We needed to restore our server over the weekend. We have been using the back up option from with in ISPConfig. I wantt to be able to use the simple click restore option available in ISPConfig in order to restore the backed up files. We now need to use some of the back ups stored offsite. I know where ISPConfig stores the files. So, I took the needed files and placed them in that folder. I corrected the permissions, and confirmed that the owner was good. I was expecting the files to be seen from within ISPConfig once I logged back in after placing the files. They were not visible. What might I be missing or did not do correctly? Thanks Joseph
ISPConfig can restore backups only that are made by this ISPConfig instance and therefore listed in the dbispconfig database. Placing files e.g. from another ispconfig server can not be restored like this. To me, it seems as if you did not restore the original ispconfig database? What might work in case you did not restore the database is that you try to manually create records for the old files in the website backup table, but never tried to do that.
Hi Till. The back up files came from the same ISPConfig instance. So, if I understand what you said, they should be listed in teh ISPCOnfig database. UNless when ISPConfig deletes them, the information in the DB is still there So: How can my ISPConfig use back up files that it made, but were moved of site for storage?
If the information in the db is there, the backups will be listed in the "Existing Backups" list for the website or email mailbox. If you moved the actual files from the location they were created, all you would need to do is copy the backup files back to that location, and you could then use the normal restore functions.
Thanks Jesse I did copy the files back to the backup directory from where the came: /var/backup/domainname(webxx) After going back in ISPConfig, they do not appear in the back up files that I can use to restore. Does ISPConfig erase the files name fromthe DB when the files are erased/removed? Or, do they stay there indefinitely, in the even that a back up is needed from an older back up file? Thanks for all the help.
It does cleanup, ie. it will remove db entries for backup files which do not exist, and it will remove appropriately named backup files without matching db entries. IIRC, this is done in a cronjob, probably nightly, so if you restore both the dbispconfig database and the backup files at the same time (and don't wait a day in between) you should be fine.
They get removed from the database in case the backup file does not exist anymore plus old backups get removed depending on your backup settings automatically as part of the backup rotation. It's not a good idea to manually remove backup files, ISPConfig has a builtin auto mount function, so you can have the backups on a separate backup server or network drive.
Thanks Til. I've never manually removed the files. They were always removed automatically. I used a script to copy the back ups to another location. I did not even know the idea that ISPCOnfig could use an external location for storing back ups. I will be modifying my back up strategy to allow this. Back to my challenge Is there a "simple" way to use the back up files that were moved for storage on my NAS bnack to ISPConfig to some how be able to back up the 2 domains that need backing up? Or, will manually be the way that I need to go?
For only two domains, manually restoring then is probably faster. The backup files are just a common archive format, eg tar or zip, so extract the files, see what you have, then move into place and set correct ownership/permissions. For a db restore you'll need to load the sql file, eg. in phpmyadmin.
