Can you provide any insight to new backup methods, especially for those of us who do not use cpanel.

I’ve tried numerous methods including wget, site-vault software, Rsync technology and now I’m looking at a new web based service due to come out called SitePlanB.

I’m looking for something that’s simple, gets all my web files and mysql databases and that can be automated. File versioning would definitely be a plus.

Thanks in advance for suggestions. – Jen

I find your cpanel backup tutorial very helpful.

One lesson I’ve learned not to long ago in just how important backups are – Few months ago our web host SiteFusion3000 has gone out of business – Our site along with the contents vanished of the Internet. We had to recreate the whole thing all over again and waste 5 weeks and almost 3k on rebuilding from scrach. I highly recommend using an automated backup solution to stay safe. Or at least do periodical backups. We use http://www.websitebackup.ca for mirroring our website on weekly basis. If you are running a web based business you should always make sure you have a backup – I do not count on your web host staying in business.

Carson

I had a very strange problem that after backing up my sql, I wasn’t able to restore it, although the mysql was newer, someone has any idea?

Here is the link:

http://www.cpsitesaver.com

Hope this helps your visitors.

Jahn

“If your host doesn’t provide you with one click back up or another form of back up capabilities from the control panel…”

I’d suggest that you find a new host if this is the case. Not providing a backup option is unacceptable in today’s environment.

Also, when you click on the Cpanel Backup icon shown in Teli’s post, you’ll be taken to another screen. At the very top of that screen, in tiny font, is:

Generate/Download a Full Backup

If you click on that, you will generate a FULL backup of the domain in question, includes email, all files, all MySQL databases, etc., in one file. There is no need for a separate database backup from PHPMyAdmin in this case. The backup file will be placed into the FTP root directory (not the public_html web root), and you can download it easily with FTP .

Jeff

Now THAT was a useful blog-post!

We all need reminders to do back-ups,
before the avenging avatar of computer
failures, (Vishnu-Shiva-BillGates)
reminds us via thunderbolt from the blue.

I also appreciate what Jeff said
about ease of restoring a cpanel site.

Thanks all…

Jim

I’ll try to answer that. It’s not host specific (unless it’s a proprietary backup), but it is “type of server” specific.

If you backup on a Cpanel server, you should be able to install the backup to another Cpanel server at a different host without too much trouble.

But if you backup on Cpanel, and try to reinstall to, for example, Ensim, you may run into problems, because the system directory structures are different. Those can often be worked around with .htaccess and mod_rewrite, but it may not be easy.

I only recommend Cpanel hosting by the way. It has a few problems, as do all control panels, but I think Cpanel is the easiest and most intuitive control panel available.

Jeff