Administrative and Maintenance Tools - vB Database Backup

This modification is no longer available or supported.

Note: Because I did not write the original version, but rather have modified & adapted it, support of this modification may be limited

When vb 3.5 first came out I was using this backup system on my vb 3.0 - and having nothing better to use - I converted it to work on vb 3.5 (here) and since then I have cut it down and adapted it, first for vb 3.6 and now for vb3.7.

The original version was by Trigunflame and the rights to the code were bought by Zoints (D.Chapman) in January. In 2007 David gave me permission to release my adaptation.

I have stripped out much of the extra stuff that I do not use (or indeed, could not get to work). This is a simple (lite) version that does a php based dump of your database either as one file, or one file per table.

Notes:
* I will not add anything new to this, or spend vast amounts of time supporting it.
* This is a Lite version to allow people to use the basic backup functionality on 3.7.


History:

v3.7.001 : First version for vB 3.7.

[HybridIllusions]

I've modified this script to create a folder per day, while it creates a backup file in the folder every 6 hours. How is this different? Well, instead of it rewriting the file, it'll make a new one, thus a 6 hour cron per day gives around 4 backup files per folder. I did this by forcing the file name to be a time, instead of a date, as well as

Thus it just creates a new file for each time that a new backup is made, in one folder per day (since the folder name is just the date and not the time, thus it doesn't create another one). How does this help? Well, it helps keep backups of times where the forums could be up and running great, but prevent backing up or replacing a backup of when the forums were hacked or whatever.

So, lets say your forum was backed up. Awesome! Now, sometime before the next backup, a hacker or someone you thought you could trust goes crazy and deletes all posts, users, or just generally messes up the software data. Well, unless caught before the next backup and the forums are running fine enough to use crons, then it'll replace the old backup file with the screwed up one. Thus, the backup won't help in that situation...

So, I just have it do a 6 hour backup per day, thus around 4 backup files in one daily folder. Anyways, just wanted to explain this, and am willing to help or re-release my modified version that does just this. However, I would need permission first, so that's why I'm posting.

If not, oh well. Thanks for releasing a killer mod! Definitely making me feel at ease

[nothing4me]

I get the error:

An error occured during the Backup : Could not open Destination SQL file for writing.

[HybridIllusions]

Originally Posted by nothing4me

I get the error:

Make sure the path to store the backups is correct (must create a all folders in the path, if not already created)

[drsli]

Originally Posted by Paul M

As I recall, this has a 1 hour script timeout so maybe you are exceeding that. Try upping it to 2 hours. There are no size restrictions in this other than ones the OS you are running may apply.

First of all - thank you very much for providing this useful enhancement!

Regarding the timeouts I wonder about the flaweless function of this tool within my server-restrictions: as my provider told me, there is a timeout of 30 seconds regarding perl- and php-sripts. My database is growing beyond 30 mbs, maybe that could provoke an interruption of the backup-tool with an incomplete dump?

[Paul M]

This should override the 30 second default timeout in php.

[Phaedrus]

How different is this from the 3.6 version that I currently run?

[Paul M]

Minor changes, no need to change it if the 3.6 version is running ok for you.

[Phaedrus]

Originally Posted by Paul M

Minor changes, no need to change it if the 3.6 version is running ok for you.

Very good. I'll mark this one as installed though.

I love this mod. It has made my life much easier.

[SMO]

Paul, just to clarify, and more for my sake... does this have the capability to back up to db on my server automatically and dump thie old one? Where does it save? In what format does it save? Sorry if this had been answered but I couldnt find the exact issues.

thanks

[Phaedrus]

Originally Posted by SMO

Paul, just to clarify, and more for my sake... does this have the capability to back up to db on my server automatically and dump thie old one? Where does it save? In what format does it save? Sorry if this had been answered but I couldnt find the exact issues.

thanks

This simply backs up your database to somewhere on your server according to the cron timer..

You tell it which file it writes to. Mine goes into a file above the public area so nobody can access it but me...

It has no ability to upload the db, you would have to do that through more mundane means.