John's Blog: Reinstalling Rumpus

September 11, 2012

When things get seriously messed up, sometimes a complete Rumpus re-install is the only option. Here's the procedure to follow when you want to perform a clean install of Rumpus, and then restore your critical Rumpus settings.

Step 1 - Make A Backup

In Rumpus, choose "Open Config Folder" from the File menu. On your desktop, or someplace safe, make a folder called "Rumpus Settings Backup" or similar, and copy the entire contents of the config folder into that backup folder.

Step 2 - Uninstall Rumpus

In Rumpus, click "Stop Server", then open the Server Daemon window, click "Remove Daemon" and follow the prompts to uninstall. Restart the server, for good measure.

Step 3 - Perform A Clean Install

After the server has restarted, download a clean copy of the latest version of Rumpus from the Maxum Web site. Copy the Rumpus application to your hard drive and launch. The Setup Assistant will open. Complete a basic, default install by completing the assistant.

From another computer on the network, make sure you can connect and log in using the connection instructions displayed in the Setup Assistant. This is an important step! Be sure to test connectivity with a default install before you try to restore any settings.

Step 4 - Restore Your User Accounts

Assuming you are able to connect to the server and log in using the sample user account created in the Setup Assistant, you are ready to restore. Open the config folder from the File menu, then click "Stop Server" and then copy (don't move, copy, to preserve the backup file) the "Rumpus.users" file from the backup folder to the new config folder. Click Start Server, then make sure you can log in as one of your existing user accounts.

Step 5 - Restore Other Critical Settings

Follow a similar restore procedure for your other key settings files. For a list of the settings files, see "What are each of the files in my Rumpus config folder?" at:

   https://www.maxum.com/Rumpus/FAQ-FTP.html

Do not try to restore everything, only those config files you need. The more files you restore, the more likely it is you will "restore" whatever was wrong in the first place. I normally don't recommend restoring the main "Rumpus.conf" file because most settings that might cause big problems are set there. It's usually fairly painless to run through your basic settings and configure the server as needed.

As you perform basic Rumpus setup, don't forget to revalidate using your Rumpus serial number and validation code.

As always, send an e-mail to "support@maxum.com" if you have any trouble at all.