# Migrating Tableau Server to new hardware

*Tableau Server Administrator Study Guide · Migration & Upgrade · Last updated November 13, 2026 · https://www.certifyforce.com/study-guide/tableau-server-administrator/migration-and-upgrade/migrating-tableau-server-to-new-hardware*

Move Tableau Server to a new Windows computer, or from Windows to Linux, with a backup and restore: the restore prerequisites, where the .tsbak goes, when to deactivate the old product key, and what a cross-platform restore does and does not bring across.

- Certification: Salesforce Tableau Server Administrator
- Exam section: Migration & Upgrade
- Study guide: https://www.certifyforce.com/study-guide/tableau-server-administrator

**Official exam objective:**

> 5.3 Describe how to migrate to different hardware

## What the exam expects

- Describe the backup-and-restore procedure that moves Tableau Server data to a new computer.
- Find and, if needed, change the folder the restore command reads the backup from.
- Decide when to deactivate the product key on the old computer, and why activations matter.
- Apply the restore prerequisites: same identity store type, same or newer version, a clean target.
- Explain what changes when the target runs Tableau Server on Linux.

Key terms:
- **Hardware migration:** moving Tableau Server data from the production computer to a new computer where Tableau Server is installed.
- **.tsbak:** the backup file that `tsm maintenance backup` creates and `tsm maintenance restore` reads.
- **basefilepath.backuprestore:** the TSM configuration key that sets the backup and restore folder.
- **Activation:** using a product key on a computer; the same key can be activated up to three times.
- **Identity store:** local authentication or Active Directory/LDAP, chosen when the server is initialized.

## Key facts

| Fact | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Restore command | `tsm maintenance restore -f <filename>` between `tsm stop` and `tsm start` | [Migrate to New Hardware](https://help.tableau.com/current/server/en-us/upgrade_migrate.htm) |
| Restore input folder | Set by `basefilepath.backuprestore`; read it with `tsm configuration get` | [tsm File Paths](https://help.tableau.com/current/server/en-us/cli_default_filepaths_tsm.htm) |
| Default backups folder | `C:\ProgramData\Tableau\Tableau Server\data\tabsvc\files\backups\` | [tsm File Paths](https://help.tableau.com/current/server/en-us/cli_default_filepaths_tsm.htm) |
| Changing a basefilepath | Existing files are not moved; not at a drive root | [tsm File Paths](https://help.tableau.com/current/server/en-us/cli_default_filepaths_tsm.htm) |
| Activations per key | Up to three | [Migrate to New Hardware](https://help.tableau.com/current/server/en-us/upgrade_migrate.htm) |
| Late deactivation | After testing confirms the new server is ready for production | [Migrate to New Hardware](https://help.tableau.com/current/server/en-us/upgrade_migrate.htm) |
| Identity store | Backup and target must use the same type | [Restore from a Backup](https://help.tableau.com/current/server/en-us/db_restore.htm) |
| Version | Restore only to the same or a newer version | [Restore from a Backup](https://help.tableau.com/current/server/en-us/db_restore.htm) |
| Cluster restore | Run on the TSM Controller node | [Restore from a Backup](https://help.tableau.com/current/server/en-us/db_restore.htm) |
| Windows backup on Linux | Content restores; customizations and Windows configuration do not | [Windows to Linux](https://help.tableau.com/current/server/en-us/restore_from_backup_linux.htm), [Full Backup and Restore (Linux)](https://help.tableau.com/current/server-linux/en-us/backup_restore.htm) |

## Check yourself

- How many times can the same Tableau Server product key be activated?
- Which part of a server does a `.tsbak` backup not carry, and how does it travel instead?
- Why might built-in administrative views fail on a Linux test server after the restore?
- When are the additional nodes of a distributed installation installed during a hardware migration?

## Sources

- [Migrate to New Hardware](https://help.tableau.com/current/server/en-us/upgrade_migrate.htm)
- [Migrate Tableau Server from Windows to Linux](https://help.tableau.com/current/server/en-us/restore_from_backup_linux.htm)
- [tsm File Paths](https://help.tableau.com/current/server/en-us/cli_default_filepaths_tsm.htm)
- [Restore from a Backup](https://help.tableau.com/current/server/en-us/db_restore.htm)
- [Perform a Full Backup and Restore of Tableau Server](https://help.tableau.com/current/server/en-us/backup_restore.htm)
- [Perform a Full Backup and Restore of Tableau Server (Linux)](https://help.tableau.com/current/server-linux/en-us/backup_restore.htm)
- [Upgrading Tableau Server (Windows)](https://help.tableau.com/current/server/en-us/sug_plan.htm)

## About the full unit

The "Core concepts", "Exam traps" and "Worked scenario" sections of this unit, its 3 linked practice questions, and unlimited timed mock exams are included with the Tableau Server Administrator pack (USD $19): https://www.certifyforce.com/practice-exams