Moving LIMSDATA to a New Location
Summary
The information in this article applies to LIMS 1.x and newer.
This article describes the procedures required to move LimsData, the LIMS back end database, to a new disk drive and/or folder.
More Information
LIMS includes two distinct Access database files:
- LimsCode.mdb and LimsData.mdb for version 1.x, or
- LimsCode2.mdb and LimsData2.mdb for version 2.x, or
- LimsCode3.mde and LimsData3.mdb for version 3.x.
LimsCode is the system’s “front end” containing the forms, reports, and software. LimsData is the “back end” repository for all LIMS data.
This architecture allows the back end LimsData to reside either on the same machine as LimsCode in a standalone configuration or on a shared file server in a multiuser environment. The location of LimsData is normally configured during LIMS installation.
After the system has been in operation for some time it may be necessary to change the file’s location for many reasons including:
- moving to a faster drive
- moving to a drive with additional storage capacity
- moving to a new network server
- moving to a drive with improved backup capabilities
- upgrading from a standalone to a multiuser configuration
- creating a test database to use with a development version of LimsCode
Procedures for LIMS 3.x
Follow the procedures below to move an LIMS version 3.x LimsData to a new location.
1. Copy or move files LimsData3.mdb and LimsUser3.mdw from the original location to the new folder. If you copy the files you should either rename or delete the original files so there is no chance the system starts with either file in the old location.
2. Use Start | Programs | LIMS to display the LIMS Start menu shortcuts. Right-click the LIMS shortcut and select Properties. In the Target field on the Shortcut tab of the properties dialog, change the location of the LimsUser3.mdw file to reflect the new location. The example below shows the file’s location set to folder L:\LIMS. Click [OK] to save your changes.
3. Repeat step #2 for any of the following shortcuts that may also exist on the LIMS Start menu: LIMS Archiving, LIMS Messaging, Version Update, and Edit LimsCode.
4. Repeat step #2 for any LIMS shortcuts that have been created on the workstation’s desktop.
5. Start LIMS on each workstation. After logging on, an “Unable to open file… or it may not be a valid LIMS back end database” message will appear indicating the database could not be found in its previous location. Click [OK] to dismiss the message then click [OK] to select another database. Select the LimsData database in its new location and click [Open].
Procedures for LIMS 2.x
Follow the procedures below to move an LIMS version 2.x LimsData to a new location.
1. Copy or move LimsData2.mdb from the original location to the new drive/directory. If you copy the file you should either rename the original or delete the original file so there is no chance the system starts with the file in the old location.
2. Edit all LIMS shortcuts in the “LIMS for Microsoft Access” Start menu group on each workstation.
TIP: You can edit the shortcuts on one workstation then copy the Start menu group folder to each remaining workstation. In the shortcut’s Target property, change the “DataDB” parameter to reflect the new location:
DataDB=d:\dir\LIMSDATA2.MDB
Where d:\dir is the full drive/directory path for the new location.
3. On each workstation, start LIMS and log on using the LIMSAdmin account. If the previous steps were completed successfully a message will appear confirming that the system has reattached LimsData in the new location.
During system startup LIMS version 2.x always compares the value of the shortcut’s DataDB parameter with the actual connect string in LimsCode’s attachments to LimsData. If these differ, the system automatically reattaches using the new location. In Access, the process of reattaching tables is similar to creating new tables so LIMS must update the permissions on the “new” attachments to maintain the system’s security model. Only members of the Admins security role can update these permissions so the message “Unable to attach LIMSDATA or its location may have changed” would appear if a non-Admin attempted to start LIMS in step #3 above.
To simplify administration in multiuser environments, it may be useful to keep the SYSTEM.MDA file in the same location as LimsData. Simply copy/move file SYSTEM.MDA to the new drive/directory in step #1, and in step#2 add the new path to SYSTEM.MDA following the /Wrkgrp parameter in the shortcut’s Target property.
Procedures for LIMS 1.x
Follow the procedures below to move an LIMS version 1.x LimsData to a new location.
1. Copy or move LimsData.mdb from the original location to the new drive/directory. If you copy the file you should either rename the original or delete the original file so there is no chance the system starts with the file in the old location.
2. Edit the LIMS.INI file on each workstation. This file is usually located in the workstation’s \Windows directory. In the [LIMS Options] section of the file, change the “DataDatabase” parameter to reflect the new location:
DataDatabase=d:\dir\LIMSDATA.MDB
Where d:\dir is the full drive/directory path for the new location.
3. On each workstation, start LIMS and log on using the LIMSAdmin account. If the previous steps were completed successfully the “Permissions have been updated” message will appear before the main menu is displayed.
During system startup LIMS version 1.x always compares the value of the INI file’s DataDatabase parameter with the actual connect string in LimsCode’s attachments to LimsData. If these differ, the system automatically reattaches using the new location. In Access, the process of reattaching tables is similar to creating new tables so LIMS must update the permissions on the “new” attachments to maintain the system’s security model. Only members of the Admins security role can update these permissions so the message “Unable to attach LIMSDATA.MDB or its location may have changed” would appear if a non-Admin attempted to start LIMS in step #3 above.
To simplify administration in multiuser environments, it may be useful to keep the SYSTEM.MDA file in the same location as LimsData. Simply copy/move file SYSTEM.MDA to the new drive/directory in step #1, and in step#2 add the new path to the “SystemDB” parameter in the [Options] section of LIMS.INI.