Backup solution for noobs

sbj

sbj

Well-known member
Is there a good way for noobs to backup db and home directory to local HD on schedule?
Those php scripts are too much for me. I dont know how to use them.

I use shared hosting and I have a cpanel. I do daily backups manually but in future I want it that it is automated and which closes the forum, does the backup, and opens it again at a definite time.

I already used the search function but I don't understand what the people were saying.
 
I was in the process of starting a new thread when I saw this one and realised I totally fit the title...

I'm currently changing hosts and would like to use my new hosts cPanel transfer service to move my forum but they tell me my old host will only provide them a 2 day old backup of my site. I would really like the transfer to be current.

I've read the guides here about forum backup and I'm starting to get giddy with my head spinning. Could I use the recommended addon above by @SneakyDave then let my new host transfer my cPanel forum and then update my forum with the backup made?
 
I'm not familiar with cPanels transfers, so I'm not really sure.

My add-on just creates standard gzipped files for the database from the mysqldump utility, and a standard gzipped archive of the code with 'tar'.
 
SneakyDave said:
My add-on just creates standard gzipped files for the database from the mysqldump utility, and a standard gzipped archive of the code with 'tar'.
Click to expand...
So just say I used your add-on and backed up my forum in real time and then when my new host transfers my forum over via cPanel and the forum turns out 2 days old I could use this tar to bring my forum up to date again?

Sorry if that states the obvious, but how easy is it to reinstate a forum with a tar file backup?
 
SelfSufficientMe said:
I was in the process of starting a new thread when I saw this one and realised I totally fit the title...

I'm currently changing hosts and would like to use my new hosts cPanel transfer service to move my forum but they tell me my old host will only provide them a 2 day old backup of my site. I would really like the transfer to be current.

I've read the guides here about forum backup and I'm starting to get giddy with my head spinning. Could I use the recommended addon above by @SneakyDave then let my new host transfer my cPanel forum and then update my forum with the backup made?
Click to expand...
Do you use cPanel right now? And your new host is using cPanel? If both "YES" then you can try to ask your new host to help you to move your site (cpanel to cpanel transfer is really easy)
 
I'm also not very into these things but you must just log-in into your cpanel, there is a icon backups. Click it and go there. There you can download with 1 click your database and your complete home directory.

(Before you do that, turn off friendly urls in your xenforo settings, it did gave me some errors when I moved to new host).

Now, when you are at your new host, log-in to your new cpanel, go to backups again and restore your data. Ah, you will also need to create again a user for your database and so on.


Btw. I still couldn't find a solution for noobs to backup things. I'm following @SneakyDave 's add-on thread right now, but I don't know if the rar/zip files are the same as the ones of cpanel. Ah and his add-on makes backups into the same server your xenforo stuff is. Don't know how good this is. When the server is down, everything is down.
 
Sheratan said:
Do you use cPanel right now? And your new host is using cPanel? If both "YES" then you can try to ask your new host to help you to move your site (cpanel to cpanel transfer is really easy)
Click to expand...
Yes they are happy to transfer my cpanel but the new host told me that my old host won't give an up to date backup of cpanel for some reason. Come to think about it more it sounds stupid doesn't it...
 
If you, or your host, has the option to do a cPanel to cPanel transfer, I would suggest to do that.

SelfSufficientMe said:
So just say I used your add-on and backed up my forum in real time and then when my new host transfers my forum over via cPanel and the forum turns out 2 days old I could use this tar to bring my forum up to date again?
Click to expand...

Backups made with my addon, when restored, only restore what's in the backup, if that's what you're asking. Whatever backup system you're using, if you don't want to lose any board activity, you need to do that backup, close down your board, and restore the backup on another system.

For instance, with my backup add-on, you can have 2 files on your site's server, one for the database, one for the forum root, with names like:
Code: 
forumbackup_2014-09-17-023149.code.tar.gz
forumbackup_2014-09-18-030613.sql.gz

To restore the database, you would use this from the command line:
Code: 
gunzip < forumbackup_2014-09-18-030613.sql.gz | mysql -u [uname] -p[pass] [dbname]

To restore the code, you'd want to unzip the file:
Code: 
tar -zxvf forumbackup_2014-09-17-023149.code.tar.gz

Then look in the directory that was extracted to find your forum root, and move that to the location you want it.
Code: 
mv /some/backup/directory/structure/xfroot /new/forum/root
 
Ok, thanks mate for the explanation - at least that's clearer and easy to understand.

I still might have to hire someone to help me out if the cpanel to cpanel transfer continues to be an issue for my new tech support host though.
 
I am a noob on xenforo as well and I can't recall how many times when either installing add ons, upload or downloading files via FTP that I would break my site and totally be SOL and didn't like that I was at the mercy of my hosting company to restore the site. Half the time they didn't have a current backup, one that didn't work or got very tired of me requesting a restore. So finally I decided to purchase a paid third party backup service that does two backups a day of the website and the database. Now anytime I screw up I can simply restore my site with the click of a button back to any restore point I choose. This gives me totally peace of mind and no longer worry when working on the site and this service also monitors your site of any hackers or unusual activity.
 
MQK8 said:
So finally I decided to purchase a paid third party backup service that does two backups a day of the website and the database.
Click to expand...
Do you mind me asking which company? Feel free to send me the info in a conversation...

How does it work? Do you just give them access to your server or cPanel and they monitor it/backup through there?
 
SelfSufficientMe said:
Yes they are happy to transfer my cpanel but the new host told me that my old host won't give an up to date backup of cpanel for some reason. Come to think about it more it sounds stupid doesn't it...
Click to expand...
All you need to do is make your own back up via CPanel, download it to your local hard drive, , turn the site off, have new host do a Cpanel transfer (usually less then 24 hours) and turn the site back on, no lost content. My host does daily backups with the hosting package I use, most do. However, I usually do a weekly back up my self and save it locally on my hard drive.
 
tommydamic68 said:
All you need to do is make your own back up via CPanel, download it to your local hard drive, , turn the site off, have new host do a Cpanel transfer (usually less then 24 hours) and turn the site back on, no lost content. My host does daily backups with the hosting package I use, most do. However, I usually do a weekly back up my self and save it locally on my hard drive.
Click to expand...
I definitely need to get my understanding of this area squared away instead for relying on my host (especially if my site continues to grow as I hope it will) obviously my new host tech support had some issue cause they could only access a backup 2 days old. But in the end it's my responsibility to make sure my forum is backed up and I'm taking steps to do that thanks to everyone here giving me pointers and tips.
 
Being a newbie I don't know much but I know relying only on your hosting company doesn't sound too wise. JMHO. :)
 
MQK8 said:
I am a noob on xenforo as well and I can't recall how many times when either installing add ons, upload or downloading files via FTP that I would break my site and totally be SOL and didn't like that I was at the mercy of my hosting company to restore the site. Half the time they didn't have a current backup, one that didn't work or got very tired of me requesting a restore. So finally I decided to purchase a paid third party backup service that does two backups a day of the website and the database. Now anytime I screw up I can simply restore my site with the click of a button back to any restore point I choose. This gives me totally peace of mind and no longer worry when working on the site and this service also monitors your site of any hackers or unusual activity.
Click to expand...
does something like this actually exist @MattW
 
MQK8 said:
Being a newbie I don't know much but I know relying only on your hosting company doesn't sound too wise. JMHO. :)
Click to expand...

Based on some bad experiences on the subject, with various hosting companies in the past, I fully agree with this.
 
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