Abstract

Given the rate at which technology and computers are improving, sometimes it is necessary to phase out an existing system in favor of a newer one. However, if the previous system contains data files and programs that will need to be used on the new machine, it will be necessary to migrate the data files and programs over. This white paper serves as an overview of migrating ProVision and data files to a new system. If the previous computer is going to be decommissioned by being destroyed, refurbished, or otherwise made inaccessible, it is highly recommended that all relevant recordings and settings be transferred prior to this.

Transferring Recordings

The default watcher folder location for ProVision recording files is in the Recent Downloads folder. However, some ProVision configurations may have additional watcher folders, or the default watcher folder may have been removed or mapped to point to a new location. Regardless of their location on disk, watcher folders may be accessed by right-clicking their node in ProVision, and from the resultant context menu, selecting “Open In Explorer.” Doing so will open an explorer window at the watcher folder location that allows the user to browse its contents. From here, the recordings can be transferred to removable media or a network location, as shown in Figure 1.

The default Recent Downloads watcher folder is stored in the ProgramData folder, such as “C:\ProgramData\Power Monitors, Inc\ProVision\Common\Recent Downloads.” However, this only applies to users of Windows 7 and 8. For legacy users of Windows XP, this location may instead be the “Documents and Settings” folder, typically “C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Power Monitors, Inc\ProVision\Common\Recent Downloads.” Note that accessing these folders may require administrator rights, and may be set as a hidden folder as a function of the operating system. Please note– It is highly recommended that the watcher folders be accessed through ProVision as detailed previously to ensure that no recording files are inadvertently left behind.

Once ProVision has been installed on the new system, the recordings can be transferred from the removable media or network location to the newly created default watcher folder. Additionally, if the recordings are in a network location accessible via the new system, the network location can be added directly as a watcher folder. However, be advised that this can cause delays when attempting to open large recordings in ProVision, depending on network latency.

Custom Graphs and Templates

For purposes of migration, custom graph templates and trace mixer templates are treated similarly. These nodes are attached to the Graphs and Reports node in the Explorer pane. To archive these items, hold down the control key and click each template to keep, highlighting them. Once the desired templates are highlighted, select the “Send by Email” option from the “Tools” menu. In the resultant dialogue box, select the option for “Save object to file you could send later.” From here, either enter a file path manually or select one by clicking “Browse” (Figure 2). Upon clicking OK, the selected templates are serialized and stored in a compressed archive at the specified location.

Recorder Settings Templates

Note that Recorder Settings templates can be archived similarly, and even in the same package as custom graphs and templates, by control-selecting them with the mouse as well. Recorder settings templates can also be stored in their own archive by using the same steps for custom graphs and templates, going through the “Send by Email” option. The archive contains a single file with a .evm extension which can be copied along with the recordings. To import the templates, first remove the inner .evm file from the archive. This can be done using a third-party zip extractor. Additionally, ProVision can unpack zip files using the “Receive via Email” option available under the tools menu. Note that files unpacked this way will be placed in the default watcher folder. Once the .evm file is extracted, it can be imported into ProVision. Next, from within ProVision, in the tools menu, select the “Receive via Email” option. Navigate to the location where the .evm file was extracted and select it. Choosing “Open” will import the file. ProVision will automatically parse the file and add the templates to the “Graphs and Reports” node and also display a dialogue of which templates were received. Note that the “Header Report” template is generated automatically by ProVision upon installation and therefore need not be included when performing this migration.

Firmware

During migration to a new system, it is not necessary to transfer firmware for PMI recorders. The most recent firmware can always be retrieved using the ProVision Update Manager, or by downloading it from www.powermonitors.com.

Migration Checklist

• Transfer all existing recordings from the previous system to removable media or a network resource.
• Archive all desired graph templates and recorder settings templates and transfer the archive to removable media or a network resource.
• Install ProVision on the new system. It is recommended to download the most recent version of ProVision from the Power Monitors website. This download is available at no cost. The ProVision Update Manager will verify the most recent version is available.
• Copy the previously transferred recording files to the new watcher folder.
• Import the archived graph templates and recorder settings templates.
• Retrieve the most recent firmware by using the Update Manager.
• Resume using ProVision normally by retrieving recordings from PMI recorders and analyzing power quality graphs and reports.

Conclusion

While preparing a new system can be an arduous task, Power Monitors hopes to alleviate this task by providing this white paper and the accompanying tools and features, such as our ProVision software, which ultimately ensures that no setting or necessary data file may be inadvertently left behind.