Channel Backups
Connexion configuration is all stored in the configuration database (usually CXN_Connexion). The primary means of configuration backup is to run nightly backups of this database, or, to use a service which includes redundancy (such as AWS RDS).
This backup mechanism works well in cases where the database host fails catastrophically - an extremely rare scenario. Restoring a database can be take a few minutes and requires Connexion to be offline, so it’s best to use this mechanism only when absolutely required.
Another backup option is to export all channels in a system to a file. As importing a channel file is quick and easy (and includes group, tab, and global variable info), it can take as little as five minutes to install Connexion and import all the channels from a failed system. An additional perk to channel backups is that you have a history of each channel, and can easily import channels from previous snapshots.
By default, Connexion retains channel configuration changes for 90 days, so there is already a baked-in mechanism for retaining channel history. See Change History.
The Channel Backup feature uses a File Writer device under the covers, so files can be sent to many different targets, including long-term storage like S3 buckets.
Choose to backup all channels every night (Backup Every Night), or, only when a channel is changed (Backup Only When Changes Detected). Choose your target and optionally encrypt the channel file.