Using cPanel to create backups - which files to include?

[tomwood]

After ignoring the warning about doing a backup before upgrading, because I was lazy, I decided to look into it for next time. (All went well, so this is being forward-looking.) Also, I'm at A2 Hosting on a Linux server and was unaware of their debacle with their Windows servers until today. So I decided it's a good time to look into the backup process.

When using their 'backup wizard' I'm presented with this screen, which has that highlighted warning about not being able to use a full backup in cPanel.


Since I can't restore a full backup, do I get the full backup so I can send it to A2 if they need it? Or is there an advantage to getting just the partials?

 

[JonathanW]

Only the host can restore it, so yes you'd have to get A2 to do it for you.

 

[WSWD]

Since I can't restore a full backup, do I get the full backup so I can send it to A2 if they need it? Or is there an advantage to getting just the partials?

You definitely want the full backup, as not only can that be used on your current host, it can also be used on a different host in case things go really bad. For example, if the entire server crashes, it can be days before you are up and running again at some hosts. You simply give the full backup to a new host, change your nameservers, and you can be up and running again probably in 30 minutes to an hour. Ideally, that's what you want. Then if your host is down for days, you just move somewhere else, either temporarily or permanently.

The partial backups are handy in case something else gets messed up (i.e. a database, or you delete something you shouldn't have in your home directory, etc.) and you need to do a restore yourself.