This article discusses options for upgrading and disk space requirements.
You may choose to move to PM8 without running a test version first, or you may choose to test PM8 while still operating on PM7.
If you run a test PM8, then at time of cutting over from PM7 to PM8, your most recent PM7 data needs to be converted to PM8. After going live with PM8, you must shut down PM7 to ensure that it is not used by mistake (If you do use PM7 by mistake then you will have a mix of customer data between the two versions and the inevitable outcome is loss of information).
There are no shared components between version 8 and previous versions, so for testing purposes you can run both versions on the same computer(s) and test version 8 while continuing to operate on version 7.
Note: This document covers server installation only. The workstation installation uses the same setup (PM8Setup.exe) and is elementary.
If you are running a single user license and your computer holds the database, then it is considered the “server” and this section applies to you.
Ensure that the PM8 server meets the minimum requirements, and preferably the recommended minimum requirements.
Of special note is disk space, so calculate this carefully.
Warning: If you run out of space while using PM8, it will cease to operate.
PM8 databases are much larger than those on PM7. This is because of additional storage capacity for various pieces of data, and because the data is Unicode instead of Ascii. The exact ratio between the PM7 databases and PM8 databases depends on the type of data stored, so this guide is approximate only.
Generally, PM7 will consist of 2 databases (PM7.fdb and PM7DocStor.fdb). Likewise, PM8 has 2 databases (PM8.fdb and PM8DocStor.fdb)
Generally, PM8.fdb is 2 times the size of PM7.fdb, and PM8DocStor.fdb is 1.5 times the size of PM7DocStor.fdb
Requirement = (Size(PM7.fdb) x 2) + (Size(PM7DocStor.fdb) x 1.5)
Normally PM8 is configured to store 14 days of backups. The backup size of PM8.fdb is about 1/3 of the size of the database. The backup size of PM8DocStor.fdb is about the same size.
Requirement = (Size(PM8.fdb) x 0.33 x 14) + (Size(PM8DocStor.fdb) x 1 x 14)
And above all else, you must allow additional disk space for:
(a) Database growth because you are continually adding data. And when the database grows, so do the backups.
(b) Additional space is required during the database upgrade, as the PM7 databases are first copied to temporary files before the upgrade process reads the data from them. This is to ensure no modifications to the original PM7 data.
(c) Backups older than 14 days are removed after the 15th backup is written, so in fact there needs to be space for 15 days of backups.
Based on the guide above, the space for PM8 databases can be estimated as:
Requirement = (Size(PM7.fdb) x 2) + (Size(PM7DocStor.fdb) x 1.5) + (Size(PM7.fdb) x 2 x 0.33 x 15) + (Size(PM7DocStor.fdb) x 1.5 x 1 x 15) + growth
Example
PM7 = 1 GB, PM7DocStor = 0.5 GB
Example requirement = (1 GB x 2) + (0.5 GB x 1.5) + (1 GB x 2 x 0.33 x 15) + (0.5 GB x 1.5 x 1 x 15) = 24 GB minimum.
The upgrade process will take some considerable time to run. The time required depends mostly on the size of your databases and the speed of your disk. As a guide, a 1GB PM7.fdb database being upgraded on a good computer with workstation grade SSD storage takes about 2 hours.
The upgrade process can read a PM7 database, or a backup (.fbk file). If you are installing PM8 for a test run, it is good enough to grab yesterday’s PM7 backup files (If you have them zipped, unzip them first) – it does not matter for a test if the data being upgraded is 1 day old. If you are installing PM8 to cut over from PM7, you should select your PM7 databases (PM7.fdb and PM7DocStor.fdb) for the upgrade process.
If you are upgrading from the PM7.fdb and PM7DocStor.fdb files, you must stop the PM7 database server process (Firebird 1.5). This is important so that the files can be accessed exclusively by the upgrade process and so there can be no more changes to the PM7 data.
To do this, first ensure that PM7 is not in use. Then open your windows services, locate the services “Firebird Guardian – DefaultInstance” and “Firebird Server – DefaultInstance”. Stop both services and change their Startup Type to “Disabled”. Don’t stop the “Firebird Srrver - PM8” by mistake.
Run PM8Setup.exe
Choose the Setup Type to be “Standalone OR Server” as this is the server install.
Choose “Upgrade installation”
Now, this is the important part. The default database location is:
C:\ProgramData\WH Software\PM8\Database
If that location has the required disk space and is where you want the database, then all is good, carry on, otherwise you will need to take some steps to reconfigure the location.
If you want a different location for the database, there are a few things to do. (Or call for tech support and we will help).
(a) When the ProMaster Master Keying 8 Database Creator starts running from the setup, click cancel. This will allow the setup to continue running, but the database will not be created and PM7 will not be upgraded.
(b) Edit the file C:\Program Files (x86)\WH Software\PM8\FB3\databases.conf
To edit this file, you need to open notepad as administrator (I.e. with elevated permissions) then from notepad open the databases.conf file.
Don’t mess with anything in this file!
At the bottom there will be 2 lines that look like this:
PM8=C:\ProgramData\WH Software\PM8\Database\PM8.fdb
PM8DocStor=C:\ProgramData\WH Software\PM8\Database\PM8DocStor.fdb
To change the location, say to D:\PM8Data, edit the file accordingly, for example:
PM8=D:\PM8Data\PM8.fdb
PM8DocStor= D:\PM8Data\PM8DocStor.fdb
Then save the file and close notepad.
(c) Now run the database creator manually.
The program to run is:
C:\Program Files (x86)\WH Software\PM8\Bin\PM8DBCfg.exe
Step through this, selecting options including the PM7 database files.
(a) Run PM8, and log in as admin. You will know the password, you choose it in the database creator process.
(b) Paste in your registration key.
(c) If you choose the option to create a security group for each user, edit those security groups to add any new permissions to users who need them.
(d) If you choose to not create security groups, then there is only one security group called “All” created. If you want to use the group “All” then edit each user and set this as the security group. Be aware this security group can do anything. Really not a good idea to use it. Better to create appropriate security groups based on staff functions and assign the security groups to appropriate users. See “Users and Security groups” in the help file.
(e) Log out.
(f) Log in as a normal user (not admin) and perform the product activation.
(g) Visit ALL your key sections and keyways and for each one, in each design module, open it, fix anything that is missing and save it. Largely the upgrade process does what it can to make the data right but there is some old data that users have not entered correctly and if you have any such data you must fix it. See “Key sections and keyways” in the help file.
(h) Check your system types and add any missing information. See “System types” in the help file.
(i) Read the log file that was created by the upgrade and fix the errors that it has found in your data (e.g. Key colours, locks, signatories).
The location of the log file is:
C:\Users\<WindowsUserName>\AppData\Local\WH Software\PM8\Log\PM8DBCfg.log
If this is a test run, you may elect to fix some of the data issues identified in the log file in PM7, that way when you do your cut over the data is already fixed.
Having finished the server installation, go ahead and do your workstation installations.
In the case that you have installed PM8 and used it in a testing scenario with PM7 still being used, here is what you need to do to go live.
(a) Stop using PM8.
(b) Locate the PM8 databases and delete them (PM8.fdb and PM8DocStor.fdb). Don’t delete the wrong files.
Think twice, delete once.
(c) Stop using PM7 and stop the PM7 database engine (See step 2 above)
(d) Run the database creator.
C:\Program Files (x86)\WH Software\PM8\Bin\PM8DBCfg.exe
Answer the questions in the database creator, and make sure you select your PM7.fdb and PM7DocStor.fdb files.
(e) Follow the instructions in step 4 above.