Export and import Management Application configuration

You can export the current configuration of your Management Application, either as a safety measure in order to have a backup file of your configuration, or as a clone allowing you to use a similar Management Application configuration elsewhere. You can, at a later time, import previously exported Management ApplicationManagement Application configurations.

Export Management Application configuration as backup

With this option, all relevant Management Application configuration files are combined into one single .xml file, which you can specify a location for. Note that if there are unsaved changes to your configuration, these are automatically saved when you export the configuration.

In the File menu, select Export Configuration - Backup.
Browse to the location at which you want to store the exported configuration, specify a suitable file name, and click Save.

If you intend to set up an identical version of your surveillance system elsewhere, do not export your configuration as backup, since this may lead to the same device information being used twice, in which case clients may get the following error message: Application is not able to start because two (or more) cameras are using the same name or ID. Instead, export your configuration as a clone. When you export as a clone, the export takes into account the fact that you are not using the exact same physical cameras, etc. even though your new system may otherwise be identical to your existing one.

Note that there is a difference between this Management Application configuration backup and the system configuration backup done from the Milestone Surveillance folder because these are two different things. The backup described here is limited to a backup of the Management Application configuration. The type of system configuration backup done from the Milestone Surveillance folder is a backup of your entire surveillance system setup (including, among other things, log files, event configuration, restore points, view groups as well as the Management Application and XProtect Smart Client configuration).

Export Management Application configuration as clone

With this option, all relevant Management Application configuration files are collected, and GUIDs (Globally Unique IDentifiers, unique 128-bit numbers used for identifying individual system components, such as cameras) are marked for later replacement. GUIDs are marked for later replacement because they refer to specific components (cameras and so on). Even though you wish to use the cloned configuration for setting up a new similar system using similar types of cameras, the new system does not use the exact same physical cameras as the cloned system. When you use the cloned configuration later in a new system, the GUIDs are replaced with GUIDs representing the specific components of the new system.

After you have marked GUIDs for replacement, the configuration files are combined into one single .xml file, which you can then save at a location specified by you. Note that if there are unsaved changes to your configuration, they are automatically saved when you export the configuration.

In the File menu, select Export Configuration - Clone.
Browse to the location at which you want to store the exported configuration, specify a suitable file name, and click Save.

Import previously exported Management Application configuration

The same import method is used regardless of whether the Management Application configuration was exported as a backup or a clone.

In the File menu, select Import Configuration.
Browse to the location from which you want to import the configuration, select the relevant configuration file, and click Open.
Only relevant if the system into which you import the configuration contains devices (cameras, etc.) which are not present in the imported configuration: you are asked whether you want to delete or keep recordings from affected devices. If you want to keep the recordings, note that they are not accessible until you add the affected devices to the system again. Select the option you need, and click OK.
Expand Advanced Configuration > Services.
For the Recording Server and Image Server services respectively, click the Restart button. Restarting the two services applies the imported Management Application configuration.