Backups: How often do you do them?

Could you please share how you achieve this? Is it via the full backups system?

 

I use this, works perfectly for me.

Cron backups

 

For database backups - one server have it backed up every 9 hrs...

Example output from a custom script I wrote for some of my paying consult clients below. You get output logged to backuplogs directory log file + auto email copy of backup output.

• Auto check to see if backup target directory has enough free disk space to hold database backups and alerts you to lack of disk space
• All backup and deletion/rotation routines have inbuilt error checking and notification in case of failed backups occur
• Backups databases + database schema only (no data just table structure) + mysql user privileges/grants every 9hrs
• Saves the last 10-14 days of backups in compressed state and rotates and clean ups up older than 14 day backups only after built in error checking confirms backups were successful. If backup fails, inbuilt error detection aborts clean up/rotation and doesn't proceed with deletion routine
• Auto email notification after backup to list what was backed up, where it was backed up to and what was deleted (auto rotation/clean up)
• Auto log file created in backuplogs directory so you can look back at older backups, check disk usage and backup time trends etc
• Also logs how long each database backups took in seconds as well as how much cpu and memory usage was used for the process
• Uses multi-threaded gzip compression, pigz for up to 33x times faster compression speeds than gzip http://vbtechsupport.com/2094/. Posted about it here http://admin-talk.com/threads/7117/

Code:

Successfully backed up database: vb420pl3
Successfully backed up database schema: vb420pl3
pigz -1R /home/username/backups/vb420pl3_031212-004501.sql
pigz -1R /home/username/backups/vb420pl3_schema_031212-004501.sql
Number of backup files in /home/username/backups before backup or deletion: 114
Deleting older backup: /home/username/backups/vb420pl3_251112-004501.sql.gz
Deleting older backup: /home/username/backups/vb420pl3_schema_251112-004501.sql.gz
Number of backup files in /home/username/backups after backup or deletion: 114
 
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
/root/tools/mandbbackup.sh 0.0.9
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
/home/username/backups resides on partition which has
677083 Megabytes of disk space available
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
MySQL data directory located at: /home/mysql/
MySQL data directory size: 42851 Megabytes
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
[PASS] you have enough free disk space to store MySQL directory size on:
/home/username/backups
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Backup vb420pl3 Data: real: 131.86s cpu: 37% maxmem: 13280 KB cswaits: 35023
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Backup vb420pl3 Schema: real: 1.82s cpu: 2% maxmem: 6992 KB cswaits: 5479
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Deleting older backup: /home/username/backups/vb420pl3_251112-004501.sql.gz
Deleting older backup: /home/username/backups/vb420pl3_schema_251112-004501.sql.gz
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Backup MySQL user GRANT permissions for:
#mysqlusername root @ 127.0.0.1
 
*************************************************************************
created MySQL database backups at: /home/username/backups
*************************************************************************
Nov 25  09:47  182M  vb420pl3_251112-094501.sql.gz
Nov 25  09:47  26K    vb420pl3_schema_251112-094501.sql.gz
Nov 25  18:47  182M  vb420pl3_251112-184501.sql.gz
Nov 25  18:47  26K    vb420pl3_schema_251112-184501.sql.gz
Nov 26  00:47  182M  vb420pl3_261112-004501.sql.gz
Nov 26  00:47  26K    vb420pl3_schema_261112-004501.sql.gz
Nov 26  09:47  182M  vb420pl3_261112-094501.sql.gz
Nov 26  09:47  26K    vb420pl3_schema_261112-094501.sql.gz
Nov 26  18:47  182M  vb420pl3_261112-184501.sql.gz
Nov 26  18:47  26K    vb420pl3_schema_261112-184501.sql.gz
Nov 27  00:47  182M  vb420pl3_271112-004501.sql.gz
Nov 27  00:47  26K    vb420pl3_schema_271112-004501.sql.gz
Nov 27  09:47  182M  vb420pl3_271112-094501.sql.gz
Nov 27  09:47  26K    vb420pl3_schema_271112-094501.sql.gz
Nov 27  18:47  182M  vb420pl3_271112-184501.sql.gz
Nov 27  18:47  26K    vb420pl3_schema_271112-184501.sql.gz
Nov 28  00:47  182M  vb420pl3_281112-004501.sql.gz
Nov 28  00:47  26K    vb420pl3_schema_281112-004501.sql.gz
Nov 28  09:47  182M  vb420pl3_281112-094501.sql.gz
Nov 28  09:47  26K    vb420pl3_schema_281112-094501.sql.gz
Nov 28  18:47  182M  vb420pl3_281112-184501.sql.gz
Nov 28  18:47  26K    vb420pl3_schema_281112-184501.sql.gz
Nov 29  00:47  182M  vb420pl3_291112-004501.sql.gz
Nov 29  00:47  26K    vb420pl3_schema_291112-004501.sql.gz
Nov 29  09:47  182M  vb420pl3_291112-094501.sql.gz
Nov 29  09:47  26K    vb420pl3_schema_291112-094501.sql.gz
Nov 29  18:47  182M  vb420pl3_291112-184501.sql.gz
Nov 29  18:47  26K    vb420pl3_schema_291112-184501.sql.gz
Nov 30  00:47  182M  vb420pl3_301112-004501.sql.gz
Nov 30  00:47  26K    vb420pl3_schema_301112-004501.sql.gz
Nov 30  09:47  182M  vb420pl3_301112-094501.sql.gz
Nov 30  09:47  26K    vb420pl3_schema_301112-094501.sql.gz
Nov 30  18:47  182M  vb420pl3_301112-184501.sql.gz
Nov 30  18:47  26K    vb420pl3_schema_301112-184501.sql.gz
Dec 1  00:47  182M  vb420pl3_011212-004501.sql.gz
Dec 1  00:47  26K    vb420pl3_schema_011212-004501.sql.gz
Dec 1  09:47  182M  vb420pl3_011212-094501.sql.gz
Dec 1  09:47  26K    vb420pl3_schema_011212-094501.sql.gz
Dec 1  18:47  182M  vb420pl3_011212-184501.sql.gz
Dec 1  18:47  26K    vb420pl3_schema_011212-184501.sql.gz
Dec 2  00:47  182M  vb420pl3_021212-004501.sql.gz
Dec 2  00:47  26K    vb420pl3_schema_021212-004501.sql.gz
Dec 2  09:47  182M  vb420pl3_021212-094501.sql.gz
Dec 2  09:47  26K    vb420pl3_schema_021212-094501.sql.gz
Dec 2  18:47  182M  vb420pl3_021212-184501.sql.gz
Dec 2  18:47  26K    vb420pl3_schema_021212-184501.sql.gz
Dec 3  00:47  182M  vb420pl3_031212-004501.sql.gz
Dec 3  00:47  26K    vb420pl3_schema_031212-004501.sql.gz
 
*************************************************************************
created MySQL user GRANT backups at: /home/username/backups
*************************************************************************
Dec 1  22:35  1.8K  backup_mysqlgrants_011212-223528.sql.gz
Dec 1  22:42  1.8K  backup_mysqlgrants_011212-224207.sql.gz
Dec 1  22:42  1.8K  backup_mysqlgrants_011212-224248.sql.gz
Dec 1  22:44  1.8K  backup_mysqlgrants_011212-224451.sql.gz
Dec 2  00:48  1.8K  backup_mysqlgrants_021212-004501.sql.gz
Dec 2  00:54  1.8K  backup_mysqlgrants_021212-005013.sql.gz
Dec 2  09:48  1.8K  backup_mysqlgrants_021212-094501.sql.gz
Dec 2  09:54  1.8K  backup_mysqlgrants_021212-095013.sql.gz
Dec 2  18:48  1.8K  backup_mysqlgrants_021212-184501.sql.gz
Dec 2  18:54  1.8K  backup_mysqlgrants_021212-185011.sql.gz
Dec 3  00:48  1.8K  backup_mysqlgrants_031212-004501.sql.gz
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Last backup sql / file(s) created at:
/home/username/backups/vb420pl3_031212-004501.sql.gz
/home/username/backups/vb420pl3_schema_031212-004501.sql.gz
/home/username/backups/backup_mysqlgrants_031212-004501.sql.gz
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Backup Log:
/home/username/backuplogs/vb420pl3_backup_031212-004501.log

 

I'd say twice every month, but at times I do it as many as once a week that's before I get lazy or distracted with other things. I recommend a regular back up though.

 

Twice Daily. Members get pissed by loss of data.

 

My databases get backed up daily using a cron job.

I also download copies of my databases and forum installations to a local hard drive weekly. That is a real chore but it's paid off on more than one occasion because of catastrophic failures (including backups) at the hosting facility. To date the most data I've lost was around 36 hours worth.

 

I actually haven't made a backup for my current forum but hopefully it will be ok i may do one soon enough ~(if my host allows me) if they don't then sadly ill have to pray nothing happens to x10hosting or my site

 

I back up ever 3 days because my website is really small right now. How ever if it was busy I would be doing daily backups.

Greg

 

My forum database gets backed up daily to my home server and an entire cPanel backup is done twice a week to my home server.

Both things are automated so I don't have to do anything. An email is sent notifying me that the backup was successful.

 

I've changed since then. I now have a backup VPS with a seperate company. Daily cPanel backups go there automatically.