This article outlines the basic steps to move or migrate your PDM vault, including the Archive Server, Database Server, SQL Server, and SNL License Server.
Occasionally, moving SOLIDWORKS PDM to a new server or servers with a name change may be required due to various factors. If you want minimal impact on your environment and ensure a fully operational vault at the end of the process, this article will guide you through the process.
This article does not address every scenario or configuration of PDM. Nevertheless, it is based on common server configurations found in the Admin Guide. Therefore, before relocating any SOLIDWORKS PDM components, please contact us if you have any questions after reading this article.
Before beginning your relocation project, ensure you have access to all necessary items and follow this guide through to completion. Delays or even lost data can result from missing steps or not having the necessary passwords or Windows permissions.
A server move comprises the following steps:
- Obtaining backups of all data
- Installing the software
- Moving the Database
- Moving the Archive Files & Settings
- Moving the SolidNetwork License Manager
- Pointing the clients to the new server
A few additional notes on potential configurations are provided at the end of this article.
Before You Start
To assist in making the move successful and efficient, there are a few tasks you should do before moving any components of your SOLIDWORKS PDM server:
- Create a backup of the three major components (refer to our backup guide here) and place them on the new server (or store them on a network or physical drive accessible by the new server).
- PDM File Vault(s) and “ConisioMasterDb” databases via SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS)
- The 16 Archive Folders on the Archive server (Hexadecimal 0 through f formatting)
- The Archive Server Settings (via the Archive Server Configuration tool)
- Verify that the new server satisfies the minimum requirements for SOLIDWORKS PDM to ensure your vault is hosted in a fully supported hardware & software environment.
- Obtain the necessary software download.
- Note: If you are doing an upgrade and a move, install the newer version of PDM on the new server and proceed as usual. Remember that the database upgrade tool must be run after the database has been restored as part of the upgrade process.
- Ensure all clients have checked in all files and logged out of SOLIDWORKS PDM. Also, remember to “block logins” from the PDM Admin tool.
Installing Software
Note: If there is no one within the company who can perform the installation steps listed below or is unsure. CADimensions offers a range of services to assist with the installation for you.
Install SQL Server Software
For steps on how to install and configure specific versions of SQL to use with PDM, refer to the Installation Guide for PDM via the links below:
For PDM Professional: Installing and Configuring SQL Server
For PDM Standard: Installing and Configuring SQL Express
Note: When installing SQL Express as a "Named" instance, note the instance name during installation. If it is not noted during installation, it can be obtained by logging into SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) and navigating to the top of the Object Explorer. The named instance will be formatted as "server\instance". SOLIDWORKS PDM uses this entire value to identify your database server during the installation.
Restart the machine and then install SSMS.
You can find the installation media directly on Microsoft's website here.
Install the PDM Server Component(s)
From the SOLIDWORKS download folder, run setup.exe (ensure you have administrative permissions on the machine, as this is required to complete the installation).
Note: If a message about a pending reboot is displayed, then click OK to bypass it.
Select “Install server components” from the “Welcome” screen.
Select the SOLIDWORKS PDM Server option.
Check the box for SolidNetWork License Manager (SNL) if moving that also.
Note: SNL installation will require serial numbers. Ensure availability before continuing the installation. Additional steps for this move will be outlined later in this article.
Click Next.
On the Summary page. Click Change in the SOLIDWORKS PDM Server section.
On the SOLIDWORKS PDM Server options page, you’ll want to select different options according to your needs:
Select Server Product: Ensure you choose SOLIDWORKS PDM Standard or SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional, depending on your current setup. If you are unsure, you can always select Professional, as a Professional installation can support Standard vaults.
Installation Location: If not set automatically, the default location is C:\Program Files\SOLIDWORKS Corp\SOLIDWORKS PDM
Select Features: When moving all PDM server components to this new machine, select Archive Server, Database Server, and Client. If only moving the Database, select only the Database Server and Client.
If a Web2 or Web API server is in use, ensure that you select it as well. Note: Before installing either Web2 or Web API, or both, ensure that IIS is installed on the server.
Note: It is recommended to install the client on all machines hosting server components for troubleshooting purposes.
SQL Server | Name Field: Enter the SQL server name (include the instance name if applicable) and enter the SQL Account (default is “sa”) credentials set up during the installation of the SQL server.
Do not use “localhost”. Always enter the exact server name, server/instance, or IP address (if configured PDM as such).
When finished, click “Back to Summary”. Note: If the SQL account information is not correct, it will show an error and allow it to be corrected.
Once you’ve configured the installation, check the box to accept the terms of service and click either “Download and Install” or “Install Now”.
When the installation is complete, click Finish and reboot the computer.
Restoring Data
Restore the Database Backups
Open and log in to Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio. Ensure to log in with an account that has the correct permissions to restore databases.
Right-click Databases from Object Explorer and select Restore Database…
In the Restore Database window, select the Device as the source. Then click the … button to the right.
On the Select backup devices screen, click Add and select one of the .bak database backup files created previously.
When finished, click OK and head back to the Restore Database screen.
Go to the Options tab from the left menu.
Check the Overwrite the existing database (WITH REPLACE) box.
Click OK to start the restoration.
Once complete, a message indicating that the restore was successful will appear.
Repeat for all other databases, ensuring that there is one for the ConisioMasterDb and one for each vault.
Restore the Archive Folders
Copy the 16 archive folders (0-f) to the new server. Attempt to maintain the exact same file path between the older server and the new.
If not, instructions for updating the archive folder paths in the registry can be found in the 'Update the Registry' section.
Restore the Archive Settings
Open the Archive Server Configuration tool on the new server.
If you attempt to access the tool and it fails to open, try looking in the system tray for the Blueberry and Manila folder icon 
. It may already be running in the background.
Go to Tools | Backup Settings…
Click Load Backup… and select the .dat file you created when backing up the archive settings on the original server. Then, click OK once you are back on the Backup Settings dialog.
Update the Database
Log in to the database server (if different from the Archive Server) and open SSMS.
Connect to your vault’s SQL instance using the SA credentials.
From Object Explorer, expand Databases > Your Vault Database > Tables.
Find dbo.ArchiveServers and right-click > Edit Top 200 Rows.
Find the old archive server name under the “ArchiveServerName” column, click into it, and edit the field to reflect the new server’s name. Press Enter to commit the changes.
Locate the dbo.SystemInfo table, right-click > Edit Top 200 Rows, and update the ArchiveServerName field to reflect the new server.
When editing is complete, the PDM Archive and Database services must be restarted.
You can do so by searching for Services from the Windows Start menu.
Locate SOLIDWORKS PDM Archive Server & SOLIDWORKS PDM Database Server (each may be on separate machines, depending on how the server components were installed).
Select each one and click Restart. Services can be restarted in any order; however, we typically restart the database first, followed by the archive.
Update the Registry
Now that the database component updates have been completed, the registry values for both the archive and database will have to be updated.
Open the Windows Registry Editor by searching “regedit” in the Windows Start menu.
On the Database server:
Navigate to the following key: Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\SolidWorks\Applications\PDMWorks Enterprise\MailService
Update the Server value by double-clicking it and entering the SQL server name (and instance name, if applicable).
On the Archive server:
You’ll need to log into the archive server and update the following registry values under the following key format for each vault that has been moved:
Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\SolidWorks\Applications\PDMWorks Enterprise\ArchiveServer\Vaults\”Vault Name”
Server: This should match the SQL server name and instance name.
SQLDbName: This should match the name of the restored vault database from SSMS under Databases in Object Explorer. (Do not change DbName, only SQLDbName).
If the same path was not maintained from the original server to the new one, navigate to the following key(s):
Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\SolidWorks\Applications\PDMWorks Enterprise\ArchiveServer\Vaults\”Vault Name”\ArchiveTable
Update each of the ArchiveTable(0-f) values to reflect the path of the corresponding archive folder.
For example, ArchiveTable0 would need to have the full path (including drive letter) to the corresponding 0 folder, like so: C:\Program Files\SOLIDWORKS Corp\SOLIDWORKS PDM\Data\Vault Name\0
When finished, restart the PDM Archive and Database services on all machines where registry changes were made.
Moving the License Server
The license manager can be installed separately or during the installation of the PDM Component. PDM utilizes network licensing and requires only a single change to point to a new license server at the server level; no client-level changes are necessary. SOLIDWORKS SNL requires a bit more configuration. To ensure the SOLIDWORKS clients are updated correctly, follow the steps in this guide.
Once you’ve installed the SNL server on a new machine, follow these steps to upgrade the PDM setting that points to the license server.
- Open the PDM Administration tool, log into a vault, expand the License node and then double-click the Server List
- On the License Server List dialog, click Add
- Enter the new server’s name formatted with the port number, 25734@servername
- Click OK.
- Highlight the old server and click Remove. When asked if you’re sure, click Yes.
Pointing Clients to the New Server
If the Database Server was moved:
On each client machine, open the Registry Editor and update the DbServer value to show the new database server name (and instance if needed) under the following keys:
For Shared Vault Views:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\SOLIDWORKS\Applications\PDMWorks Enterprise\Databases\”Vault Name”
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\SOLIDWORKS\Applications\PDMWorks Enterprise\Databases\”Vault Name”
For Private Vault Views:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\SolidWorks\Applications\PDMWorks Enterprise\Vaults\”Vault Name”
If the Archive Server was moved:
On each client machine, open the Registry Editor and update the ServerLoc value to reflect the new archive server’s name (and instance if needed) under the following keys:
For Shared Vault Views:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\SOLIDWORKS\Applications\PDMWorks Enterprise\Databases\”Vault Name”
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\SOLIDWORKS\Applications\PDMWorks Enterprise\Databases\”Vault Name”
For Private Vault Views:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\SolidWorks\Applications\PDMWorks Enterprise\Vaults\”Vault Name”
Delete the following key on all clients:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\SOLIDWORKS\Applications\PDMWorks Enterprise\ConisioAdmin
Note: Reboot client machines after making registry changes.
Extra Configuration
Upgrades
Installing the updated version of SOLIDWORKS PDM on the new server immediately is possible if you're upgrading while migrating your server components. Once all the server configuration procedures have been completed, use the database upgrade tool on the server to execute the upgrade before updating the clients.
Find the “SWPDMServer\Upgrades\ “folder within the installation media you downloaded to the new server.
Run the Upgrade.exe application found there.
Enter your SQL server name (including instance if needed) and click Next. You will be prompted to enter your SQL server credentials.
Check the box next to the vaults you want to upgrade, and then continue through the prompts until the upgrade is completed.
Archive Replication
If your PDM implementation utilizes replication, please contact us for additional information and help as updating this portion of PDM is extremely complicated.
Content Search
If you utilize content search, it will need to be set it up again on the new archive server. You can find the instructions for doing so under the Configuring Content Search section of the Installation Guide on page 112.
Final Thoughts!
Your company's intellectual property is kept in your vault, which is essential for daily operations. This post covers only the simplest, most straightforward transfer, as moving a PDM server can prove challenging. Since each environment is unique, there can be factors that must be taken into consideration for a transfer to be effective. We strongly advise you to contact our team to inquire about having the migration completed as a paid project by the Services team at CADimensions if you are unsure about any of the steps in this tutorial.