Step 7: backing up and restoring

Don't forget to include your web sites folders and database schemata in your regular backup scheme. They are located in /var/www/drupal7/sites/ and /var/lib/mysql/ , respectively.

Mageia 3 and 4's general backup scheme

• Go to Mageia control center → System → Snapshot.
• Check the box "Enable backups".
• Click on "Advanced".
• Add /var/www/drupal7/sites/ if you want to save this directory and it's not already included in the directories to save. You may prefer to save your all Drupal installation: in this case enter /var/www/drupal7/ instead, but this needs more space. Click on "OK".
• Add the same way /var/lib/mysql/ .
• Click on "Close".

Database backup

The disadvantages of /var/lib/mysql/ is that it contains human unreadable files, and, if you later want to migrate your website to a 3^rd party's shared hosting service server, they probably won't allow you to write directly in their /var/lib/mysql/ directory. In order to save your databases in a human readable and "migratable" form:

• In your browser, go to http://localhost/phpmyadmin
• Log in. The username (probably "root") and password are MySQL's ones.
• On the left, click on your database name.
• On the horizontal menu, click on "Export".
• If you are in a hurry, just click on "Go". This will create a .sql file you can read, modify if you know SQL and Drupal, and copy to your hosting service provider's server. This file is a list of directives to MySQL.
• If you have a few minutes, before clicking on "Go", click on "Custom - display all possible options". All the tables are selected: this is fine. In the field "File name template", I suggest you enter "%F_localhost_@DATABASE@". "%F" will insert the date in the file name, while "@DATABASE@" will insert the database name. In "Compression", you can choose a compression, like "gzipped".

Database restoration

• In your browser, go to http://localhost/phpmyadmin
• Log in. The username (probably "root") and password are MySQL's ones.
• In the horizontal menu, click on "Import".
• Then click on the "Browse..." button, choose your .sql file and click on the "Open" button.
• Then click on the "Go" button and wait a bit.