August 2012

Hire Vehicle Plates

Installation Notesand Backup Procedures

VIPVIPVIP

Getting StartedInstallation Notes and Backup Procedures

Hire Vehicle Plates VIPVIPVIP

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Full Backup or Database Backup ‐ Which method should you choose?

This document provides you with the information required to create a Backup of the Hire Vehicle Plate Software. Two backup procedures are described in detail:‐

The first, describes how to perform a Complete Backup resulting in two compressed archives (zip files) ‐ one file containing a copy of the VIP Software and a second file containing the VIP Database tables.

You should run through the Full Backup procedure at least once. The best time would be shortly after the software has been installed and configured for use in your working environment. You should do a Full Backup every time the software is updated with new functionality or your plate designs/logos change. Keeping a copy of a Full Backup on your network drive will make the recovery process simpler if you have the software installed on multiple machines. If you do not have network access then an external hard disk, usb stick or DVD are the alternatives for the backup storage media.

The second backup procedure is the Database Backup. This backup will produce a single compressed file containing a full set of your plate database tables. The file size will be small enough to allow multiple copies to be stored at the same location ‐ a 2GB usb stick could be used to store one Full Backup and multiple Database Backups.

The second procedure is quicker to perform as it copies only the Database Files. We recommend that you perform the Database Backup at least once every month. If you are issuing a high number of plates on a daily basis then going through the Database Backup procedure at the end of each working day, this will ensure your backups are up‐to‐date.

Using these two methods allows you to restore the Software independently from the Database tables. This is required because only one backup of the Software is used to recover from a crashed PC but the Database tables may require multiple backups to recover from some table corruption scenarios.

Locate the Installation Folder of the VIP Plate Software Application.Locate the Plate Database Folder.Create a compressed archive (ZIP) file for each of the above Folders.Create a copy of the BDE Configuration File.Move all three files onto your Backup Media.

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Creating a Full (Software + Database) BackupInstallation Notes and Backup Procedures

Hire Vehicle Plates VIPVIPVIP

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The first 2 steps do not have to be performed every time you create a Backup. Space is provided at the foot of each page for you to note down the complete path of the Folder Location. You can refer to these notes when you want to perform another backup at a later date.

If you have previously completed a Full Backup and noted down the folder locations, jump to and Page 7continue reading to create a new backup of the Software or if you want to create a new backup of the Page 8Database tables only.

The Software Installation Folder Location: Page 3The Database Folder Location: Page 6

You must read through the next few pages if this is your first attempt at creating the backup files.These pages will explain how to find the two locations mentioned above.

The steps involved are:‐

The Software Installation FolderInstallation Notes and Backup Procedures

Hire Vehicle Plates VIPVIPVIP

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You need to know the location of this folder to complete a Full Backup of the VIP System.To locate the folder where the Plate Software is installed:

Look for the yellow VIP icon on your desktop, you use this icon to launch the Plate Software.

Click the right‐hand mouse button with the mouse pointer hovering over the icon.‐ A Menu will appear.

Click on the Properties item at the bottom of the menu.‐ A Properties Dialog will appear.

Click the ‘Find Target...’ button.‐ An Explorer Window will appear showing the contents of the Installation Folder.

Software Installation Folder:

Example: C:\Program Files\VIP‐System\Plate Module

Write down the full path to this Folder in the space below. The path should exactly match what is displayed in the Address Bar at the top of the window.

Installation Notes and Backup ProceduresHire Vehicle Plates VIPVIPVIP

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Plate Database Alias:

Example: VIP_Plates2010

Launch the Windows Notepad accessory.(Click Start ‐> All Programs ‐> Accessories ‐> Notepad.)

Select Open... from the File menu.‐ The Open File dialog will appear.

Navigate to the Software Installation Folder.(Type or paste the full path into the Filename edit boxand press Enter to jump directly to the Installation Folder.)

Type *.ini into the Filename edit box and press Enter.

Select the VIPhvo.ini file and click the Open button.(If the VIPhvo.ini file is not listed then the Database Aliaswill be VIP_VEHICLE_DATABASE.)

Look down the listing and locate the [NETWORK] Section.

The Database Alias is the value assigned to the dbAlias entry.(Use VIP_VEHICLE_DATABASE If the [network] section or dbAlias entry does not exist.)

Write down the Alias name in the space provided below for future reference.

Follow these steps to discover the name assigned to your Plate Database Alias:

The VIP software uses a Database Alias to store the location of the Database Folder.

The Database Alias

The DBalias value under the [NETWORK] Section in the VIPhvo.INI file contains the Alias Name to locate in the BDE Administrator.

Installation Notes and Backup ProceduresHire Vehicle Plates VIPVIPVIP

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The BDE Administrator

Use the BDE Administrator to check the folder location assigned to your Plate Database Alias.This utility can be found in the Windows Control Panel, ensure the classic/icon view style is selected.

The Folder Location associated with the selected Database Alias.

The Database Alias.

Click the Databases Tab to view the list of existing Aliases.

Location and Filename of the BDE Configuration File.

Launch the Administrator using this icon found in Windows Control Panel.

In this screenshot, I have selected the VIP_Plates2012

Database Alias. The main window contains the database

definition for the Alias, which includes the path to the

Database Folder. Click once anywhere on the text to highlight the full path. Press Ctrl+C to copy the selected text.You can now paste this text into Explorer’s Address bar to quickly open the Database Folder.

Plate Database Folder Location:

Example: W:\SharedFolders\Licensing\VIP\Databases\Plates

Creating a Backup of the SoftwareInstallation Notes and Backup Procedures

Hire Vehicle Plates VIPVIPVIP

Page 6

You will use a compressed archive (zip) file to store a copy of the files located in the Software Installation Folder and a second archive file to store a copy of the current Database Tables.

To Create a new Backup File of the Software:

You should now Copy the PlateSoftware.Zip file onto your Backup Media to complete the backup process. See page 9 for more information about your Backup Media options.

= Windows Key (located next to the Ctrl Key)

Press +E to Open My Computer.

Click the Folders button on the top toolbar to view the Folder Tree List.

Navigate to and Select the Software Installation Folder.( describes the correct Folder location.)Page 3

Click once on any file listed in the right‐hand window.

Press Ctrl+A to select All the Files.

Right‐click on any one of the highlighted files. (referred to as FileA below.)

Select the Send To option.

Select the Compressed (zipped) Folder option.(The selected files will now be copied into a New Archive and giventhe same Filename as the file you last selected ‐ FileA above.)

Click once on the New Archive File (FileA) to select it.

Press F2 and Type PlateSoftware to give the New Archive it’s proper Filename.

Move or Drag the PlateSoftware file onto your desktop for easy access.

Creating a Backup of the DatabaseInstallation Notes and Backup Procedures

Hire Vehicle Plates VIPVIPVIP

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Creating a Backup copy of the Plate Database files should be performed at least once once every month. If the database tables become corrupted your only recourse is to restore the Database from this file.

To Create a compressed Archive File of the Database:

You should now Copy the PlateDatabase.Zip file onto your Backup Media to complete the backup process. See page 9 for more information about your Backup Media options.

= Windows Key (located next to the Ctrl Key)

Press +E or double‐click the desktop icon to Open My Computer.

Click the Folders button on the top toolbar to view the Folder Tree List.

Navigate to and Select the Plate Database Folder using the left folders list.( describes the correct Folder location.)Page 6

Click once on any file listed in the right‐hand window.

Press Ctrl+A to select All the Files.

Right‐click on any one of the highlighted files. (referred to as FileA below)

Select the Send To option.

Select the Compressed (zipped) Folder option.(The selected files will now be copied into a New Archive and given the same Filename as the file you last selected ‐ FileA above ‐ look for the file at the bottom of the list.)

Click once on the New Archive File (FileA) to select it.

Press F2 and Type PlateDatabase to give the New Archive it’s proper Filename.

Move or Drag the PlateDatabase file onto your desktop for easy access.

Creating a Copy of the BDE Configuration FileInstallation Notes and Backup Procedures

Hire Vehicle Plates VIPVIPVIP

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This is an important file as it holds the proper definitions, file locations and data formats of all the Database tables used throughout the VIP Software.

Only one backup copy of this file is required. Create a fresh backup after reallocating the Database Folder or any of the configuration settings are modified.

To Create a Copy of the BDE Configuration File:

Press +E or double‐click the desktop icon to Open My Computer.

Open the Folder containing the BDE Configuration File.(Referring back to the screenshot of the BDE on ‐ The Folder Location and Filename are Page 6highlighted on the Title Bar.)

‐ The Folder Location and Filename are highlighted on the Title Bar.)

Select the .CFG file (IDAPI32.CFG in our example.)

Press Ctrl+C, copying the file into memory.

Open the Folder on your Backup Media that contains your backup files.

Press Ctrl+V to paste a copy of the configuration file onto your Backup Media.

Backup Media OptionsInstallation Notes and Backup Procedures

Hire Vehicle Plates VIPVIPVIP

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File Management

The computer will prompt you to overwrite the existing file when you copy the compressed archive files onto the backup media the second time around. Choosing to overwrite the file will replace the older backup with the more current file. By always choosing to overwrite the existing files, the backup media will only ever contain the latest copies of PlateSoftware.zip and PlateDatabase.zip.

To maintain multiple backups of the Database, one backup file for every month of the year, you need to rename the existing backup file before moving the newly created file onto the backup media.

Note:An alternative method would be to Rename the backup file before moving it onto your Backup Media.

To Rename an Existing Backup File:

USB Memory Stick (2GB recommended) DVD ROM

Local Attached Storage (External Drive) Shared Network Location

You can use the following media types to store the Backup Files:‐

Press +E or double‐click the desktop icon to Open My Computer.

Locate the Folder containing the previous Backup files on your Backup Drive.

Select the PlateDatabase zip file.

Press F2 to start Renaming the file.

Type the New Filename and press Enter.(Example Filenames: JAN_PlateDatabase or JanuaryPlatesDatabase or dbPlatesInJan)