Backup Server and Testing Instances
Contents
Overview
In addition to the instance that your organization uses for day to day work, SmartSimple clients have access to a second backup instance.
The backup instance is a shadow copy of your live SmartSimple instance from the previous day.
The backup instance of your SmartSimple is updated nightly (around 3:00 am Eastern Standard Time) with all the current information from your main instance as it existed when the backup is performed each night. For example, if you change your password on the live instance of SmartSimple, the backup will save your new password when it is performed that night.
Backup – The backup environment is a hot backup. This means that it is always running and available, just like the production (live) environment. However, the backup is not a real-time continuous sync. Rather, the backup only synchronizes from the production servers once a day at around 3:00 am Eastern Standard Time. This means that not modifications to the production environment of your SmartSimple instance will not be immediately reflected onto the backup - the delay will be around one day depending on when you have made the modification(s).
Archive – The archive environment retains incremental backups of the database for up to 90 days. This environment is not an accessible web server; it only retrieves and stores each daily database backup.
Using the Backup Instance
Locating Your Backup Instance
Depending on the location of your production instance, you can determine the location of your backup instance using the following table:
| Production Instance | Backup Instance |
| alias.smartsimple.com | alias.smartsimplebk.com |
| alias.smartsimple.biz | alias.smartsimplebk.biz |
| alias.smartsimple2.biz | alias.smartsimple2bk.biz |
| alias.smartsimple.ca | alias.smartsimplebk.ca |
| alias.smartsimple.us | alias.smartsimplebk.us |
| alias.smartsimple.ie | alias.smartsimplebk.ie |
In all cases, the backup instance is therefore accessed by appending "bk" to your production instance's URL. The bk is added after the smartsimple part of the URL, but before the domain ending (.com, .biz, .ca, etc).
You can log into the backup instance with the same username and password as the production instance.
In the image below, the user is in the backup instance. This can be observed by the bk appendage on the URL as well as the header that states Environment: Backup.
When to Use the Backup Instance
Because the backup instance has no impact on live users, it is best used for any changes or updates to the production instance that should be tested.
Note: Any changes to the data or the structure of the backup instance will be overwritten when the nightly backup executes.
The backup is also a great resource to allow new internal users who are unfamiliar with the SmartSimple system to learn how to navigate. For example, they can fiddle with configuring list views, importing users, creating buttons, and more on the backup instance. Changes that are successfully tested on the backup can then be repeated on the production instance in order for them to actually reflect onto the live system.
System Upgrades
When system upgrades are scheduled the backup servers are updated two weeks prior to the production servers for testing purposes.
System Upgrade Schedule
| Upgrade | Planned Production Date |
| May 2019 | Thursday, May 9, 2019 |
| August 2019 | Thursday, August 8, 2019 |
| November 2019 | Thursday, November 14, 2019 |
| February 2020 | Thursday, February 13, 2020 |
| May 2020 | Thursday, May 14, 2020 |
| August 2020 | Thursday, August 13, 2020 |
| November 2020 | Thursday, November 12, 2020 |
| February 2021 | Thursday, February 11, 2021 |
| May 2021 | Thursday, May 13, 2021 |
| August 2021 | Thursday, August 12, 2021 |
| November 2021 | Thursday, November 11, 2021 |
The next closest upgrade is scheduled for Thursday, August 8, 2019.
System Upgrade Process
The objective of our system upgrade process is to ensure that customers have a chance to review how their applications and information will work following a system upgrade, without compromising the integrity of their current production system. In order to take advantage of this, the backup instance must be used. The backup update allows for instance-specific testing, as you can log into your respective backup instance and test the changes against your most current data and configuration.
If you have any questions about accessing your backup instance, contact the SmartSimple Support Desk.
For more information about our specific upgrade process, see here.