Backup of Vanilla just in case

alnokta

Hello I don't have shell access with the hosting package ... I have cpanel and phpmyadmin .... I thought about phpmyadmin export but I've found it is not good because of the size limit as said in this discussion http://lussumo.com/community/discussion/1424/db-backup-for-vanilla/#Item_0 So I'm wondering how should I backup Vanilla in case my hosting expired , DOS attack that destroys hd(happened once before) ...etc. with the options at my hand ?

minimum

i used http://www.navicat.com/ to move my forum to a new server because i didn't have shell access. there is a free 30day trial download.

Dinoboff

The export from phpmyadmin is still a good option for saving.
If, you sql file is bigger than 2mo, you will always find a solution to restore your BD with it. You could upload the backup on your server and create a script to execute it.

alnokta

@minimum : I won't move the hosting .. I like it ... also I don't pay a penny for it .. just contribute forum threads.... @Dinoboff : if I can upload it by some sort of script as you say then its the solution .. thanks fellow... I just hope that I won't need to do so ... do you have such a script?

DraganBabic

Give backup2mail a try.

Dinoboff

@ alnokta: I meant upload with ftp. The limit in phpmyadmin is due to a php limit, so any phpscript with have this limit problem. If the file is on the server already you just have to execute the the sql file.

alnokta

@DraganBabic : I don't have a Cron panel activated at cpanel though I think the relevant Perl modules are available ... @Dinoboff : "If the file is on the server already you just have to execute the the sql file." By what? phpmyadmin? or a php script?

alnokta

ِI've to do a demonstration and test it ... Will someone exactly tell me what to do if I lost everything and nothing left but a recent MySQL database dumped from phpMyAdmin? What to do ? install a new copy of Vanilla then change the database settings to point to the database I've dumped? If so ... How to import the database dump into a database again? according to what you say(dump bigger than 2MB) ... the only possible way is to upload the database dump through FTP then write a php script that imports that database dump into MySQL database again .... ....... NOW There are two problems:- 1- how to write this kind of script or it is already written ... 2- what if the MySQL server is different from the server where I've uploaded the the database dump? If ELSE ... how to restore the lost Vanilla? Please answer my questions so that I can rest in peace because all the backup talk and issues just makes me uneasy ....

falieson

phpbb has a nice backup feature, couldn't it be reverse engineered for vanilla purposes?

jimw

WP has a couple of nice backup plugins. Maybe I can port one of them to Vanilla. I also found a couple of other scripts that migh be helpful.

alnokta

I thought to give it a go .. and it worked proving the flexability Mark made in Vanilla ... Here is how it went: I didn't think of writing a php script that imports the database dump into a database(until I have a huge database(bigger than 2MB) I will stick to phpmyadmin's import option) ... Here is what do if you lost everything but a recent(or not) complete database dump using phpmyadmin with (Drop Table if Exists) option : Grab a fresh copy of Vanilla from http://www.getvanilla.com .. install it as you did before the disaster happened (with a new database) :P Now ... open phpmyadmin ... make a new database (or use MySQL section in cpanel) then click on the database you just created ...then click "Import" and choose the ".sql" file backuped before .. now be sure that the file contains the tables only and not instructions to recreate the database because you already done that! ... after it finishes ... Download this file(using Filezilla) "where-you-installed-vanilla/conf/database.php" and open this file in your favorite text editor ... and chnage the database name in "$Configuration['DATABASE_NAME'] = " into the name of the database you just created ... then you are good to go .. login to vanilla and start putting back what was lost (extensions, themes, etc.) ... I followed my instructions myself but I found some weird things : 1-When I first opened Vanilla in the browser /localhost/vanilla .... it took me directly to the login page .... I don't know why? ... anyway I tried to go to "Application Settings" and changed the option that says "Allow non-members to browse the forum" and saved and then activated it again ... it worked after that but I'm not sure if that what fixed it .... 2-When I click on "SignOut" ..it don't give me the original page .. see picture#1 for the original page... it give me strange page .. see picture#2 Picture#1 http://img155.imageshack.us/img155/9383/signoutoriginaloh2.jpg Picture#2 http://img155.imageshack.us/img155/7342/signoutspawneddd1.jpg So please if you read this ... don't ignore me ... say anything but don't ignore me .... I don't know if I'm forgetting something .... EDIT: I forgot to say ... @jimw : please do make that backup extension..

minimum

I should have been more clear when i metioned navicat earlier. it can be used for either a backup or moving a database to a new server. you've gotten that one figured out already though. ...as far as the "strange page" it looks like your path to your style could be off. double check that the path in the conf/setting.php doc is correct.

alnokta

"...as far as the "strange page" it looks like your path to your style could be off. double check that the path in the conf/setting.php doc is correct." I'm sure its not that because if I change the database to the database which the installer used ... it looks fine ... something else...

jimw

Here is a great reference for WP users that could also be applicable to Vanilla users in many ways. podz has made a lot of guides for doing things, one of which is backups and moving you blog/forum to say a usb stick. He has comparable instructions as above but in a more detailed set of steps. I have found the guides extremely worthwhile. I followed his steps when I installed wp/apache/xampp locally on my computer which worked quite well.