Q. I exported both the devices and vertices tables to a data file, and then imported the data file to a new InterMapper server to create a map. However, the import fails and the map is not created.
A. The export/import of data files isn't really intended as a means of copying a map, intact, from one server to another. It's really intended as a way to make mass changes to device/vertex/interface/etc. characteristics on a map without having to use the GUI on each one. The only proper way to copy a map, intact, from one server to another is to export it as a map file and import it again.
When you export all the characteristics of devices, you include a device ID and an IMID. When you export all the characteristics of vertices, you include a device ID. When you try to import the data on another server, it will try to find devices matching those IDs and make changes to them or their vertices, as appropriate. If devices matching those IDs don't exist (and they shouldn't), the import will fail.
If you export the devices without the device ID and IMID fields, you will then be able to import them on a different server; maps of the correct name will be made, and new devices will be created with the characteristics of the items in the data file; these devices will have device IDs.
However, if you export vertices without the device ID as you would need to in order to expect to import it elsewhere, you then lose any correlation to the devices in the devices data file. The only thing you can do at this point is to re-export the devices from the new server, find the new device IDs in the devices data file, and modify the vertices data file to include these device IDs, assuming you can figure out which vertex goes with which device. You will still have the problem that there will be vertices for networks which you will simply have to remove from the vertices data file. If you've done this right, you will then be able to import the vertices data file and the changes will be applied to vertices for devices.
