Managing the SmartServer SD Card (Release 3.3 and Prior)

Owned by Nina Cardillo (Unlicensed)
Last updated: 26-Oct-2022 by Nina Cardillo
3 min read

For SmartServer 3.4 and higher, see Managing the SmartServer SD Card. 

The Storage widget provides the ability to view system information including internal flash memory, CPU utilization, and log sizes, as well as to perform system and database backup and restore operations. It also provides the ability to change logging settings (data and/or event logging, and storing on an SD Card).

Warning: You cannot install a USB flash drive into a SmartServer with any USB network interfaces, such as the U60 FT network interface. As a result, you cannot use a USB flash drive for data log storage if you have any USB network interfaces attached to your SmartServer. Instead, use the SD Card for data log storage.

This section consists of the following:

Erasing Data on the SD Card

The command line can be used to delete SmartServer IoT database and system backup files from the SD Card. Using the command line, you can select specific database and system backup files to be removed, or you can remove all of the backup files.

The CMS Storage widget can be used to erase all of the data that is stored on the SD Card, including the SmartServer database. Be sure you intend for all of the data on the SD Card to be erased before proceeding with this operation.

The sections that follow describe these operations.

Using the Command Line

To delete SmartServer database and system backup files that are stored on the SD Card using the command line (ssh or console), perform the following steps:

  1. Connect and log into to the SmartServer. See Connecting to Your SmartServer for more information.

  2. Enter the following command to change to the /media/sdcard/backups directory: cd /media/sdcard/backups

  3. Enter the following command to view the directory file contents and its size: ls -s

    The database and system backup files are stored with the date and time of their creation encoded into the name using the format yyyy-mm-dd-hhmmss as shown in the following examples:

    Note: Database backups are .zip files and full system backups are .tgz files.

    total 868180
    -rw-r--r-- 1 root root  10258111 May  6 23:19 SmartServer-DB-Backup-2021-05-07-031940.zip
    -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 878744783 May  7 00:12 SmartServer-System-Backup-2021-05-07-035021.tgz


  4. Use the rm command to remove a file(s) as shown in the following examples with the date and time specific to files:

    rm SmartServer-DB-Backup-yyyy-mm-dd-hhmmss.zip
    rm SmartServer-System-Backup-yyyy-mm-dd-hhmmss.zip

    Use the following command to remove all of the contents of the /media/sdcard/backups directory:

    Warning: Be sure to only perform this command to remove the contents of the /media/sdcard/backups directory.

    rm *

Using the CMS

To erase the SmartServer database stored on the SD Card, as well as all the contents on the SD Card, perform the following steps:

Warning: Before confirming this operation, be sure you intend for all of the data on the SD Card to be erased, including the CMS database.

  1. Open the CMS Storage widget.

    Note: To best view all of the information on this widget, click the /wiki/spaces/TEMP/pages/44631776 (  ). 



  2. Click ERASE.



    The following dialog box appears:



  3. Click OK to erase the CMS database stored on the SD Card, as well as all the contents on the SD Card.

Reformatting the SD Card

To reformat the SD Card and erase all of its contents, perform the following steps:

Warning: Before confirming this operation, be sure you intend for all of the data on the SD Card to be erased.

  1. Open the CMS Storage widget.

    Note: To best view all of the information on this widget, click the /wiki/spaces/TEMP/pages/44631776 (  ). 



  2. Click FORMAT.



    The following confirmation dialog box appears.



  3. Click OK to reformat the SD Card and erase all of its content.