively you can use
robocopy "d:\myriad" "your backup drive" /MIR
This script creates a mirror (because of the "/MIR" option) on the backup drive which means that any new and changed items will be copied plus if an item is deleted from the source, it will be removed from the backup.
Which of these you select depends on whether you want the opportunity to recover accidental deletions from your backup. The first option will leave deleted items in your backup (until you overwrite the Media Item). The second option will maintain your backup as a mirror image of your main data folder.
Once you have decided which is best for you, you can run these scripts at a regular interval using a normal Windows Scheduled Task.
Creating the SQL database backup
The next step is to create a backup file of your SQL databases (Station and Directory) that can be used to restore into SQL as part of any future recovery process.
With Myriad v5, much of the key data is stored in the SQL database but you cannot just copy an SQL database, instead you can use the Microsoft SQL Server Management Service (SSMS) to create a set of backup files for all the databases you want to backup.
N.B. You do not have to quit Myriad Playout in order to generate an SQL backup file.
Microsoft SQL Server Management Service (SSMS) is a free tool that can be downloaded from here -
*** IMPORTANT: You need to install SSMS and create the backups on the PC that is running your SQL database ***
Once you have downloaded SSMS, run the installation on the same PC that is running your instance of SQL (Express or Standard).
The installation process is simple although it can take some time depending on you internet speed.
Once the installation is complete, run SSMS and you will be asked to connect to the SQL Server. Check the details are correct then click Connect
On the left hand 'Object Explorer' windows, expand the Databases node.
Next right click on the database you wish to create the backup for. Select Tasks > Back Up.
You will then be asked where you want the backup file to be created. By default SSMS will create the backup in a sub folder of the SQL server. You need to remove this backup by highlighting it and clicking on Remove.
To add you onw backup click on the Add button. This will open a dialogue box to allow you to set the backup location.
To set the location, click on the '... ' button and choose the location
*** Please note this for this walkthrough we are using the local C drive because using another drive or network location may require additional permissions that are not covered in this walkthrough ***
Browse to the location you want to save the backup and then give the backup an appropriate file name. Make sure the file name includes the .BAK file extension as SSMS does not add this by default!
Once you have selected the backup location and added the filename (including the .BAK extension), click on OK.
Check that the backup location and name are correct in the main Back Up Database window, then click on OK to create the backup.
The backup process will take a few moments to create the backup file (depending on the size of your database), once complete you will see a confirmation.
Repeat this process of the DirectorySql database and any other Station Databases you have (and want to back up).
As with the data copy, this process can be automated by a script which our technical team will be happy to provide an example for but which falls outside of the scope of this document.
Restoring From A Backup
As with creating the backup, the restore process consist of two phases:
- Copy the audio and data files from your backup to the correct location for Myriad 5 Playout.
- Restore the SQL backup file into your active SQL instance.
As with before, you will need admin access to perform many of these steps
N.B You will also need to quit Myriad Playout on all workstations in order to restore the database.
Restore The Audio & Data Files
The first step is to copy the audio and data files from your backup drive to the Myriad Data Location. If you are not sure what the correct Myriad Data location is, you can check the correct location in the Settings Menu > Application Settings > Data Locations tab.
If you are doing a complete restore then copy the entire folder to from your backup drive to the correct location. You can also manually copy individual files and folders as appropriate.
Automating The Data Copy Process
You can also automate this process using the robocopy features built into Windows
robocopy "your backup drive" "d:\Myriad" /e
(Assuming d:\Myriad is the correct data location for Myriad)
This script will copy anything that is new or changed but will not removed that are on the Myriad Data Location but not on the backup.
Alternatively you can use:
robocopy "your backup drive" "D:\Myriad" /MIR
This script "mirrors" the contents of the backup drive to the data location meaning anything that is on the current data location but not on the backup drive will be deleted.
Restoring The Database Backup
You will need to ensure Myriad Playout is not running on any PC's in order to compete this process.
Run SSMS and you will be asked to connect to the SQL Server. Check the details are correct then click Connect
On the left hand 'Object Explorer' windows, right click on the Databases node and select Restore Database.
Select the Devices option and the click on '... ' button to select the backup device.
Click on the Add button.
Browse to the SQL backup file you created previously (ie Myriadv5.bak in the example above). Once you have selected the correct backup file, click on OK.
Check that the settings all look OK on the Restore Database window and click on OK.
The database will now be restored into your SQL instance. Once complete you will see a notification window.
Reset The Permissions On The Restored Database
Unfortunately there is still one more step to complete, you may need to add the 'SA' user permissions to newly restored database, especially if you are restoring onto a different computer from where the backup was originally taken.
Expand the Database Node on the on the left hand side and locate the database you have just restored. Right click and select Properties.
This will open the Database Properties windows. Click on the Files node on the left hand side.
In the Owner section type in 'sa'.
This step sets the 'system administrator' as the database owner.
Then click OK.
If you also did a backup of the Directory Database then Repeat these steps for the DirectorySql database.
Once you have done that, your databases (and data) should be restored and you will be able to run Myriad Playout on workstations around your station again.
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