Installing PT12HD from PT11..Need to ensure my saved Plugin settings don't get erased

[rcd]

Hi, I'm upgrading from HD11 to HD12 and need to make certain all my plugin settings that I saved in the plugin drop menu will not be lost through the upgrade.
Do I need to perform a backup of all these plugin settings or does the upgrade process automatically keep them saved?
If I do need to back the plugin settings up, what are the exact steps please?

Also, I was having a latency issue in 11, was there a fix in 12 to address anything latency related? (Latency issue was when I was tracking with hardware inserts on).
Thank You!