Exporting ColdFusion 11 admin settings

[ronboy30]

We are having to make 41+ administrator console changes in ColdFusion 11 update 19 and would like to export the current state in order to perhaps revert back.  Is there a way to export all of the settings?  I have read that I can create a CAR file but don't know all of the files to put into it.  Is there not functionality to export them all at once or can someone tell me the steps to insure that I get all of them?  thanks

[Dave Watts · Accepted solution]

You can create a CAR file with all of the CF Administrator settings. I recommend you work through the CAR creation process to see how they're divided up, and you'll understand how it works once you do that. For example, there's a separate section for data sources if I recall correctly, etc, etc. It's pretty easy to use, and to see what will be included based on the choices you make. It will be easy for you to migrate all settings - you don't have to choose them all one by one.

Dave Watts, Eidolon LLC

[ronboy30]

Thanks for the response Dave.  I was able to get that CAR file created.  But that created a different problem now.  Some of the settings that I changed have now broken the admin console.  It will not come up.  ColdFusion is running.  My question is how do I revert back to the CAR file settings if the console is not functioning.  If I understand this correctly, with a functioning console, all I have to do is import the settings and it would go back to the way it was.  Can this be done by command line since I don't have the console to work with?

[Dave Watts]

Yikes! Well, if you have the old neo-*.xml files in C:\ColdFusion11\cfusion\lib (assuming you've used the default path and instance name), you can overwrite the updated ones. I've never had that happen with a CAR update though. During the CAR update, if you chose the option to update Java settings (the option with the red warning on it), your jvm.config will also have been updated. Look for jvm.config.bak in C:\ColdFusion11\cfusion\bin and overwrite jvm.config with it.

Before you do any of this stuff, though, you should try starting CF as an application from the command line and see what errors you get. Use cfstart.bat in C:\ColdFusion11\cfusion\bin for that.

Dave Watts, Eidolon LLC

[ronboy30]

Dave, I don’t have the old neo files readily available. I was maybe hoping that the CAR file simply zipped up all of those neo xml files so that I could unzip them and copy them back. What exactly is in the CAR file?

[Dave Watts]

The CAR file is a zip file containing a bunch of stuff. You can explore it fully by taking a copy and giving it a .zip extension. But I'm pretty sure it doesn't make a copy of anything that's being overwritten.

Dave Watts, Eidolon LLC

[Charlie Arehart]

Ron, sadly there is no process (in the applying of the CAR file) that first backs up the files it changes. There is a migraiton log (in the CF logs folder) that says what it did and what may have gone amiss.

As for whatever is amiss about the Admin now, it may be something that you can recover from--with a helping hand from someone experienced helping sort out such problems. I do it, remotely. Dave, do you? Ron, I keep a list of such CF troubleshooting consultants at cf411/com/cftrouble (and I could add you if you'd like to be listed, Dave).

[Dave Watts]

I can provide remote troubleshooting if needed, but I'm sure I do a lot less of it than you do!

Dave Watts, Eidolon LLC

[Charlie Arehart]

Not a problem. Any amount that you may help could benefit many, so I’d be happy to add you to the list.

That said, I tried to find a link for your site but could not (readily, whether via google or on your profile here, https://forums.adobe.com/people/Dave%20Watts). Can you let me know what URL you’d want me to list? And you may want to add that to the profile also.

Apologies to others here for this going a bit off-topic.

/charlie

[ronboy30]

thanks so much gentlemen for your assistance.  The plan now is to restore the /lib folder with all of the neo* xml files.  that should get me back up and running.  then I plan on making the changes again a few at a time, making a backup, repeat so if I break it again we can go back to the latest version.  that should show me where I broke it the first time.  I really appreciate everyone's time and effort.