Migrate from ZM 1.30.x to 1.32.x

[ArchanfelHUN]

Hi fellow ZoneMinder Users!

I have multiple Zoneminder servers running with 1.30.x on debian. I want to migrate everything to 1.32.x, so i configure a new Arch Linux based server. Everything is already in place i just need to migrate the configs. I have many cameras but only 3 days of recordings. I dont need the archive. I only need the camera and the zone configs. There is a way to export only these things and import to the fresh install? I guess its in the sql, but what table(s)? Or there is a migration tool for this?

Thank You for the help!

[knight-of-ni]

You are right on the transition where we have removed non-portable settings (i.e. Options -> Paths) from the dB and into config files under /etc/zm/conf.d. This was done specifically for the scenario you plan to go down.... migration from one distro to another. Previously, a migration like this would carry with it all the system specific paths from the old distro, and you would have to verify through trial and error (usually lots of error) what the new paths were supposed to be.

The following steps assume your already have an Arch Linux system on 1.32.3 that is known to be working correctly.

• backup your database and events on the Debian system just in case
• run a filter that deletes all events
• Upgrade the Debian system to 1.32.3. Don't skip this. This is required to avoid the problem stated above. Use a ZoneMinder package from Isaac's PPA if you have to.
• Backup the whole database, which now is empty of events.
• Restore said database onto the new Arch Linux system

That's it. As long as the old database is at the latest version of ZoneMinder, you will not carry over any system paths that work for Debian but break on Arch Linux.