Add the Course Converter block

  1. On the site's homepage, select Turn editing on.
  2. In the Add a Block menu, select Course Converter. The Course Converter block is available on your site.

If you don’t see Course Converter in the Add a Block menu, you may need to install or show it. From Site administration select Plugins, Blocks and Manage Blocks.

Upload your LMS files

  1. From the Course Converter block, select Manage Files.
  2. In the Upload a file for converting area, select Choose a file to search for a File to upload.

    You can also drag and drop the files in the File to upload box.

  3. In Upload a file, select Choose File, select the location of the file, and select Upload this File.
  4. Select Save changes. The files are uploaded and appear in the Uploaded files area in alphabetical order.

Convert the LMS file to the Moodle 1.9 format

After you have uploaded the LMS course backup files, you can convert the LMS course backups to Moodle 1.9 course backups using the Convert tab.

  1. From the Course Converter block, select Convert.
  2. Select the LMS used for the files from the Converter menu.
  3. Select the Moodle 1.9 course format to convert to in the Format menu. Depending on the Converter selected, options include Folder View format, Weekly View format, or Topics View format.
  4. Select the LMS course backup files to convert.

    For clients who are uploading files from several LMS systems or different versions of an LMS, make sure that the LMS course backup files are named to identify the LMS and version. The Convert tab only allows the selection of one LMS and version to convert from at a time and the tool will try to convert any file selected, even if it is from a different LMS or an incompatible version.

  5. After you answered all the questions concerning the conversion, click Convert. The conversion process starts. Watch the progress of each file's conversion on screen.

After you convert the LMS content to Moodle 1.9, you need to convert format 1.9 to 2.0. 

The Manage converted files tab allows the site administrator to manage all of the Moodle 1.9 course backup files that have been converted. From here you can delete or restore any converted LMS file.

Convert Moodle 1.9 to 2.0

From version 2.3 and later, all 1.9 course backup files without user data can be converted directly from the Course Restore area. The Convert 1.9 to 2.0 Backups utility assists clients who are upgrading from version 1.9 or clients who are switching from another Learning Management System (LMS) and have converted all of their courses using Course Converter block or via Blackboard Open LMS. This utility requests a conversion of one or more 1.9 courses. A backend process takes the courses and restores them into a 1.9 site, upgrades the 1.9 site to 2.0 and then backs up those courses. The 2.0 backup files are then placed back on the client's site for restoration or download.

Blackboard recommends that clients with multiple courses to be converted and for 1.9 courses that include user data in their backup files use the processes on this page. If there are only a few courses to convert, and they do not have user data saved inside them, it is a faster process to convert them directly in the Restore area of a course.

Process overview

These steps describe how the process works.

  1. Site administrator uploads 1.9 course backup files.
  2. Site Administrator requests the 1.9 course backup files be converted to 2.0.
  3. Request added to conversion queue.
  4. Requests higher in the queue are processed.
  5. Request reaches top of the queue kicking off conversion process.
  6. Temporary 1.9 site created.
  7. Requested backup files copied to temporary 1.9 site.
  8. 1.9 backup files are restored into the temporary 1.9 site.
  9. Temporary 1.9 site upgraded to temporary version 2 site.
  10. All courses on temporary version 2 site are backed up.
  11. All backup files are moved to client's site moodledata/moodle19to20/converted directory.
  12. Email sent to client notifying them that the conversion is complete.

Access Convert 1.9 to 2.0 Backups Utility

  • Access the Convert 1.9 to 2.0 Backups utility from the Administration block.

    From the Administration block, click Site administration, then Blackboard Open LMS, and then Convert 1.9 to 2.0 backups.

The Convert 1.9 to 2.0 Backups utility is separated into three tabs:

  • 1.9 Backups (ready): Contains all 1.9 course backup files not processed and allows a site administrator to upload new files. These are the course backups that are available to be converted. This tab matches the directory moodle19to20/ready under your moodledata directory for the site. This tab also displays the amount of storage used during the conversion process.
  • 2.0 Backups (converted): Contains all 2.0 course backups that have been created via the conversion process. This tab matches the directory moodle19to20/converted under your moodledata directory for the site. This tab also displays the amount of storage used by the course backup files in each of the directories.
  • 1.9 Backups archive (archived): Contains all 1.9 course backup files that have been converted. This tab matches the directory moodle19to20/archived under your moodledata directory for the site.

Upload and convert 1.9 to 2.0

If you are coming from another Learning Management System (LMS) and converted all of your courses using the Course Converter block or using Blackboard Open LMS provided services, those courses were converted to a Moodle 1.9 backup. You next step is to convert those files into a 2.0 format using the Backup 1.9 to 2.0 Utility.

Blackboard recommends manually uploading files when you only have a couple of "outlier" files requiring migration. Blackboard recommends SFTP if you need to migrate multiple files or particularly large files.

Manually upload and convert the files

Steps: Administration > Site administration > Blackboard Open LMS > Convert 1.9 to 2.0 backups

  1. From Site administration select Blackboard Open LMS and Convert 1.9 to 2.0 backups.
  2. Upload the files:
    • Select Upload Moodle 1.9 backup file.
    • Select Choose a file and select a file from your hard drive or network for upload.
    • Select Upload.
    • Repeat for any additional files.
  3. Request conversion to a 2.0 backup:
    • Check each course to migrate. You can also use the Select All option.
    • Select Submit request for processing.
    • Type your email address in the Request notifications sent to box.
      After the file migration is complete, you are notified using this email address.
    • Select Submit request for processing.
      You receive the backup notification in your email. You also receive an email from the Blackboard Blackboard Open LMS Support team indicating that your files have been migrated.
  4. Select the 2.0 Backups (converted) tab to view the migrated backups.
    If the migration is successful, the converted files display in the 2.0 Backups (converted) tab and the backup file is removed from the 1.9 Backups (ready) tab and be listed in the 1.9 Backups Archive (archived) tab.

    Eventually, delete the archived backup files after they have been converted to save you server space and money.

  5. Copy the files to site backups or restore them:
    • To copy the files to the site backups:
      • Check the files you want to move. You can also use the Select All option.
      • Select Copy to site backups from the Select menu.
    • To restore the files to the site:
      • Check the files you want to restore. You can also use the Select All option.
      • Select Restore from the Select menu.
      • Select the category for the files to reside from the Restore into this category menu.
      • Select all files you want to restore.
      • Check Unattended operation to run the restore automatically.
      • Select Restore now.
        The restore process begins and may take some time.
  6. Repeat this process for any additional files you want to migrate from a 1.9 backup to 2.0.

Upload 1.9 course backups and batch upload to 2.0 Converter

Steps: Administration > Site administration > Blackboard Open LMS > Convert 1.9 to 2.0 backups

  1. From Site administration select Blackboard Open LMS and Convert 1.9 to 2.0 backups.
  2. Get the SFTP login information for the specific 2.0 site.
    The Convert 1.9 to 2.0 backups page displays the SFTP login information for your specific Moodle 2.0 site. The Moodle 2.0 converter shows the directory (towards the bottom) where you can SFTP the files into. You need this directory information later.
  3. Login to the SFTP client.

    You need to have the Course Conversion SFTP drop-box setup.

  4. Upload the files.
    Upload/batch all of the Moodle 1.9 course backups to the directory that is provided in the 2.0 converter, which is either your production or development Moodle-site. After you upload all of the files to the directory, then you are able to 'process' the Moodle 1.9 to 2.0 conversion.
  5. Request conversion to a 2.0 backup:
    • Check each course to migrate. You can also use the Select All option.
    • Select Submit request for processing.
    • Type your email address in the Request notifications sent to box.
      After the file migration is complete, you are notified using this email address.
    • Select Submit request for processing.
      You receive the backup notification in your email. You also receive an email from the Blackboard Open LMS Support team indicating that your files have been migrated.
  6. Select the 2.0 Backups (converted) tab to view the migrated backups.
    If the migration is successful, the converted files display in the 2.0 Backups (converted) tab and the backup file is removed from the 1.9 Backups (ready) tab and be listed in the 1.9 Backups Archive (archived) tab.

    Eventually, delete the archived backup files after they have been converted to save you server space and money.

  7. Copy the files to site backups or restore them:
    • To copy the files to the site backups:
      • Check the files you want to move. You can also use the Select All option.
      • Select Copy to site backups from the Select menu.
    • To restore the files to the site:
      • Check the files you want to restore. You can also use the Select All option.
      • Select Restore from the Select menu.
      • Select the category for the files to reside from the Restore into this category menu.
      • Select all files you want to restore.
      • Check Unattended operation to run the restore automatically.
      • Select Restore now.
        The restore process begins and may take some time.

SFTP set up for course backup files

The 1.9 and 2.0 course backup files can be uploaded to or downloaded from your site in batch or one at a time using your FTP/SFTP program. These are a few recommended SFTP programs:

Set Up Your SFTP Connection

  1. First, connect to your SFTP account using the information provided by a Blackboard Open LMS representative. You are initially placed in a Clients directory.
  2. Navigate to the /clients/<sitename>/moodle19to20/ directory. Replace the <sitename> string with the beginning of the URL for your site provided by Blackboard.
  3. Select one of the three directories that the Convert 1.9 to 2.0 Backups utility can use for the data:
    • Archived: Corresponds to the 1.9 Backups Archive (archived) tab, where you can download all of your archived 1.9 course backup .zip files after they have been converted.
    • Converted: Corresponds to the 2.0 Backups (converted) tab, where you can download all of your converted 2.0 course backup .zip files after they have been created from the 1.9 course backups.
    • Ready: Corresponds to the 1.9 Backups (ready) tab, where you can upload all of your 1.9 course backup .zip files. You see a list of all the files you have uploaded using the Upload 1.9 backup file interface. The file you upload is added to the Directory listing for moodledata/moodle19to20/ready/ area of the 1.9 Backups (ready) tab on your site.

Move a Backup from the Course Converter Block to Convert

Steps: Administration > Site administration > Blackboard Open LMS > Convert 1.9 to 2.0 backups > Move backups from Course Converter

If you have converted course backup files from another Learning Management System (LMS), you can use the Move backups from Course Converter button to select files to move to the Convert 1.9 to 2.0 Backups utility.

  1. From Site administration select Blackboard Open LMS and Convert 1.9 to 2.0 backups.
  2. Select Move backups from Course Converter to locate 1.9 course backups to move from the Course Converter block.
    This button doesn't appear if you do not have the Course Converter block added to a page on your site.
  3. Check each 1.9 course backup file you want to move to the Convert 1.9 to 2.0 Backups utility for conversion.
    You can use the Select all option as needed.
  4. Select Move files
    The file is added to the Directory listing for moodledata/moodle19to20/ready/ area in alphabetical order.

The files in the Course Converter block are moved, NOT COPIED. We recommend you either download a copy of the file locally or ensure you have the original LMS course backup file before you select Move files.

Download backup files

Steps: Administration > Site administration > Blackboard Open LMS > Convert 1.9 to 2.0 backups

You can use the Backup 1.9 to 2.0 Utility to download copies of the course file backups. Use this feature to have a hard copy of the files.

  1. From Site administration select Blackboard Open LMS and Convert 1.9 to 2.0 backups.
  2. Select the file to download.
    • Download files that are ready to be converted to 2.0: Select Download from the file contextual menu.
    • Download files already converted to 2.0: Select 2.0 Backups (converted). Select Download from the file contextual menu.
    • Archived files: Select 1.9 Backups Archive (archived). Select Download from the file contextual menu.
  3. Select Save File and select where to open the information.

Delete backup files

Steps: Administration > Site administration > Blackboard Open LMS > Convert 1.9 to 2.0 backups

You can delete any of the course files that are no longer needed. Deleting files will save storage space.

  1. From Site administration select Blackboard Open LMS and Convert 1.9 to 2.0 backups.
  2. Select the files to delete.
    • 1.9 course backup files: Check the files to delete. You can also choose Select All. Select Delete from the file contextual menu.
    • 2.0 course backup files: Select 2.0 Backups (converted). Check the files to delete. You can also choose Select All. Select Delete from the file contextual menu.
    • Archived files: Select 1.9 Backups Archive (archived). Check the files to delete. You can also choose Select All. Select Delete from the file contextual menu.
  3. Select Continue to confirm the deletion.

    The information is deleted from the directory.

Move archived backup files to ready

Steps: Administration > Site administration > Blackboard Open LMS > Convert 1.9 to 2.0 backups

You can move archived files back to the ready for conversion status if required.

  1. From Site administration select Blackboard Open LMS and Convert 1.9 to 2.0 backups.
  2. Select the 1.9 Backups Archive (archived) tab.
  3. Check the files to move.

    You can also select Select All.

  4. Select Move to ready from the menu.

    You are returned to the 1.9 Backups Archive (archived) tab, where the files are moved.