How long does Full Image Backup take?

Full Image Backup is rated Advanced and takes about 30 minutes across 15 steps.

What tools do I need?

You will need Teach pendant, A memory card (MC:) on R 30iB or R 30iB Plus controllers, or USB memory on the operator panel (UD1:) or teach pendant (UT1:) on R 30iB Mate, Mate Plus, Compact Plus, or Mini Plus controllers, Optional: a networked PC running a TFTP server, reachable as Ethernet (TFTP:), as an alternate destination, The FROM/SRAM module size of this controller (for example FROM 32M / SRAM 2M), from the maintenance manual or Memory status screen.

What should I do before starting?

Enough free space on the storage device for the whole image set; a FROM 32MB / SRAM 2MB system writes 34 files (FROM00.IMG through FROM31.IMG plus SRAM00.IMG and SRAM01.IMG).. A stable, alarm-free controller. The maintenance manual warns that when an alarm is issued, data backup may be disabled, so keep routine backups current.. You can cycle controller power safely, because the actual image capture runs at the next power-on.. The destination directory path uses only English letters or numbers, or the image files corrupt on restore.. You know this controller's FROM/SRAM module size, since a restore requires an image set from a module of the same size..

What is the first step?

Understand what an image backup captures. The image backup function creates images of the F-ROM and S-RAM memories of the controller and saves them as several *.IMG files to a storage device. This is a full-memory snapshot, so it captures far more than the individual files that an "All of above" file backup writes. You start it from the FILE menu in cold (normal) start, and the real capture happens the next time the controller is turned on.

Backups & recovery

Full Image Backup

An image backup captures the complete F-ROM and S-RAM memory of a FANUC controller as a set of bootable *.IMG files, so it clones the whole system rather than the individual programs and settings that an "All of above" file backup saves. Use it when you want a full memory snapshot to recover from a corrupt system, before major software work, or to duplicate a proven setup, since the restore rebuilds the entire controller through the boot monitor. Use the everyday file backup or automatic backup instead when you only need to protect programs and parameters.

Advanced~30 min15 steps

Step 1.
Understand what an image backup captures
The image backup function creates images of the F-ROM and S-RAM memories of the controller and saves them as several *.IMG files to a storage device. This is a full-memory snapshot, so it captures far more than the individual files that an "All of above" file backup writes. You start it from the FILE menu in cold (normal) start, and the real capture happens the next time the controller is turned on.
Step 2.
Decide image backup versus file or automatic backup
Choose an image backup when you need a complete, bootable clone of the controller, since it is restored through the boot monitor and rebuilds all of memory. Choose the "All of above" file backup or the scheduled Automatic Backup when you only need to protect programs, parameters, and settings, which reload individually at controlled start. Automatic Backup also keeps multiple versions (1 to 99) for routine rollback, which image backup does not.
Step 3.
Confirm the controller is stable and alarm-free
Verify no active alarms before starting, because an alarm condition can disable backup. Make sure the robot is idle and no program is running. A clean state gives you a reliable snapshot and avoids capturing a fault mid-write.
Step 4.
Choose and prepare the storage device
Pick a memory card (MC:) on R-30iB or R-30iB Plus, or USB memory (UD1: on the operator panel, UT1: on the teach pendant) on Mate and Plus family controllers. Confirm it has enough free space for the full image set. Note that the tablet TP does not support getting an image backup to UT1:.
Step 5.
Insert the device and enable the teach pendant
Insert the memory card or USB memory into the controller. Set the teach pendant enable switch to ON, since the image backup selection prompts you to enable the TP if it is disabled. Keep the device seated for the entire procedure.
Step 6.
Open the FILE screen and set the device
Press [MENU] and select "7 FILE" to show the file screen. Press F5, [UTIL] and select "Set Device", then choose your destination: Mem Card (MC:), USB Disk (UD1:), or USB on TP (UT1:). The selected device abbreviation appears at the upper left of the screen.
Step 7.
Set the backup path
Move the cursor to the "* * (all files)" line and press [ENTER], then set the current directory to the path where you want the images saved. You can store the image set in a subdirectory of the memory card or USB device. Keep the path name to English letters or numbers, because other characters corrupt the files on restore.
Step 8.
Start the image backup from the BACKUP menu
Press F4, [BACKUP] to open the backup menu, page to the "Backup 2" list, and select "Image backup". If the teach pendant is disabled at this point, the screen prompts "Enable TP for this operation", so enable it and repeat. Otherwise the destination selection appears next.
Step 9.
Choose the destination directory
From the Destination device menu, select "1 Current Directory" to save into the directory you set, or "2 Ethernet(TFTP:)" to write to a configured TFTP server. If the device already holds *.IMG files, the controller asks "Remove existing IMG files ?". For a TFTP destination the *.IMG files are always overwritten.
Step 10.
Clear any existing image files
If prompted, select F4, YES to remove the existing *.IMG files so the new set is clean. Only do this once you are sure the old set is no longer needed. A mixed set of old and new images will not restore correctly.
Step 11.
Confirm the power cycle
When the "Cycle power?" prompt appears, select F4, OK. On an R-30iB controller the power is turned off and back on automatically so the system restarts. On R-30iB Mate, Mate Plus, Compact Plus, or Mini Plus controllers, cycle the power yourself.
Step 12.
Let the image backup run at boot without interruption
As soon as the power comes on, the image backup starts automatically and shows lines such as "Writing MC:\FROM00.IMG" through "Writing MC:\SRAM02.IMG" ending in "DONE!". Do not press any key until it finishes. Do not turn off the power and do not remove the external storage device while it writes.
Step 13.
Confirm completion and handle failures
After the capture the controller finishes an ordinary start sequence and shows "Image backup completed successfully."; press F4, OK. If it shows "Image backup failed.", press F4, OK and check the alarm log for SYST-223 "Image backup failed", whose code indicates the cause. A common cause is a device with too little free space, so free space or use a larger device and rerun.
Step 14.
Verify the saved image set
Select MENU, "7 FILE", press F2, [DIR], and list *.* to confirm the FROM**.IMG and SRAM**.IMG files are present. Check the count against your module size; a FROM 32MB / SRAM 2MB system should show 34 files. A short or missing set means the backup did not complete and should be rerun.
Step 15.
Label, store, and know the restore path
Once verified, label the device with the robot, controller, and date, and store it off the cell. To restore later, hold F1 and F2 while turning on the controller, then pick the device from the boot monitor "Restore Controller Images" menu. The restore requires an image set from a FROM/SRAM module of the same size, or it can cause fatal damage to the controller.

Tools

Teach pendant
A memory card (MC:) on R-30iB or R-30iB Plus controllers, or USB memory on the operator panel (UD1:) or teach pendant (UT1:) on R-30iB Mate, Mate Plus, Compact Plus, or Mini Plus controllers
Optional: a networked PC running a TFTP server, reachable as Ethernet (TFTP:), as an alternate destination
The FROM/SRAM module size of this controller (for example FROM 32M / SRAM 2M), from the maintenance manual or Memory status screen

Before you start

Enough free space on the storage device for the whole image set; a FROM 32MB / SRAM 2MB system writes 34 files (FROM00.IMG through FROM31.IMG plus SRAM00.IMG and SRAM01.IMG).
A stable, alarm-free controller. The maintenance manual warns that when an alarm is issued, data backup may be disabled, so keep routine backups current.
You can cycle controller power safely, because the actual image capture runs at the next power-on.
The destination directory path uses only English letters or numbers, or the image files corrupt on restore.
You know this controller's FROM/SRAM module size, since a restore requires an image set from a module of the same size.

Safety

!Never turn off the controller power while an image backup is writing; an interrupted capture leaves an incomplete, unusable image set.
!Never remove the memory card or USB device during the backup, and keep it seated until the DONE and success message appear.
!Trigger the backup only from the intended cold start FILE menu and confirm the power cycle deliberately, since starting in the wrong mode or interrupting the boot capture yields no valid image.
!Confirm the device has enough free space before you start, because a full device is a common cause of a failed backup (alarm SYST-223).
!Restore only from an image set taken from a FROM/SRAM module of the same size as this controller; a mismatched set can fatally damage the controller.
!Label each image set with robot, controller, and date, and store it off the cell so a known-good full backup survives a controller or cell failure.

md backup fanuc restoring a robot backup verifying backup integrity

Common questions

How long does Full Image Backup take?: Full Image Backup is rated Advanced and takes about 30 minutes across 15 steps.
What tools do I need?: You will need Teach pendant, A memory card (MC:) on R 30iB or R 30iB Plus controllers, or USB memory on the operator panel (UD1:) or teach pendant (UT1:) on R 30iB Mate, Mate Plus, Compact Plus, or Mini Plus controllers, Optional: a networked PC running a TFTP server, reachable as Ethernet (TFTP:), as an alternate destination, The FROM/SRAM module size of this controller (for example FROM 32M / SRAM 2M), from the maintenance manual or Memory status screen.
What should I do before starting?: Enough free space on the storage device for the whole image set; a FROM 32MB / SRAM 2MB system writes 34 files (FROM00.IMG through FROM31.IMG plus SRAM00.IMG and SRAM01.IMG).. A stable, alarm-free controller. The maintenance manual warns that when an alarm is issued, data backup may be disabled, so keep routine backups current.. You can cycle controller power safely, because the actual image capture runs at the next power-on.. The destination directory path uses only English letters or numbers, or the image files corrupt on restore.. You know this controller's FROM/SRAM module size, since a restore requires an image set from a module of the same size..
What is the first step?: Understand what an image backup captures. The image backup function creates images of the F-ROM and S-RAM memories of the controller and saves them as several *.IMG files to a storage device. This is a full-memory snapshot, so it captures far more than the individual files that an "All of above" file backup writes. You start it from the FILE menu in cold (normal) start, and the real capture happens the next time the controller is turned on.

Full Image Backup

Understand what an image backup captures

Decide image backup versus file or automatic backup

Confirm the controller is stable and alarm-free

Choose and prepare the storage device

Insert the device and enable the teach pendant

Open the FILE screen and set the device

Set the backup path

Start the image backup from the BACKUP menu

Choose the destination directory

Clear any existing image files

Confirm the power cycle

Let the image backup run at boot without interruption

Confirm completion and handle failures

Verify the saved image set

Label, store, and know the restore path

Common questions