Migrating Cablecast Data Between Servers

November 25, 2025
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What Needs To Be Migrated?

When upgrading existing Cablecast hardware, particularly if you're upgrading the host server in the config, there are some important files that need to be migrated from the existing Cablecast server(s) to the new server(s).

  • The Databases
    • Cablecast40 - Contains the Show Records and settings for Cablecast.
    • Frontdoor50 - Contains your user accounts/passwords and other system configurations in FrontDoor.
    • CablecastCG - Contains your CG Channel configurations for Cablecast CG (Note that the actual bulletins are not contained in the database).
    • Carousel40 - if an existing Carousel signage system is still going to be in use on the new system (Similar to the CablecastCG database, the Carousel40 database does not include the actual media/bulletins in Carousel).

The following items should be moved to the same path on the new host server:

  • E:\TRMS\SystemAssets - these are the thumbnails from the Show Records if the system is on Cablecast 7.5 or newer. Move the entire SystemAssets folder.
    • If you're migrating from a system on Cablecast 7.4 or older, these are located in C:\TRMS\Web\Cablecast\WebFiles. Move the entire WebFiles folder.
  • C:\TRMS\Web\CablecastCG\Media - this is all of the bulletins/media for Cablecast CG. Move the entire Media folder.
  • C:\TRMS\Web\Carousel\Media - If Carousel is in use and will continue to be in use on the new system, this is all of the bulletins/media for Carousel. Move the entire Media folder.
  • If there's a VOD component in the configuration, the entire VODContent folder from the E drive should be moved to the E drive of the new VOD/Omni server.
  • Any playback files should be moved from the existing video server(s) to the new video server(s), if those are also being upgraded.

A Note About Cablecast CG/Carousel Migrations

We recommend doing some housekeeping on your Carousel/Cablecast CG bulletins and media before migrating your content to the new host server. If you have any expired bulletins or media that you won't use again, delete those in advance, as it will speed up the process of exporting or migrating those files if you're not transferring files you don't need anymore.

Database Migration Tool

Exporting Databases on the Existing Host Server

Our Database Migration Tool simplifies the process of exporting and importing the databases from the old host server to the new.

Download and extract the Database Migration Tool on the existing host server. Double-click Database Manager.exe to launch the tool.

There will then be a prompt asking if you want to allow the tool to make changes on the device. Click Yes.

In the Basic tab of the tool, click Backup.

Select where you want the databases to be saved, then click OK. Be sure that you're backing up the files to a location that has administrator/write permissions, such as the Downloads folder, or we prefer to create a MIGRATION folder on the E drive of the existing host server for all of the files that need to be moved to the new host server.

You should see a notification that the databases were backed up successfully. Click OK.

Importing Databases on the New Host Server

Before Restoring Databases

Prior to importing the databases on the new host server, be sure to remove Cablecast by going to Add/Remove Programs in Windows and removing the version of Cablecast that's currently installed.

You'll want to copy your MIGRATION folder with all of the files outlined at the beginning of this article over to the new host server before proceeding with restoring the databases on the new host server. If VODContent or playback files are still transferring, that's ok, but SystemAssets and Cablecast CG/Carousel Media will need to be in place on the new system.

Download and extract the Database Migration Tool on the new host server. Double-click Database Manager.exe to launch the tool. Follow the same steps outlined above for opening the tool.

In the Basic tab of the tool, click Open Backups...

Navigate to where you've copied your migration files and databases to on the new host server.

You can shift+click all of the databases to restore them all at once, or you can restore individual databases. As each database is restored, you'll be prompted to indicate if you're sure you want to restore the database, which will overwrite the existing database. Click Yes to confirm.

Once the databases are restored and any SystemAssets/Cablecast CG Media is copied over to the correct location on the new host server, you can reinstall the latest version of Cablecast.

IP Address of Host Server

We recommend swapping the IP of the existing host server to the new host server. This is particularly helpful if there is an external address configured with Cablecast, as it will eliminate the need to reconfigure any firewall settings or repoint the external address to a different internal IP. It will also help ensure that things go more smoothly when launching Cablecast after the migration of the databases and media.

If swapping the IP address, this should be done before reinstalling Cablecast on the new host server.

Carousel Migration to Cablecast CG

If you are migrating from Carousel to Cablecast CG, you will not have a CablecastCG database to export on the existing host server and import onto the new host server. You also won't need to import your Carousel40 database on the new host server. Instead, you'll export your Carousel Channels using the Carousel Clone Tool on the desktop of the existing host server and import them into Cablecast CG using the Cablecast CG Clone Tool on the desktop of the new host server.

This KB article provides a detailed overview of how to migrate from Carousel to Cablecast CG.

Next Steps After Restoring Databases

Once you've restored the databases on the new host server and reinstalled Cablecast, you'll want to ensure that Cablecast is removed from the old host server. If Cablecast remains on that server, this can cause conflicts with the two host servers trying to control the video router, among other issues. You can also just shut down the old host servers if all of the files have been migrated.