Back Up the Vault

You can back up and restore the vault.

SolidWorks Explorer tip Back Up the Vault Always copy the complete vault, never make partial backups. When restoring a vault, always restore the complete vault. The vault contains SolidWorks Workgroup PDM configuration data in addition to project documents.

  • Back up the vault regularly.

  • Store the backup copy on a server different from the one where the vault resides.

  • Test the backup to be sure your procedure works correctly.

  • Stop the vault service, or lock the vault on the VaultAdmin Vault Settings tab, so clients cannot check in documents, change ownership, etc.

  • Clear the options on the VaultAdmin Vault Settings tab for validating the vault on startup, especially if the vault is large.

You can replace the current vault copy with a backup copy of the vault, if you want to revert to a previous version of the vault.

To make a backup copy of the vault:

  1. Stop the Workgroup PDM vault service.

  2. Stop the Windows Indexing service.

  3. Save a copy of the current vault, and name it VaultData_mm_dd_yy, where mm_dd_yy is the date. The default name of the current vault is named VaultData.

  4. Start the Windows Indexing service.

  5. Start the Workgroup PDM vault service.

To replace the current vault copy with a backup copy:

  1. Stop the Workgroup PDM vault service.

  2. Rename the current vault to VaultData_old.

  3. Copy the backup vault to the location of the current vault, and rename it VaultData.

  4. Start the Workgroup PDM vault service.

Back Up the Vault