Migration from Witness V3

Introduction

Due to the significant change in architecture, configuration and features, it is not possible to directly upgrade a Witness V3 installation with V4. Instead there is a migration tool that enables you to import a Witness V3 configuration file into a Witness V4 installation.

The migration tool will import as many elements and settings as possible, however due to the considerable difference in the two systems, not all settings can be migrated. The tool extracts data from the Witness V3 configuration XML file, converts it and then inserts the resulting items directly into the V4 system database.

There are two versions of the migration tool, one for AdvanceGuard® and one for ClearWay™. The imports work slightly differently as outlined below. Future updates will hopefully address some of the current shortcomings.

Contents



ClearWay™ Migration

The ClearWay™ migration focuses on importing the carriageways and radar. The key considerations are:

  • Carriageways and radar will be imported as configured in V3, this includes radar-specific tracker settings.

  • Rules will not be imported, instead new V4 default rules will be created for each imported carriageway.

  • Detection areas are imported, as areas, but are not used as detection areas. Instead all imported carriageways are configured for virtual detection areas.

  • Exclusion areas are imported and moved from each channel to the global list.

  • All other area types are also imported.

  • Tracking parameters are not imported, instead carriageways are configured to use V4 default parameters.

  • Cameras, if used, will be imported, however camera viewers will not. Camera areas are also imported.

  • No Canary plugin configurations are imported, but these can be easily recreated in the V4 UI.

AdvanceGuard® Migration

The AdvanceGuard® migration focuses on importing as many elements as possible. The key considerations are:

  • All radar and areas are imported as configured in V3, this includes radar-specific tracker settings.

  • All tracking parameters are imported and added to the existing default settings in V4.

  • All configured detection areas and associated tracking parameters, including partials, are imported for each channel to match the original V3 setup.

  • Exclusion areas are imported and moved from each channel to the global list.

  • Cameras and camera areas are imported, however camera viewers are not.

  • Static sensors are imported.

  • Rules that have actions associated with them (i.e. alarm and follow) are now imported in the latest version. Compound and history rules are not imported and will need to be recreated in V4.

  • No Canary plugin configurations are imported, but these can be easily recreated in the V4 UI.

Preparation

In order to start the migration process, you complete the following steps:

  1. Ensure that your Witness V3 installation has been upgraded to the latest version and that the main Piccadilly service has been started and stopped at least once.

  2. Install a complete deployment of Witness V4, either on the same or new hardware. Please refer to the installation documentation for more information:.

  3. After the install, ensure that one, or both V4 Management Servers are stopped. However you must leave the database service(s) running.

  4. Ensure you have the Witness V3 configuration.xml file available. This must be on the same PC where you intend to run the migration tool.

The system origin is imported from version 3 to 4. Therefore the accuracy of the origin is important because good, or bad, all WGS84 coordinates will be derived from the origin in V4. We would recommend correcting the origin, if incorrect, in Witness V3 before performing the migration.

Using the Migration Tool

The migration tool is installed with the Management Server in V4 and can be found in the installation directory, typically C:\Program Files\Navtech Radar\Witness. The tool is entitled MigrationTool.

It is a command line tool so should be run from a command prompt. To run the migration process follow these steps:

  1. Ensure the Witness V4 Management Server services have been stopped.

  2. Open a command prompt and enter the path to executable. To see the command line options, run the application using the -? option:

  3. The key options are:

    -d, --databaseaddress - the database server address. Defaults to 127.0.0.1 (localhost). -p --databaseport - the database server port. Defaults to 27010. -n --databasename - the name of the database - if not provided this will automatically change depending on whether migrating to ClearWay™ or AdvanceGuard®. -c --configuration - the path and file name of the Witness V3 configuration file (i.e. configuration.xml). -s --skipprompt - by default the migration tool prompts to delete and import all items. If you change this to true the tool will not prompt.

    The minimum options required are database IP address (-d) and the location of the configuration file (-c). If the database is on the same system that you are running the migration tool, then you only need the configuration option (-c).

  4. Enter the command line appropriate for your system setup. For example:

    C:\Program Files\Navtech Radar\Witness\MigrationTool.exe -d 10.0.7.165 -c c:\configuration.xml
  5. Once you run the command you will be prompted to continue. Press Y to start the migration.

  6. The migration tool will show progress and list all the objects being transferred.

  7. Restart the Witness V4 Management Server services.

  8. Login to the Witness V4 system and check that all the listed objects have been migrated and settings are as expected. All the V4 system settings, such as default users and passwords, will remain unchanged.

When the migration tool connects to the Witness V4 database it will delete all existing data. This should not be a problem if the Witness V4 system is a clean installation. However if you are doing the migration over an existing V4 setup then be aware that you will lose all the older configuration data.

You will be prompted to complete the site configuration details when you first log into the UI. Note that the site origin coordinate has been imported from the V3 configuration file so should not be changed.


Safety is everything.