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Move MagicINFO Server to a new computer

Moving MagicINFO is a database restore, a file copy and a license transfer. The database alone is not enough: content lives in files, and the license is bound to the computer. Do the move inside a planned window, with a verified backup in hand before you touch the license.

Before you start​

  • Same build. Install the same MagicINFO build on the new computer that the old one runs. Check the old build with http://<old server>:7001/MagicInfo/openapi/auth?cmd=isMagicInfo (a result such as 211070.0). Do not upgrade and move in one step.
  • License. Licenses are bound to the computer's hardware key (the H/W Unique Key), so a license must be returned on the old server before it is activated on the new one. The manual warns that returning a license deletes the information on connected devices and you can no longer use that server (Manage Licenses). Finish and verify the backup first, and pick a quiet hour. Trial licenses cannot be returned. If you need cover during the gap, ask your supplier whether a temporary license can bridge it.
  • Addresses. Decide whether the new computer takes over the old IP or name. If the address changes, you will also need Change the IP address of your MagicINFO server.
  • Write down the database role and its password, and the PostgreSQL administrator password; you need them on the new machine.

Steps​

  1. On the new computer, install the same build (How to Install MagicINFO Server), then stop the MagicInfoPremium service so nothing writes while you restore.
  2. On the old server, stop the MagicInfoPremium service so database and files match exactly. Then collect:
    • a database dump (steps in Back up and restore MagicINFO Server);
    • the whole C:\MagicInfo Premium\runtime\ folder, including contents_home, upload, keystore and the separate content_thumbnail folder;
    • C:\MagicInfo Premium\conf\config.properties;
    • C:\MagicInfo Premium\tomcat\conf\server.xml;
    • any certificate or keystore files you installed yourself, and a short list of local changes you made (ports, redirects, trust-store imports).
  3. Return the license on the old server. Returning needs the web console, so start the old service again and wait for it, then go to Setting > License Management, select the license, click Return License, and choose online or offline as the window offers. Confirm the return went through before moving on. Your backup from step 2 was taken before the return, so it still holds the device information.
  4. Restore on the new computer. Create the database owned by the MagicINFO role and restore the dump as that role, then copy runtime\ back. Compare the old config.properties and server.xml with the new install's files and carry your values across rather than overwriting blindly: the database address, keystore path and ports must suit the new machine.
  5. If the new computer has a different IP or name, change the server-address keys as the companion article describes. The two database URLs (wsrm.url and the scheduler data source) must point at the restored database.
  6. Start the service and wait several minutes (5 to 7 on a 21.1070 install).
  7. Activate the license on the new server (Activate a MagicINFO Server License). It binds to the new computer's hardware key. Sign out and in again to apply it. Reported on earlier builds: because the restored database came from the old server, the new server can still list the old activation; return that entry with the offline (Disconnected) method first, then activate. Your supplier can help if it will not clear.
warning

Never leave two servers answering the same screens from copies of one database. After the license step the old server is meant to be out of service; keep it switched off from screens' point of view until the new one is confirmed.

Moving the screens​

Screens keep the server address they were given, so the cut-over depends on what that is.

  • A DNS name: point the record at the new computer. With a 120-second TTL, Tizen displays still polled the old address for about 6 minutes in our own moves, and screens that were asleep or off moved only when they woke. A power cycle clears a display's cached address. Lower the TTL well in advance.
  • A raw IP: each screen must be repointed (Connect a Device to MagicINFO Server), or the new computer must take over the old IP.
  • A screen is gone from both servers right after the switch: look for a firewall on that screen's network that only allows the old server's IP. It resets connections to the new address, and nothing on the server fixes it; the site's network team has to allow the new address.

How to confirm it worked​

  1. isMagicInfo on the new server shows the same build as before.
  2. You can sign in, and License Management shows the active license.
  3. Content pages show thumbnails. Blank previews mean content_thumbnail did not come across, because thumbnails are a separate folder from content.
  4. In the device list, every screen has been seen arriving on the new server. Retire the old server only after that, never after a fixed time; stragglers appear long after the DNS lag.

Checked against MagicINFO Server 21.1070 on Windows, October 2026.

Prefer not to run the server yourself? MiCloud hosts MagicINFO for you.

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