I have an installation of PRTG that I want to migrate to a different system or server.
What do I have to do and how can I keep my data files and settings?
I have an installation of PRTG that I want to migrate to a different system or server.
What do I have to do and how can I keep my data files and settings?
This article applies as of PRTG 20
This part of the article is meant as a shorter overview of how to migrate PRTG from an old server to a new server. The server can be a virtual machine or a physical machine. You can follow the steps
Find the how-to guide on our website: How to move a PRTG installation to a different computer in 9 steps
These parts of the article give an in-depth explanation of how to move a PRTG installation to a different system or server. The instructions are valid for a standalone PRTG installation, or for the master node when you run PRTG in a cluster.
Find the article here: Preparation of the migration
Find the article section here: Step-by-step migration
Find the article section here: After the migration
Find the article section here: Migration of custom files
Created on Jun 23, 2020 11:04:50 AM by
Maike Guba [Paessler Support]
Last change on Aug 4, 2020 5:21:22 AM by
Maike Guba [Paessler Support]
Before you can start with the migration of your PRTG installation, you should make the following preparations:
To successfully move a PRTG installation, make sure that you install the same PRTG version on the source and the target system.
You might need to update the source system to the latest PRTG version before you can proceed.
If you want to migrate PRTG from a 32-bit Windows to a different 32-bit Windows, or from a 64-bit Windows to a different 64-bit Windows, you can proceed without modifying the Windows registry.
If you want to migrate PRTG from a 32-bit Windows to a 64-bit Windows, or the other way around, you have to do the following:
On the new system, make sure that you use the same account for the PRTG core server service and the PRTG probe service as on the previous system. If you used custom credentials, you need to take the following steps:
Note: By default, the PRTG core server service and the PRTG probe service run under the Local System account. This can cause problems with some script sensors because in some cases, the Local System account does not have access to the network or other computers. We recommend that you use an account with the required permissions.
If you run PRTG in a cluster, the instructions for migration apply to a PRTG core server system that is your master node.
If you plan to move a failover node to a different system, you can follow the migration steps as well. However, if you can afford to lose your failover node's data, we recommend that you install a completely new failover node and join it to the cluster. The new failover node then automatically receives the monitoring configuration from the primary master node.
Take the following steps beforehand:
Find the other article sections here:
Created on Jun 23, 2020 1:40:58 PM by
Maike Guba [Paessler Support]
Last change on Aug 4, 2020 6:26:40 AM by
Maike Guba [Paessler Support]
Here you can find a detailed, in-depth migration guide about how to move a PRTG installation from a source system to a new target system. See the following steps:
Note: The option to manually deactivate the license on a PRTG core server via the PRTG web interface is available as of PRTG 16.4.28. To migrate previous PRTG versions, start with step 1b.
Before you start to migrate your PRTG installation to a different system, deactivate your PRTG license on the source system. This ensures that you can seamlessly activate your license on the target system. PRTG still runs as a licensed edition on your source system for a 30-day grace period so that you have enough time to complete the migration. For more information, see the PRTG Manual: PRTG Status—Licensing Status and Settings.
During the installation of PRTG on the target system, you need to enter the license name and the license key. For more information, see the PRTG Manual: Install a PRTG Core Server.
You can always check the license status of your PRTG installation under Setup | License in the PRTG web interface.
Note: As of PRTG 16.4.28, you need to deactivate the license on your source system (see step 1a) before you can install PRTG on your target system. In previous PRTG versions, the license on the target system runs as a Freeware Edition as long as the old PRTG installation is active.
Note: In PRTG versions previous to PRTG 16.4.28, you have to use the PRTG Server Administrator and the PRTG Probe Administrator programs to stop the services.
To find the PRTG data directory, take the following steps:
Overwrite the data files in the PRTG data directory on the target system.
Note: Consider copying the \Monitoring Database folder before you start the entire migration because depending on the number of sensors, this folder can be quite large and so the copy process can take some time.
The following folders are not necessarily required for the migration:
If you used custom files, you also need to copy these files to the PRTG program directory of the target system. For more information on where you can find the folders that you need to move, see article section 4. Migration of custom files.
Important: Make sure that you have a proper system backup before you manipulate the Windows registry. |
Note: If you migrate PRTG from a 32-bit Windows to a 64-bit Windows, the following instructions do not work. See step 7a in this case.
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Paessler\PRTG Network Monitor
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Paessler\PRTG Network Monitor
Note: The target system uses the same IP address as the source system. Make sure that the target system actually owns the old IP addresses, and shut down the source system. If you need to change the IP address during migration so that the target system owns a different IP address, see article section 3. After the migration.
Important: Make sure that you have a proper system backup before manipulating the Windows registry. |
Note: If you migrate PRTG from a 32-bit to a 64-bit Windows, the following instructions do not work. See step 7a in this case.
If you move your PRTG installation from a 32-bit Windows to a 64-bit Windows, the registry export and import as described in step 6 and step 7 do not work. You have to manually copy the PRTG settings:
The following steps are only necessary if you use remote probes.
Note: This step is necessary because the import of registry settings does not always work flawlessly, depending on the used Windows version.
This step is only necessary if you use remote probes and if the IP address of the PRTG core server changes during the migration.
Note: In PRTG versions previous to PRTG 16.4.28, you have to use the PRTG Server Administrator and the PRTG Probe Administrator programs to start the services.
Log in to the PRTG web interface of your new PRTG installation and check if the migration was successful.
We recommend that you always keep your systems up to date.
Find the other article sections here:
Created on Jun 23, 2020 1:44:16 PM by
Maike Guba [Paessler Support]
Last change on Aug 4, 2020 1:32:09 PM by
Brandy Greger [Paessler Support]
After the migration, you might need to check and troubleshoot the following aspects, depending on your configuration:
If you get the error message that your license is too old, contact the Paessler support team for another activation attempt and tell us the reason why you want to migrate PRTG. This way, we can immediately see if your activation request is valid and help you accordingly.
Find the other article sections here:
Created on Jun 24, 2020 10:01:40 AM by
Maike Guba [Paessler Support]
Last change on Aug 4, 2020 8:13:19 AM by
Maike Guba [Paessler Support]
The following folders in the PRTG program directory may contain your custom files that you must also move to the target system. The paths apply to a PRTG installation on a 64-bit Windows:
Find the other article sections here:
Created on Jun 24, 2020 10:06:06 AM by
Maike Guba [Paessler Support]
Last change on Aug 4, 2020 8:15:30 AM by
Maike Guba [Paessler Support]
We use custom flow rules so also do not forget to copy them at step 4. Procedure: https://kb.paessler.com/en/topic/60203-how-can-i-change-the-default-groups-and-channels-for-xflow-and-packet-sniffer-sensors
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