Someone remind me next time I say I’m going to do something stupid like reinstall an operating system too quickly, that databases aren’t stored in my home directory. Far out. I’ve just created hours of work for myself trying to piece together what used to be in various MySQL databases on this computer. Yeah, I know, I should backup, but seeing as I never make major changes (it’s all just incremental little stuff for sites still in the development phase) and really don’t understand how things are meant to be backed up with MySQL (do you export queries, or do you copy the folder, huh? HUH!??) I don’t anywhere near as often as I should.
For me, the databases are generally ancillary things that are merely there to fill in spaces in CSS-based designs, so I always backup design aspects, but rarely the database itself, because there’s no original content there. Well, yeah, but there’s vitally important structure that’s just been thrown away. Doh!
Oh well, nothing I can (read: should) do about it now, maybe between tomorrow afternoon and Thursday. Think of it as post-humous ITF study. Because that’s all it’s going to get.
I see the database as the most import side of a website. At least to business stuff. If the website design is lost, that isn’t a *huge* problem. But if client information is lost that is bad.
The easiest (and best) way to backup Mysql is through mysqldump:
mwdmeyer@metro:/home/mwdmeyer> mysqldump
Usage: mysqldump [OPTIONS] database [tables]
OR mysqldump [OPTIONS] –databases [OPTIONS] DB1 [DB2 DB3…]
OR mysqldump [OPTIONS] –all-databases [OPTIONS]
For more options, use mysqldump –help
But what I do is mostly markup and CSS. The database thing is limited to making sure TYPES of content display in the correct places, not the content itself. For this site, if I lost the database, sure, I’d be annoyed. That’s because I’ve accumulated nearly 630 posts and just under 1000 comments over a period spanning more than a year. This site is driven by content. (Admittedly, I’d be equally irritated if I lost files, because there’s a fair amount of non-textual content here, too.)
I’m familiar with mysqldump, but I find it cumbersome… really should setup a shell script for it. I’ll freely admit I wasn’t familiar with the –all-databases switch… so that helps, thanks.
… when you should be studying? :p
Yeah Josh do as your mother says.
Mother? I hope not!
Bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz!
*splat*
Mmmm, a Joshua smoothie. Just add milk, honey, and your favourite fruits!