Zip Ship
As you create and publish sensor configurations you may want to save them outside and independent of the SCS system. Performing a Zip Ship operation allows you to do this by taking the entire configuration, images and all, and serializing it into a single zip file. You can then take that file and store it somewhere else, like your ships backup NAS or a CD or even on shore. In the event you ever want to restore that configuration, such as complete hardware failure, etc, all you have to do is perform a Zip Ship Import operation on that file to pull it back in.
To save your configuration to a file you simply click Zip Ship => Create
from the Configuration dropdown located in the main toolbar. This will automatically create and download a file named ZipShip[%Ship Initials%]-[%Timestamp%].zip
To import a previously exported ZipShip simply click Zip Ship => Import from the Configuration dropdown located in the main toolbar and select the file you wish to import.
Creating a zip ship file serializes the current Published Configuration. If you have changes in your working configuration you must revert them or publish them prior to creating a zipship.
Importing a ZipShip requires your working configuration to be cleared
The contents of a ZipShip are simply the entire configuration serialized into a single XML file packaged along with every related file and image associated with the config. Obviously the more images and files you have uploaded the larger the ZipShip will be.
If you are running FSDB this same information is what is synchronized between ship and shore. However, only incremental changes are transferred to optimize package sizes and avoid over consumption of bandwidth.
A ZipShip operation is a great way to send your configuration to shore-based support. They can import your configuration and attempt to replicate your situation using their own servers rather then attempting to diagnose or debug issues over a satellite and can also do so w/out impacting your production environment and on-going operations.