With the recent releases of iHost Software ver 2.3.0 followed very quickly with the patched ver 2.3.2 we are are now able to backup and restore iHost. The backup procedure is quite straightforward to create the file and also download it to a pc or other device.
Following on from the recent Software update experience it is my intention to obtain an additional iHost to run new software releases on it to gain confidence in the update before allowing my live system to update.
The additional iHost will also act as my disaster recovery iHost should the live iHost fail.
Although the Backup procedure is clear we could benefit from some information/ documentation from Sonoff detailing how to prepare the new iHost for a restore. For example do we have to pair our Zigbee and/or wifi devices with the new iHost before running the restore file ?
For my live iHost system I now run it most of the time without an internet connection as I have found that this resolved the synchronisation problems that I experienced particularly with Sonoff TH10/16 temperature sensors. In LAN mode the temperature sensor values are very reliable without any gaps in the graphs. Although most of the time my iHost is off internet I am still able to remotely access it for remote administration. It has its own cable router which the WAN side is connected to a LAN port of the ISP router via a Ethernet switch which can be powered on and off by a wifi device (Sonoff S20 as a client to the ISP router wifi).
In theory maybe, but even with the last update from 2.3.0 to 2.3.2 , under 2.3.2 I did a restore of a backup created under 2.3.0 with identical devices and some I had to re-pair and had to re-write scenes.
@ward
I draw your attention once again. We need this update. Donāt delete the smart scene from ihost after removing the device. Leave the scene inactive and add a message about the device not being present in the scene. This will allow you to quickly fix the problem and restore automation.
We heard your voices and are working on known issues now. Definitely will try to spare time to verify the cross backup feature. Theoretically, it could work between iHosts with the same firmware/or from a higher version to a lower one. Still need more verification.
DonĀ“t know if I have understood everything correctly yetā¦
As I am seeing that my iHost is running a heavy load on Node Red IĀ“m thinking of upgrading to the more powerfull version. Will the backup from my present iHost allow me to Ā“restoreĀ“ to the new iHost? If so, how would that be done - copying the backup file to a new card, or installing the same card on the new iHost?
The ideal procedure would be as follows, But havenāt try it myself,
Create a backup from the previous/less powerfull one, letās call it iHost A
Download the backup file to your own PC/Mac,
Poweroff the iHost A, and power on the Powerfull one, iHost B, (the poweroff step is necessary to avoid any conflict may happen, especially zigbee related ones)
Restore the backup by select it via āRestore from local filesā on B by the backup file
Then B should be work as expected, but Matter part should not be restored by following the rules of CSA.
I donāt have a single IHost scene: they are all in Node Red which has its own backup system. Unfortunately I had not backed up my scenes in 11 days before the iHost firmware update to 2.3.0 but I have learnt a lesson from this. There is a standard Zigbee network backup file format shared by Zigbee2MQTT and ZHA etc. It is a pity this is not also separately backed up as then you could move from Home Assistant etc. to the iHost and import the Zigbee network without repairing everything.
The mechanism here is the TF card will be formatted when iHost B restores the backup to smooth writing of the backed up data, and to prevent data conflicts.
I have obtained an additional iHost to have as a spare and use to test future firmware releases before allowing updates to the āLiveā iHost. For the Spare/Test & Development iHost I obtained an identical model: 4GB RV1126. The back up and restore functioned perfectly and resulted in the Spare being a clone of the āLiveā iHost. The process I followed was:
Backed up āLiveā iHost.
Downloaded Backup file to Local pc
Switched OFF Power to āLiveā iHost
Restored to āSpare Test/ Developmentā iHost from Local pc
Following the restore I noted that some devices (Zigbee Repeaters and Sonoff TRVZBs) took a few minutes to re-synchronise with the iHost. In one isolated case I had to help a TRVZB to re-sync by toggling between Auto and Manual with its top button.
Each of my iHosts for this test had its own memory card and the card in the āSpare Test/ Developmentā iHost was lower capacity than the āLiveā iHost (32GB v 64GB).
For my system I only use standard iHost Scenes and cannot comment if a node red restore would be successful.
I tested moving the backup from ihost (no.1) to ihost (no.2) and node-red works normally after restoring on device no.2.
the matter hub is not working. You need to add the matter devices again.
