Appendix A: Disaster preparedness
and quick recovery response

Maintaining business continuity during and after a disaster or any total system failure requires planning, action, and communication. This document details minimum disaster preparedness and quick recovery steps to protect and restore Ambiance data with the goal of minimizing operational interruption. To learn about comprehensive disaster recovery options, refer to SQL Server Management.

Immediately upon discovering a Cyber Security Alert on any network to which the Ambiance Server is connected, disconnect from the affected network. If the Server is deemed compromised or has failed, proceed to Quick Recovery steps.

Backup and recovery overview

  1. Back up the Ambiance SQL Server database.
  2. Back up MongoDB database.
  3. Shut down the old server.
  4. Re-image the new server with the same IP address.
  5. Install the Ambiance software.
  6. Stop all Ambiance Windows services.
  7. Restore the Ambiance SQL Server database.
  8. Restore the MongoDB database.
  9. Start all Ambiance Windows services.
  10. (recommended) Restart the Ambiance server.

Disaster preparedness

The critical actions to prepare for a total system recovery include:

Ø Schedule database backups (store at secure location off-site)

  • In Ambiance , go to System Settings > Database Backup and schedule automatic backups. The backup includes the Ambiance SQL Server database and, when Online Communication is enabled, the MongoDB database.
  • Because only the most recent backup of the MongoDB is retained, establish an external process to back up the MongoDB database if more than the most recent backup is required.

Ø Make failsafe keys

Maintain two sets of Failsafe Keys (labeled) for each guest room and suite on site. Issue the keys to guests during outage. All Failsafe Keys are encoded with default floor and amenity access.

  1. Go to System Settings > Failsafe Keys and configure default values for Failsafe Keys. You can specify the number of keys to make for each access point (recommendation is 3), the stay duration and the check-out time.
  2. Go to System Keys > Failsafe Keys and make keys for all guest rooms and suites (common and inner doors) on site. Store the keys in a secure location.

Ø Prepare standby server

Reserve a spare machine, physical or virtual, that meets Ambiance server requirements.

Ø Document essential information

Prepare a simple document that outlines disaster preparedness resources and communicate the information to responsible staff. Identify the location and any detailed information required to access each resource, such as the location of Ambiance software for fresh installs, and the address and credentials for the remote server where backups are stored.

Quick recovery

This section lists the minimum steps to restore Ambiance after a total system failure.

Step 1: Identify database backups

If database backups are stored off-site, retrieve the backup files; or, if time and conditions permit, take an on-demand backup of the SQL Server database.

  • Go to System Settings > Database Backup, scroll to the bottom and click Back Up Database.
  • If Online Communication is enabled and there is no backup of the MongoDB database, be prepared to reconfigure the entire online environment.

Step 2: Install the Ambiance Server on reserve machine

Re-install the Ambiance server on a new or reformatted machine. For instructions, refer to Ambiance Installation Guide.

Step 3: Restore databases

All sites must restore the Ambiance SQL Server database. Sites licensed for Online Communication, must also restore the MongoDB database.

Restore Ambiance SQL Server database

Perform the following steps when the Ambiance database has been corrupt or when transferring the database to a different machine:

  1. Install SQL Server Management Studio. Go to the installation folder \SERVER\Ambiance_PREREQUIS\ and run SSMS-Setup-ENU.exe.
  2. Stop the Ambiance Server service.
  3. Open SQL Server Management Studio.
  4. Connect to the Ambiance instance.
The following figures show an example for Ambiance.

  1. Expand the Database tab, right-click Ambiance and select Tasks > Restore > Database.

  1. Click Options and select Overwrite Existing Database (WITH REPLACE).

  1. On the General page, select Device then ... to navigate to and select the backup file.

  1. Click Add and select your backup file, then click OK > OK.

  1. Click OK. The restore process initiates.

  1. When complete, start Ambiance services. You are connected to the restored database.

Restore MongoDB

  1. Copy/paste files from the MongoDB Backup folder to the MongoDB folder on the current Ambiance server.
  2. In Command Prompt, go to the location where MongoDB is installed. By default: C:\Program Files\MongoDB\Server\4.0\bin.
  3. Issue the following command:
    mongorestore
    Example:
    > c:>mongorest ore --username value --password value --db Ambiance C:\ pat h_t o_backup\Ambiance

Step 4: Update IP Address (conditional)

The following steps are required if Ambiance is configured using a static IP address.

  1. In Ambiance, go to System Settings > Online Communication, update the Server IP address, then click Save.
  2. Go to Device Management > Registered Gateways and Paired Access Points, select all gateways and issue the Set Communication Settings command. The new IP address is updated on all gateways.

Step 5: Reconfigure Gateways

For sites where Online Communication is enabled and no backup of the MongoDB exists, all gateways must be reconfigured. In Ambiance, go to Device Management and refer to Context Help or "Remote Lock Management" in the the Ambiance User Guide for instructions how to set up gateways and pair access points.

Step 6: Additional server configurations

For sites that use the Polling service, additional configuration may be required.

Ambiance offers a feature that polls third-party servers to detect requests for mobile keys. The feature requires an SSL certificate. When enabled, the Certificate Manager automatically renews the certificate. Consult the site IT Administration to configure the following polling service settings:

  1. 1. On the Ambiance server, go to:
    \dormakaba\AmbianceServer\Services\MobileKeyDeliveryService.

  2. Open the file MobileKeyDeliveryService.exe.Config.

  3. Specify key values for the certificate:

    • <add key="PollingServiceCertificateThumbprint" value="customValue" />
    • <add key="PollingServiceCertificateIssuerName" value="customValue" />

  4. Specify key values for the polling service URL:

    • <add key="PollingServiceApiEndpoint" value="customValue" />
    • <add key="PollingServiceSiteName" value="customValue" />
    • <add key="PollingServiceRequestToken" value="/digitalKeyDetails_MPG" />
    • <add key="PollingServiceResponseToken" value="/digitalKeyDetails_MPG" />

  5. Specify the authentication settings for Ambiance to communicate with the polling service:

    • <add key="PollingServiceMpgUserName" value="customValue" />
    • <add key="PollingServiceSecurityToken" value="customValue" />
    • <add key="PollingServiceIsSecurityEnabled" value="true" />

  6. Enable the polling service:

    • <add key="PollingServiceEnabled" value="true" />

  7. Select whether to enable the automatic renewal of the SSL certificate:

    • <add key="PollingCertificateManagerEnabled" value="true" />

  8. The following key values are read from the certificate thumbprint and auto-populated:

    • <add key="CertIssuedTo" value="auto_populates" />
    • <add key="CertFriendlyName" value="auto_populates" />

  9. Save the file.

Step 7: Update Ambiance workstations

  • On each workstation, use the Service Manager to change/update the current Ambiance server IP address. The Service Manager is located at:

    C:\Program Files\dormakaba\Ambiance Server\Services\Service Manager\ServiceManager.exe

    Alternatively, uninstall and re-install the client on each workstation to ensure all references to the Ambiance server are updated.

Step 8: Update PMS server

The PMS vendor must update the PMS Server with the current Ambiance server IP address.

Troubleshooting

After restoring the SQL Server database with Microsoft SQL Management Studio, it is often noticed that the previously configured encoders are not listed in Device Management nor can a new encoder be added.

Recommended action:

  1. Go to Service Manager or Windows services and restart the following services:
    • Ambiance Server
    • Ambiance Database Engine
  1. Wait five minutes.
  2. In Ambiance, refresh the Device Management page. Previously configured encoders are listed and the ability to add a new encoder is restored.