Backing up with Mysqldumper

[hitmann]

I'm trying to use Mysqldumper to backup my database, but it only makes a 8mb file everytime i run it, while my database is 40mb.

How do I make it do the full backup?

[Dismounted]

How are you backing up? Through the browser or crontab?

[hitmann]

Through the browser. I don't know how crontab works

[Marco van Herwaarden]

I suggest you ask at the support site for the software you are using.

[Dismounted]

Does the browser say dump finished when it finishes backing up (at the bottom of the page)?

[hitmann]

I can't see dump finished when the backup has ended. Here's what I get when it has finished:

http://i15.tinypic.com/8bqzfwh.gif


My database details:
139 Tables, 81737 Records, 42.29 MB


I haven't touched any of the default settings, apart from directory protection

[snakes1100]

You do realize that is a compressed file, uncompress the backup file and import it into a "NEW TEST DB" and compare it to your live site.

[Dismounted]

Yep, the dump should be complete. It's just compressed, that's why it's smaller.

[hitmann]

Alright, when I unzipped it, it went on the 40megs. Thanks guys.

I've got another problem though. The backup was made from a 3.6.8 live board and I've installed 3.7 b3 on my local machine. However, when I try to restore the database to the 3.7 installation from mysqldumper, I get some errors, like that:

Error in Query:

INSERT INTO `vBcustomavatar` (`userid`,`filedata`,`dateline`,`filename`,`visibl e`,`filesize`,`width`,`height`,`importcustomavatar id`) VALUES etc...etc...

Followed by weird characters like that:
��o����w\Z���|�F�:�7��㬰�<�$cr&�\'?c�+ a|Xlj��C\Zph!���LU� etc... etc...

[Dismounted]

Do your members post non-English characters?

[Eikinskjaldi]

The characters you are seeing are what happens when you do a dump of non text data from the database (in this case avatar pictures). There are a couple of solutions.

1) Toggle the settings in your ACP so that all images are stored on disk instead of in the database. This will remove the need for the avatar table altogether

2) I have never used mysqldumper, but the program it is based on (mysqldump) allows you to set --hexblob so that binary data is hex encoded (removing the weird characters, and most importantly the quotes). I assume mysqldumper will do the same.

[hitmann]

I've read in other posts on the forum that mysqldumper and other php backups will also cause this problem.
Apparently the best way to avoid this problem is to restore by SSH.

Would someone be kind enough to guide me through this process? I'm using Putty on XP Pro and want to restore the database on my local machine.

[Dismounted]

Backup:
http://www.vbulletin.com/docs/html/maintenance_ssh_backup

Restore:
http://www.vbulletin.com/docs/html/maintenance_ssh_restore