I ran into a problem with Prestashop and it killed all of my apps. I'm mostly just experimenting right now anyway, so I thought this was a good time to check out my backup plan when all that seemed like was going to fix the probelm was a factory default. So, I did, and I re-installed my apps and configuration. Then, I copied my backed up Piwigo directory over the top of the re-installed one. I ended up with most of the configuration restored but none of the photos or users. It sounds like a database issue.
So, how does one go about backing up their apps, including the data from them?
I suppose I could use ReadyNAS replicate and back up the whole system, but I have other means for backing up the data. And not everyone has another ReadyNAS they can do that with. What are my other options?
You would need to know where the app stores all the data it uses and be sure to backup it all.
If you are comfortable with SSH you can use the dpkg command to check what files are owned by a package. This will give a good indication. You can also check config files etc.
It is definately the database information that I was lacking in the restoration. But for an add-on that doesn't keep everything within it's own directory (which, except for the database, I would hope is few), then the dpge command could also be useful, thanks.
I've done a bit of delving into the options, and have come up with these:
PHPMyAdmin has replication and backup functions. Since I have other ReadyNAS's to be the slave in the process, the replication function would seem to be the best for me since it does it periodically and automatically. But I assume that just about any MySQL database, including under Windows, could be set up as the slave. For databases that don't change much, then a backup (which goes to a file instead of another database) could be a solution as well.
The data directory for MySQLis specified as /var/lib/mysql, so perhaps just backing that up will also take care of it? I've found mixed information on that. It seems some types of databases may have additional data outside of this directory.
Lastly, there is the mysqldump command, which pretty much does the same as a backup via PHPMyAdmin, though I don't believe the backup files are interchangeable. But is is a command line tool and could be set up via a cronjob to run periodically (not that I'm an expert on doing that). Dumping the database into a file within the directory the app is stored in just prior to making the app directory backup would be a good plan..
I'd say there is definately a call for an "AppBackup" app that would make it easier on the novice if someone is up to the task. A simple way to edit/create jobs for crontab is another one -- giving it a more interactive interface akin to the Windows task scheduler.
