Decide what the destination must inherit
A server move involves more than installing the software again. Identify the recordings, library state, settings and source connections the destination must retain. Keep a private list of the server identity and a few representative recordings and scheduled items before changing the host.
Choose a time when ordinary viewing and recording can pause. Prepare sufficient storage on the destination and confirm that it can reach the required media and devices through authorized routes. An identical folder name does not prove that the destination sees the same filesystem or network source.
Follow the documented migration order
Use the source server’s web admin for preparation. The official procedure separates the database backup from disabling the server and moving its complete data directory. Keep that directory and its backup together so the destination restore point remains identifiable.
Keep the old server inactive while validating the new one. Two servers advertising similar names can make client selection confusing and can obscure which machine produced a new recording. Record the destination’s actual identity rather than relying on a familiar label in a device list.
- Open Settings > General. In Library Database, use the database maintenance actions to save a new database backup.
- On the same page, find Basic Setup. Clear Network Discovery, then clear Server Enabled to stop the old server.
- Find the full data directory listed beside the server checkbox and move it to the new computer or NAS; retain its Database subdirectory.
- Install Channels DVR Server on the destination and visit its setup page. At Welcome, choose Restore.
- In the Restore Wizard, select Database inside the moved data directory and choose the most recent backup you prepared.
Inspect restored state and live dependencies separately
Check the reference library items, their expected state and the schedule. Then inspect source reachability and media storage from the destination. Restored posters and database entries do not prove that a tuner, personal folder or stream is still reachable from its new host.
Make one short permitted recording and inspect the resulting file. Use an ordinary client to open an older recording as well. These checks exercise different parts of the migration: retained state, old-file access and new capture. Keep the results attached to the server actually used.
Retire the old host only after acceptance
Write a brief migration result identifying the chosen backup, destination data path, client endpoint and outstanding failures. Preserve the old data or another appropriate recovery copy until those failures are understood. A successful restore wizard is an important stage, not a complete proof of the household’s viewing workflow.
No computer was migrated or account connected for this guide. The sequence is an original acceptance plan based on Channels’s documented restore route, and it does not assert that every destination platform or source will work without additional configuration.
Questions answered
Does restoring the database prove all media is reachable?
No. Check the destination’s file paths and source devices independently.
Why disable old discovery during the move?
The documented procedure does so, and it helps make the intended destination identifiable to clients.
Sources & further reading
Official references for the subjects discussed. Service terms and device software can change.