Moving a collector
This page explains how to move a collector to a new host while maintaining its connection to Factry Historian.
Moving a collector follows essentially the same steps as Installing a collector, with some additional considerations for token continuity.
Prepare the new host
- Ensure the new host meets the collector system requirementscollector system requirements.
- Make sure it can reach the Historian server over the required network ports.
- Install the collector software following the collector installation steps.
Handling API tokens
- When generating a new API token for the collector, the old token remains valid for 24 hours.
- This allows the collector to continue sending data during the migration.
- If you still have the old token saved, you do not need to generate a new token to perform the move.
Configure the collector on the new host
- Apply the same configuration as the previous collector instance.
- Ensure any environment variables or custom settings are restored on the new host.
- Start the collector service. It will register with the Historian using the token and resume sending data.
- Once the new host is confirmed working, stop and remove the collector service on the old host. See Deleting a collector service.
Expected outcome
After moving a collector:
- The collector runs on the new host
- Data continues flowing to the Historian without interruption
- The collector appears online in the Historian under its original instance
- No duplicate collector instances remain
Troubleshooting
Collector does not appear in Historian
- Check that the collector service is running on the new host
- Verify that the API token is valid and correctly configured
- Confirm that the Historian URL and port are reachable from the new host
Collector stops sending data
- Ensure there are no firewall or network restrictions preventing communication
- Verify that environment variables and configuration files were correctly migrated
- Check collector logs on the new host for errors
Token expired before migration
- Generate a new API token and update the collector configuration on the new host
- The collector will reconnect to Historian once the new token is applied