Server URL complexity in ODK Central

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1

Hi,

I need to understand the server URL concept in ODK Central. In ODK aggregate, there was only single server URL (http://odk.abc.com), while in ODK Central, the URL is more advanced to accommodate projects and users in managed QR codes (https://odk.abc.com/v1/key/O6J3VkWCJ3IsF3$LSEepPY$vmyQX257iAzpuxjGSDcbmb9mK8ji!p!iaD8tuv12Y/projects/2). Now, I need to know if the key mentioned in the URL changes if I setup a new server and upload the same form?

My line of question is coming from this. I had a project running on server A on AWS, running ODK aggregate. The server got some issue, so I setup another server quickly, setup ODK on it, loaded exactly same forms, changed the domain name to new IP address, and everything started pointing to new server and working fine. In this whole process, I did not have to ask the field users to change anything on their side, since their phones only contained a server URL carrying a domain name, which pointed to my IP (which I changed behind the scenes). Now, in ODK central, if I try to setup a new server with same duplicate forms, would the server URL key remain the same, or will it change?

I hope my explanation is clear. Please feel free to ask if something needs more explanation.

Thanks,
Saad

2

My understanding is that the key is related to the app user. A new server will require recreating the app users, so the token will not be the same. I'm not sure what system settings a backup saves (or if it is just forms and data) - could you try restoring from a backup (available under "System Management" in Central) and see what happens?

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