Backup Receive Updates For This Category
June 2, 2011 Troubleshooting 0 0
It is strongly recommended that you backup your database at regular intervals and before an upgrade.
Backup using cPanel X
cPanel is a popular control panel used by many web host. The backup feature can be used to backup your MySql database. Do not generate a full backup, as these are strictly for archival purposes and cannot be restored via cPanel. Look for Download a MySQL Database Backup and click the name of the database. A *.gz file will be downloaded to your local drive.
There is no need to unzip this file to restore it. Using the same cPanel program, browse to the gz file and upload it. Once the upload is complete, the bottom of the browser will indicate dump complete. If you are uploading to a new host, you will need to recreate the database user along with the matching password. If you change the password, make the corresponding change in the wp-config.php file.
Using MySQL Workbench
MySQL Workbench (formerly known as MySQL Administrator) is a program for performing administrative operations, such as configuring your MySQL server, monitoring its status and performance, starting and stopping it, managing users and connections, performing backups, restoring backups and a number of other administrative tasks.
You can perform most of those tasks using a command line interface such as that provided by mysqladmin or mysql, but MySQL Workbench is advantageous in the following respects:
- Its graphical user interface makes it more intuitive to use.
- It provides a better overview of the settings that are crucial for the performance, reliability, and security of your MySQL servers.
- It displays performance indicators graphically, thus making it easier to determine and tune server settings.
- It is available for Linux, Windows and MacOS X, and allows a remote client to backup the database across platforms. As long as you have access to the MySQL databases on the remote server, you can backup your data to wherever you have write access.
- There is no limit to the size of the database to be backed up as there is with phpMyAdmin.
Note: The instruction below was written for older version (MySQL Administrator).
Backing Up the Database
This assumes you have already installed MySQL Admin and set it up so that you can login to the MySQL Database Server either locally or remotely. Refer to the documentation that comes with the installation package of MySQL Admin for your platform for installation instructions.
- Open the MySQL Admin client and login as you had previously set up to do.
- From the icon menu on the left hand side of the client window select Backup.
- If you have not already created a Backup Project, do this now by clicking on the “New Project” button at the lower part of the window and type in a name for the Backup Project where prompted.
- Select one or more databases that you want to Backup (in the MySQL Admin client these are called a “Schema” (pl. “Schemata”)). Add them to the Backup Content window on the right using the right-pointing arrow button.
- When you have selected the Schema(ta), you can save the Backup Project. Or you may simply choose to Backup Now using the button on the lower right of the window.
- A dialogue will come up asking you where to put the Backup. Enter the pathname or browse to the location using the dialogue.
- Assuming all is correct (and you have write permissions in the directory to which you are writing the Backup), the backup will complete shortly.
Restoring From a Backup
- Open the MySQL Admin client and login as you had previously set up to do.
- From the icon menu on the left hand side of the client window select Restore.
- Click the “Open Backup File” button on the lower right of the window.
- Type in or browse to the Schema(ta) backup file and select. Click “Open”.
- The Target Schema(ta) will most likely be the “Original Location”, or you may choose an alternate location using the drop-down menu.
- Click the “Start Restore” button on the lower right of the window. The database restore will commence.
June 2, 2011 Troubleshooting 0 0
Your WordPress database contains every post, every comment and every link you have on your blog. If your database gets erased or corrupted, you stand to lose everything you have written. There are many reasons why this could happen and not all are things you can control. But what you can do is back up your data. After all, it is important. Right?
Below are instructions to back up your WordPress Site and your WordPress Database as well as resources for automatic WordPress backup. In addition, support is provided online at the WordPress Support Forum to help you through the process.
Making backups is essential because problems inevitably occur and you need to be in a position to take action when disaster strikes. Spending a few minutes to make an easy, convenient backup of your database will allow you to spend even more time being creative and productive with your website.
Answering Backup Questions
How often should you back up?
That depends on how often you blog, how often you want to do this, and how you would feel if your database were lost along with a few posts. It is your decision.
Can you use this method to back up other data?
Yes. And you should. Backups are good.
How many backups should I keep?
Excellent question. Most people make a backup and then just replace it every time. It saves space and is less to worry about. But what if that backup file is corrupted or lost? Then what? The general rule of thumb is to keep at least three backups and keep them in three different places or forms, like CD/DVDs, different hard drives, a thumbdrive, web disk, your e-mail account, etc.
My database backups are huge! Can I do anything about that?
Possibly. Typically, anti-spam and statistics plugins can add large amounts of data and because they are constantly gathering information, the database can swell significantly. When backing up the database, such information is probably not important to keep. Do not mark those tables for backup when selecting them during the backup process.
Can backups be automated?
Yes. There are several methods of automating the backup process available, but back up those auto backups with a manual backup every once in a while to guarantee that the process is working. See Backup Resources for more information.