ELK Operator Login Issue

[williamspl]

I have been working for several weeks now to install and ready my ELK M1G system for monitoring testing that will be occuring this week.

I had been working under the assumption that simply running the ELKRP2 software did not have any security until I discovered yesterday that you could assign Operator User Names with passwords.

So, I set one up with my name (or at least I thought it was my name). When I tried to login, I got the message "Name or password not found".

I believe I have the password right, but I may have misstyped the User Name (such a basic mistake!!)

Is there any way to get a list of User Names or to reset the logins without loosing my setup content?

Thanks in advance, Paul

 

[williamspl]

If the user name can not be recovered, I have an idea that may help me recover.

I believe I have not pushed the signon information to the ELK security system. I think it is only on the database.

What if I delete the database and re-install ELKRP2.

Shouldn't I then be able to pull the ELK System info back to a new database?

Any thoughts?

 

[tmbrown97]

Yeah - as long as you have the codes for the security system, you can uninstall RP, ensure the database is gone, then reinstall - connect to the panel and Receive All. That should get you back up the same as the first time you set things up.

The operator name/password is intended for shop with multiple people accessing; no real reason for you to do that to yourself at home.

 

[williamspl]

Work2Play,

You are right! I was able last evening to delete the database, reinstall and receive a download from the panel. And, I only had minimal loss of data. What a relief!

I am not back on trach for system testing this week with ALarmRely.

I will now be pursuing the best way to backup the Elk System data. Perhaps just a simple directory copy.

 

[video321]

I will now be pursuing the best way to backup the Elk System data. Perhaps just a simple directory copy.

I'm a little over-the-top so I prefer to encrypt the Elk database for security reasons.
If you're looking for file synchronization I'd suggest MS Robocopy (if on Windows) as it can do complex jobs and is the fastest utility I've ever tried.

 

[tmbrown97]

Generally when receiving from the system, the only things it wouldn't really pick up from the panel are disabled rules and notes - since those aren't in the panel; they're only in the database. Everything else really should be recovered by doing a Receive All.

 

[Del91574]

The easiest way is to export the database, or the entire account DB to a thumbdrive or other media. Depending on the settings, the DB will have some security on it.

We run RP on multiple machines and also syncronize data across multiple laptops.

 

[williamspl]

IS exporting the single ElkRPAcct.exp database sufficient for recovery?

 

[Del91574]

Yes, however it depends on how many instances of a panel you create in your DB to which way is better for you.

In my case, I have default account templates in addition to what is the panel's template post-completion, however I also tend to pull a panel in when first connecting to it, save that, make changes, save the modified file and send it back. It's a holdover from me working on huge fire systems and networked panels, because at the end of the day if something hits the fan or doesn't work properly, you can drop the file back in that you had prior to starting and be back where you were.

Just have to be careful that a DB doesn't get corrupted if that's the only backup/location you have it saved in.

 

[tmbrown97]

The OP is only dealing with a single panel and can be easily recovered... It's nothing like a pro installer with dozens of panels at risk.

 

[Del91574]

Not entirely true. A single panel with an end user could easily have 3-4 account templates available, such as the "before I touched it, it was working properly" template, a "I'm experimenting with these changes" template, a "I'm happy with how it's working, but want to try a new firmware" template and a "I finally got it working, I need to backup the panel" template, and a "this is my last known good configuration" template.

I have accounts, and even my own house, that have instances of 2-3 panel templates saved easily. I've also used thumbdrives to store system documentation, schematics, firmware and exported templates onsite.

IMHO, if you're backing up your panel's config, you should maintain at least 2 copies, with one being a baseline or the last complete and working configuration (or even the one dragged in via RP last) and the second being the modified file, especially if major changes or firmware upgrades were done. Heck of a lot easier to roll the panel back to fix it than go line by line for hours to get a panel to be stabile.

 

[tmbrown97]

Wow - either I'm way to lax about my backup policies, or I'm not having my Elk do too much complex stuff... I think a lot of the latter. I could throw away RP tomorrow and fire up on a new computer, do a receive all, and be happy. Anything else and keeping track of which copy is the right one gets too complicated for me.

 

[Del91574]

Generally, I've found that 2 copies is typically sufficient for most installs with integration, with one being the "working" copy and the second being the "modified" or "new hardware/rules" copy.

Something to be said about dropping an old program and rolling back firmware to get a panel back up and running on a Friday when an upgrade or change didn't go as planned.

I think in my case it's a holdover from working on large fire panels or networked fire systems. I've got a few sites and campuses where we're in the neighborhood of 75-100 panels networked or the big boys having 20,000 detectors and 20,000 modules in addition installed with boolean logic equations on top of it. Can't leave those panels and systems down, otherwise it becomes a fire watch situation.