Question

Need backup/restore info for WIN-PAK physical access control software

Asked by: FWeston

I've inherited a WIN-PAK access control system.  The system controls all of the magnetic swipe cards that let people in to our building.  It works fine, but I'd like to be able to backup and restore the database.  If it crashed, it'd take me a day or two to get all of our employees card #s entered back in, which would cause major issues.

The software version is WIN-PAK 2.0 Release 4 (Build 478).  We don't have support on it, and I've looked through the online help files and Googled without much luck.

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Asked On
2008-05-20 at 07:03:49ID23417149
Tags

Northern Computers

,

Win-pak

Topic

Miscellaneous Software

Participating Experts
2
Points
500
Comments
8

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Answers

 

by: moorhouselondonPosted on 2008-05-20 at 23:52:11ID: 21612614

As you have no "safety net" on this - the data on its' own is only part of the story, and the installation disks you may have may not be up to date (Win Pak support may have done an ad hoc update or registry hack without providing the actual setup file, or  the documentation may be lost). I would suggest the following plan of action:-

(1)  Presumably you are able to shut down and startup the control pc without any difficulties.  How does the door control interface with the control pc?  Serial port, USB, proprietary card?

(2)  Depending on your answers to (1), pick a quiet weekend and notify people they will not have access to the building using their swipe card.  Get another pc and install Win Pak on it, from the installation disks.  It will be evident where the database files are stored (if it isn't, do a Windows Explorer search on files created today, and then check file sizes against the existing ones - or on the existing system create a new user and see which files get changed).

(3)  Migrate data across from old system, then slew the hardware across to test this also.

(4)  Either put everything back to how it was, or run it on the new system.  

Doing this, you will be able to sleep easier at night.

 

by: FWestonPosted on 2008-05-21 at 05:58:04ID: 21614507

Thanks.  Actually, I don't have any installation disks at all, or at least I don't know where they are.  I was planning on Ghosting the system HDD so I could restore that if need be, and then just restore the latest db backup on top of that.  The interface is serial, I believe.

I added some new users to the database yesterday, but when I ran a search based on modified time afterwards, it turned up a Winpak folder, but I didn't see anything that looked like a database file in it.

 I've seen this software in use all over the place, so I was kind of surprised when I didn't turn anything up here with a search.

 

by: moorhouselondonPosted on 2008-05-21 at 10:41:01ID: 21617291

Looks as if Honeywell are the owners of Northern.

According to this:-

http://www.mbhaynes.com/mbtech/DOCs/TD5100rev1002.pdf

there is an in-built backup utility:-

Scheduler backup
utility maintains a
recent WIN-PAK 2.0
database

 

by: TWBitPosted on 2008-06-18 at 07:24:31ID: 21813201

I'm using 1.17 and am prompted each Monday to make a backup, but can also do it manually (File|Backup). It stops communications, copies all the database files to a BACKUP folder in the WinPAK\Database folder, then resumes communications.

I don't have the install disks either (security vendor made off with them after the install about 5 years ago), and it took trial and error to move the app to a new PC the first time.  But generally it was all the files in the WinPAK folder plus the INI in Windows and 3 DLLs in Windows\System32.  Fortunately just copying the files to the right place let the program run.   But that's with 1.17, and I'm assuming things are much different with v2.0, including registry settings.

 

by: moorhouselondonPosted on 2008-06-18 at 09:20:13ID: 21814494

Do you sleep well at night?  

I think you need to get Honeywell involved in this because I can see the possibility of a "lockout" situation occurring where one Monday morning nobody can get into the building.  We are talking about software for the purposes of this question, but supposing a hardware element of the system blows, how quickly are you going to be able to replace it?

 

by: TWBitPosted on 2008-06-18 at 09:33:18ID: 21814617

I don't see a lockout happening based on software failure (but of course I don't know everything about the software).  The hardware does continue to function without the software.  This happened when the original PC went down one night.  Once I got the software running and logged in, communications was restored and the transactions were unbuffered.  

So sure, if a control panel goes, the pads are probably down, and assuming the locks are still energized, then one of the three employees with a key or building engineer has to open up instead of using a keycard.  It's a pain, but it is a contingency plan.  If a panel failure causes the locks to de-energize, then the doors are wide open and we have to rely on the building's off-hours periodic security check of the suites to ensure no unauthorized access is made until the problem can be fixed.

There are other things that keep me up at night!

 

by: moorhouselondonPosted on 2008-06-18 at 10:11:11ID: 21814946

Using the tools available on www.sysinternals.com will allow you to see what files and registry settings need to be in place to run the software, but it is not the ideal way to deal with the problem.

>...then the doors are wide open...

eeek!!!  

What happens with a power failure then, or shouldn't I ask?

 

by: TWBitPosted on 2008-06-18 at 10:20:58ID: 21815024

Agreed, not the best way.  I think I'll just buy it again for the media.  The contractor never registered the product either, so I can't even ask for a replacement disk.  I have APC units, but I also trust the building tests their diesel generator, so hopefully we won't ever be without power.

20120131-EE-VQP-002

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