# Presentation: 516419

## Gridded Service Backup

## Before Backup Happens

- The failed site contacts the primary (or secondary) backup office to let them know their status
- If this is a planned backup, the failed site will let the backup office know when the latest version of the Official database has been sent to the central server (via Export Digital Forecast on the Master Menu)

## How to Begin Backupall actions performed on lx2

- To invoke service backup, click Import Configuration Data from the File menu on the IFPS Master Menu on lx2

- This will bring up a prompt asking you to enter the 3-letter ID (lower case) of the site you will be backing up
- This will retrieve the configuration data from the central server which can take 10 minutes.

## Importing Configuration Data

**When you request data, either configuration or grids,  the system will pop up this box as it is contacting the central server**

- At the backup site, files will be imported into:
- in awips/adapt/ifps
- 	      /localbin/xxx      /data/xxx	 (where xxx is the failed site’s ID)
- 	     /Xdefaults/xxx
- GFESuite files will be imported onto lx2:
- 	     /awips/GFESuite/etc/SITE     /awips/GFESuite/data/databases/SITE

**Once the central server has been contacted, the progress bar will inform you when the import reaches 100%**
**You may then click Close**

## Importing Digital Data

**will appear which indicates the status of grid download**
**Close when it reaches 100%**
**This step may take over 30 minutes depending on  your GFESuite partition capacity**

**Importing Digital Data**

**Click Import Digital Forecast **_**5 minutes after**_** the config data is received**
**It will again prompt you to enter the failed site’s ID (lower case)**

## Problems?

**If you have: **
**Problems importing configuration data**
**Problems importing digital data**
**Received error messages**
**Then you will need to call for help from one of these places**
**Your IFPS focal point or ITO**
**The NCF (301-713-9344)**
**If you do not have grids when you start the backup GFE, exit GFE, Click Exit Backup IFPS, answer **_**NO**_** to the remove backup files, and re-Import Digital Data**

## Starting a Backup IFPS

- To now begin the instance of backup IFPS on lx2, click Start Backup IFPS
- You will again be prompted for the failed site (lower case)

- A second instance of IFPS on lx2 will start using all of the newly imported configuration data
- You may now proceed to edit grids, etc. as the failed site
- At this point, ask the sites surrounding the failed site to start all GFEs with their backup configuration file and send you their entire ISC database

## Send ISC DialogAccessed via Consistency  Send Intersite Grids 

**Send ISC Dialog****Accessed via Consistency ******** Send Intersite Grids **

**Select the Time Period **
**(current through day 8)**

**Select just the site performing backup **
******* Should notice new sites here which appear because an adjacent WFO has failed**

**Select Weather Elements you wish to send**

**Finally click SendISCGrids**

**Done **_**after**_** the GFE has been restarted with the Backup Configuration file**

## Using IFPS as the Failed Site

- You will notice when you start
- the new GFE that you will
- have the failed site’s
- configuration files
- Choose a file to start the GFE
- If you wish to have more than
- one person editing grids as
- the failed site or if lx2 is used for
- severe weather, they will need to
- choose lx2 – local mode when
- starting IFPS on an HP workstation
- Then click File  Start Backup IFPS
- and enter the 3-letter ID
- You will then start GFE as usual

## Service Backup Limitations

- Must give your local tools and procedures to your backup office ahead of time if you would like to have access to them during service backup
- Grids shipped both to and from the failed site are clipped to the ISC_Send area (slightly larger than CWA)
- Rest of the grid is populated with lowest value possible, so care needs to be given when editing these grids to avoid dragging bad data into the CWA

## Copy_ISC_to_Fcst

- If the smart tool Copy_ISC_to_Fcst is available via the Consistency menu, it can be used to fill in the missing data

**This tool has limitations as well**
**Some parsing/averaging of other offices’ grids can occur in certain conditions**
**For example, if one office defines an element as 3 hours in length and others define it as hourly, then the other offices’ hourly grids will be averaged over the 3-hour time period before populating the Fcst database**

## Collaborating as the Failed Site

- To minimize the impact of backup on our customers, collaboration will need to occur as both your regular site and as the failed site
- Log in to 12Planet _as the failed site_ and collaborate as usual

## Issuing Products

- Any local
- text
- formatters
- the office
- uses from
- within GFE
- will be
- available
- from the
- Products
- menu
- Remember to
- check for/add
- the
- “Issued By ...”
- in the
- product
- headers

## Issuing Products

**If the failed site issues products from within zone grouping software, such as Xnow, that should be set up ahead of time**
**How products are issued should be shared ahead of time**

## Issuing Products

- If the failed
- site issues
- products
- from the
- Product
- Generation
- menu,
- just choose
- the products
- to generate
- as usual

## Sending Grids Back

**Once the failed site is ready to resume operations (i.e. their ifp server is back up), you will need to ship the grids you changed back to them**
**Since the grids being sent are from the Official database, you will have to publish all grids you changed**
**Click Export Digital Forecast to send the grids directly back to the failed site**

## How to End Backup

**To end service backup, exit ALL instances of the failed site’s IFPS, then click Exit Backup IFPS**
**Do this **_**ONLY**_** if you have already shipped the grids you produced back to the failed site**

**This will bring up a prompt asking ****: ****"Remove failed site configuration files?" If yes is selected, the downloaded files will be cleaned off lx2**
**If you answer YES while another forecaster is still in a backup IFPS, ****it will lock up that backup IFPS and edits will be lost**
**If you may be editing more of the failed site’s grids, select No. But keep in mind you will not be able to use lx2 for local grid edits**

## Populating at the Failed Site

**Once the backup site informs the failed site that the grids have been sent, the database needs to be populated with the grids they produced by clicking on **_**P**_**opulate ******** Copy All Grids (or Copy Selected Grids) ******** Restore **
**The Restore database is new with IFPS 14.2 to accommodate service backup**
**Since the grids are clipped, the part of the domain outside of the ISC_Send_Area is populated with the lowest value possible. Use caution when editing these grids to avoid dragging bad data into the CWA**
**If the Copy_Restore_to_Fcst is available, it can be used to alleviate the missing data problem**

## Additional Information

- For information regarding specific backup
- information for your office, check your
_**regional service backup plan**_
- For questions regarding the technical aspects of this training, please email **shannon.white@noaa.gov**