30.1.2 The Process

The backup script must be run on the primary Administration Console. It creates a ZIP file that contains all certificates that various devices use and an encrypted LDIF file that contains configuration parameters for all imported devices. You do not need to back up the configuration of individual devices. By backing up the primary Administration Console, you back up the configuration of all Access Manager devices.

The backup script backs up objects in the ou=accessManagerContainer.o=novell container. It does not back up the following:

  • Admin user account and password

  • Delegated administrator accounts, their passwords, or rights

  • Policy View user accounts, their passwords, or rights

  • Role Based Services (RBS) configuration

  • Modified configuration files on the devices such as the web.xml file

  • Local files installed on devices such as log files

  • Custom login pages, custom error pages, or custom messages

You need to perform you own backup of custom or modified configuration files. For more information, see Backing Up the Access Manager Configuration.

You need to restore a backup when Administration Console fails. If another device fails, replace hardware, reinstall the appliance using the IP address of the failed appliance, and the device imports into Administration Console and acquires the configuration of the failed appliance.

If Administration Console fails, you need to restore the configurations you backed up. Replace hardware and reinstall Administration Console by using the DNS name and IP address of the failed console. Then use the restore utility to restore the certificates and the device configuration. Administration Console notifies all devices that it is online and they resume communicating with it rather than using a secondary console.