Introduction

It is imperative that Star Team is regularly backed up in the event of failure.  Disaster recovery should be completed periodically to ensure integrity of procedure.  This guide will outline the information required for backup and the procedure to follow for recovering.

What to backup

When performing a backup of StarTeam you need to include the following:

• starteam-server-configs.xml file. This file contains the server configurations. It is located in the folder in which you installed the Server.

• The database files. Each server configuration has one database (or, in the case of Oracle, one schema user).

• The Attachments folder and its subfolders. These folders contain the files attached to change requests, tasks, topics, and so on.

• The HiveIndex folder.

• The Archive folder for each hive. Note that you do not need to backup the Cache folder for each hive.

** All of these files should be backed up simultaneously **

Online backup

StarTeam uses Native-II vaults, this means that backups can be completed while StarTeam is online and in use, there is no Server locking required.  The online backup procedure needs to be followed in a particular order to exploit Native-II characteristics.

1) Back up the database using the online backup procedure for the database.

2) When the database backup is complete, online back up the attachment folder and the Archives folders for each hive.

3) Back up the HiveIndex folder for your repository.

4) Backup starteam-server-configs.xml.

Note:  The vault should not be backed up until after the database backup completes. The two backups should not be done simultaneously. In this way, you guarantee that everything referenced in the database appears in the vault in correct data location.

Restoring StarTeam

To restore a StarTeam Server configuration from a backup follow the below guidelines:

1) Restore database.
Create DSN if necessary to restored database.  From StarTeam 12.0 onwards there is no DSN requirement.

2)Restore repository
If you are changing machines pathways may change.  For example, it may be necessary to change your Hive-Index.xml to point at D:\ instead of C:\.

3) Restore the starteam-server-configs.xml file.
This file needs to be stored in your StarTeam Server installation directory.

4) Start the server configuration.
Verify that the database connection information is successful through configuration properties.
The StarTeam Server build installed must match that of the database.  If the build does not match the database must be upgraded (where appropriate).

5) Test the server configuration.
You can test the server configuration by performing all of your regular operations, such as checking-out, checking-in etc...

Conclusion

StarTeam Support recommends that each customer creates a Disaster Recovery plan in consultation with their in-house IT Department.  This plan should be completed periodically to ensure the correct backup procedure is taking place.

Further information on StarTeam backup procedures can be found in ST_Server_Help_en.pdf, which is installed alongside StarTeam Server installation.