Introduction

Since existing backup systems that use the hard disk images for restoring are inadequate in many cases, for example, because the I/O devices of the backup PC and those of the PC to be restored differ, TwinCAT Backup was developed.

In addition to files, directories and settings, TwinCAT configurations are also backed up with TwinCAT Backup. Users can specify additional components that they wish to back up. Furthermore, essential operating system-specific information is backed up. These include user settings, profiles, network settings and much more. The backup can be carried out on any media connected to the PC. This can be a hard disk, a floppy disk, a CD writer or a network drive.

In the event of a restore, all files and settings are copied to a new computer on which an operating system is already installed. In addition, TwinCAT is installed and configured. This also includes the automatic creation of a System Manager configuration and the creation of a boot project. Installations can be customized.

If fieldbus cards differ (e.g. if the cards are plugged into different PCI slots), the backup tool will attempt an automatic adaptation. It is even possible to carry out an automatic update between certain fieldbus cards. The backup is configured in XML.

The following documentation explains the configuration of the TwinCAT Backup system.

The TwinCAT Backup system consists in principle of two components:

  • a TcBackupServer service
  • and a configuration and restore interface for setting the TcBackupServer.
Introduction 1:

The configuration software is used to set the backup information and to reload (restore) the backup.

The server service is the component that reads the backup configuration and gathers the data that is to be backed up to form a TwinCAT Backup Storage.