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A question regarding the right procedure for backing up

 
 


tribulatio
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Jan 7, 2012, 9:10 AM

Post #1 of 6 (6904 views)
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A question regarding the right procedure for backing up Can't Post
As I mentioned in a previous post, I am currently testing cloud backups systems for websites: myRepono, BackupMachine and CodeGuard. And I have a question regarding backups of two websites, one using AM 1.2 and the other one AM 1.4.1.

Some of the cloud backup systems need a script, backup online and then send packets to the backup server. Other ones actually just download the entire website, so that one can keep a copy.

Of course, having used AM for years and having had to change servers, I know that the mode of FTP uploading is important: no auto, binary for some folders and files, ASCII for some other folders and files.

Thus I asked the support of one of the tools I am testing: how are you getting the content of the website. They replied that they do it in binary, since this cannot affect any file. And that uploading some files in binary, other ones in ASCII, only matters when I send the files to the server, not when I download the entire website in order to keep a full backup of the website. So it is not the same two ways, and binary for backing up the website is fine.

I just would like to know if this explanation is correct? Indeed, it would be upsetting to do backups that one cannot use in case something happens!

Thank you, techies, for confirming - or giving a different opinion!


tribulatio
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Jan 12, 2012, 6:57 AM

Post #2 of 6 (6772 views)
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Re: [tribulatio] A question regarding the right procedure for backing up [In reply to] Can't Post
Nobody around?...I remember the happy times when any legitimate question asked on this forum would get an answer within a few hours.

OK, I know this is the section for "classic products", and staff is no longer looking (really?... really?...). But I bought four AM licenses full price at the time... I would hope for some answer, especially since this is a simple question, just asked by a non technical user who would like to be sure about the answer. If staff is forbidden to answer in this section, maybe some kind user?...

Thank you, somebody?...


Damon
Staff / Moderator


Jan 12, 2012, 10:02 AM

Post #3 of 6 (6766 views)
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Re: [tribulatio] A question regarding the right procedure for backing up [In reply to] Can't Post
Hi,

I moved your question to the Off Topic forum as it's not specifically related to Article Manager and it will be more likely seen by other forum users.

I'm not sure the answer to your question about downloading in binary. I would suggest asking the other backup providers about this.

In addition, I would test they system and look at the downloaded backup image, text file, code file and see that they haven't been corrupted.

--------------------------------------------------- 
Cheers
Damon Edis
interactivetools.com

Hire me! Save time by getting our experts to help with your project.
http://www.interactivetools.com/consulting/


tribulatio
User

Jan 12, 2012, 1:23 PM

Post #4 of 6 (6762 views)
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Re: [Damon] A question regarding the right procedure for backing up [In reply to] Can't Post
Hi Damon,

Thank you very much for your reply!

Well, I asked the second backup provider and he gave me the same answer: they are backing up in binary too and assure me that downloading a website in binary keeps it intact (they provide cloud backup), that it is only when uploading folders and files to the server that it matters how ASCII and binary are selected. (But of course, none of them is familiar with AM.)

The third backup provider, myRepono, installs an API on the website, and the backup is sent to their server as compressed packets of files. If need there is to restore, it is done directly on the website through the API: thus there should be no download/upload issues, only setting some permissions, although they told me they are looking for ways to preserve them when backing up.

Obviously, I did not yet need to restore from such a backup - and I hope that I will never need to! Nevertheless, it would be good to make sure that proper ways are respected so that AM will work properly after a restoration from such backups.

BTW, it is really interesting to see new possibilities opening in the field of backing up websites these days (most welcome developments, considering what can happen to websites). Since prices are affordable (even cheap with myRepono), I have decided for a strategy combining myRepono and a "classical" way of cloud backup. The plus offered by BackupMachine is that they can also backup databases. CodeGuard does not (yet, it is on their agenda), but it offers to monitor the website for any change, something that can be useful too.

Of course, for websites created with WordPress, there are now some quite easy to use (and apparently reliable) backup tools, due to the success of WordPress.

Anyway, if somebody on this forum has an experience in backing up and knows about this question of using binary for downloading the website, any information and experience would be most welcome.


Dave
Staff / Moderator


Jan 13, 2012, 11:30 AM

Post #5 of 6 (6720 views)
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Re: [tribulatio] A question regarding the right procedure for backing up [In reply to] Can't Post
Hi tribulatio,

The service provider is correct, binary is the way to go when doing a website backup. Essentially binary means "exact copy" and that's what you want.

Different operating systems uses different characters to indicate the end of a line. Windows uses "\r\n" (return) and (next-line). MacOS uses "\r", and unix/linux and OSX use "\n". If you've ever downloaded a file and saw that it was one giant string of text or somehow got double spaced, this is due to these differences in line-end characters.

What ascii-transfers do is replace those line end characters with the appropriate ones for your computer so things look and work as expected on your operating system.

Hope that helps, let me know any questions! :)

Dave Edis - Senior Developer
interactivetools.com
 


tribulatio
User

Jan 13, 2012, 1:13 PM

Post #6 of 6 (6716 views)
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Re: [Dave] A question regarding the right procedure for backing up [In reply to] Can't Post
Hi Dave,

Thank you very much for your helpful reply. And also for the explanations, I had never understood properly why the difference was so important. Except, of course, that I could see the problems when uploading files in the wrong mode.

Thanks to your answer, I feel now confident that my backups of sites created with AM are done in the correct way.

I had not been on the forum for quite some time, after having been a frequent user at the time I started to use AM - that was in 2003, if I remember well. It is nice to see that InteractiveTools continues to develop, and always with the same spirit!