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Migrate a Canvus 3.x Server to Standalone Windows (26.6.0)

This runbook moves an existing Canvus Server 3.x install (3.3.x or 3.4.x) onto the standalone Windows Service variant, version 26.6.0. It uses the server's own --backup and --restore commands, so a single backup folder carries the database, media assets, and configuration across.

The migration is offline. Plan a short maintenance window: clients cannot use the canvas during the cutover.

Two things 26.6.0 does for you

Earlier migration procedures needed a manual PostgreSQL conversion step and a manual rename of the configuration file. Neither is needed any more:

  • 26.6.0 bundles PostgreSQL 18, which restores a backup taken on an older PostgreSQL (15, 16, or 17) directly — no dump editing.
  • The installer detects a legacy configuration file and recreates it itself, so there is nothing to rename by hand.

The 26.6.0 MSI is code-signed, so Windows does not flag it as an unknown publisher.

Before you start

  • Administrator rights on both the old and new host (here they are the same Windows Server).
  • The signed MultiTaction-Canvus-Server-26.6.0.x.msi on the host.
  • Note the version of the old server: run its binary with --version.
  • A maintenance window — the server is offline while you migrate.

All persistent data lives under %ProgramData%\MultiTaction\canvus\ and is preserved across uninstall and reinstall.

Migration steps

1. Back up the old server. In a Command Prompt as Administrator, run the old server's binary. The backup folder it creates contains the database dump, the assets, and the configuration:

"G:\Program Files\MT Canvus Server\bin\mt-canvus-server.exe" --backup

Note the backup folder it writes (for example under H:\MTCanvusBackups\).

2. Uninstall the old software. Uninstall MT Canvus 3.x and its PostgreSQL via Programs & Features (choose the "entire application" option). This stops and removes their Windows Services for you, so there is no separate "stop services" step.

3. Install Canvus Server 26.6.0. Run the signed MSI. For a migration, leave the administrator account blank — the admin is restored from the backup:

msiexec /i MultiTaction-Canvus-Server-26.6.0.x.msi /qn /norestart `
  /l*v C:\canvus-install.log `
  CANVUS_EXTERNAL_URL=https://canvus.corp.example

The interactive wizard works too; see the Standalone Windows install guide.

4. Stop the new server service so the restore has the database to itself (leave mt-canvus-postgres running):

Stop-Service mt-canvus-server

5. Restore the database and assets, using the actual backup folder from step 1:

& "C:\Program Files\MT Canvus Server\bin\mt-canvus-server.exe" `
  --restore --backup-path H:\MTCanvusBackups\<your-backup-folder>

6. Re-apply your TLS certificate paths in %ProgramData%\MultiTaction\canvus\mt-canvus-server.ini (see Re-apply your certificate below).

7. Restart the services:

Restart-Service mt-canvus-server

Letting the installer do the restore

On a scripted install you can hand the backup folder to the installer and it restores during installation, folding steps 4 and 5 into step 3:

msiexec /i MultiTaction-Canvus-Server-26.6.0.x.msi /qn `
  CANVUS_EXTERNAL_URL=https://canvus.corp.example `
  CANVUS_RESTORE_PATH=H:\MTCanvusBackups\<your-backup-folder>

Re-apply your certificate

A fresh install starts with a self-signed certificate. Point the [certificates] section of mt-canvus-server.ini back at your CA-issued certificate material:

[certificates]
certificate-file=C:/ProgramData/MultiTaction/canvus/certs/server.cert.pem
certificate-key-file=C:/ProgramData/MultiTaction/canvus/certs/server.key.pem
; certificate-chain-file=C:/ProgramData/MultiTaction/canvus/certs/server.chain.pem

Use forward slashes in INI paths

The configuration file treats a backslash (\) as an escape character, so Windows paths must use forward slashes (C:/...). A backslash path makes the server fail to parse the file and refuse to start.

Then Restart-Service mt-canvus-server.

Verify

# Both services should be Running:
Get-Service mt-canvus-postgres, mt-canvus-server

# The restore result is logged here:
Get-Content "$env:ProgramData\MultiTaction\canvus\logs\installer.log" -Tail 40

Then open https://<your-host>/ in a browser and confirm your canvases and assets are present and that an existing account can sign in.

Rollback

The migration only reads a backup from the old server; it does not modify the old server's data. Until you decommission the old host you can fall back to it. If the restore does not complete, the install still succeeds and the source backup is untouched — investigate using %ProgramData%\MultiTaction\canvus\logs\installer.log, then re-run the restore from step 5.

Troubleshooting

  • Restore reports a version/format incompatibility: the backup is from a newer PostgreSQL than 26.6.0 bundles. Do not hand-edit the backup — contact MultiTaction for a compatible build.
  • Server refuses to start after editing the INI: check for a backslash in a Windows path; INI paths must use forward slashes.
  • Server starts but shows no canvases: the restore did not run or pointed at the wrong folder. Stop the service, re-run step 5 with the correct --backup-path, and start the service.