SSH: Backup didn't include avatar directory...

[The Vegan Forum]

I've noticed that the standard way of backing things up via SSH/shell access does NOT include the avatar directory, so the backup would be incomplete if he had a real crash...

1) What is easiest the best way to backup the avatar directory?
2) Are there other things missing from the main back up that's created following your instructions for shell access backup & restore?
3) Is there a way to backup both the database AND the avatar directory in one operation?

[Steve Machol]

The mysqldump backup only backs up data in the database. It does not backup files on the server. You need to do this separately.

[Dennis Olson]

Aren't all avatars stored in the database in any event?

[Zachery]

No you can store them in the filesystem as well

[The Vegan Forum]

So... are there other files - relevant to the vBulletin message board - that we need to watch out for and back up separately (read: that are is not included with the backup string you suggest)?

[Steve Machol]

All the vB files and any images you have uploaded to use on your forums.

[The Vegan Forum]

I'm sorry, I don't understand... what do you mean by 'all the vB files'. If the files that need to backed up separately (and where to find them) is covered in the online manual, I'll promise to look there and not bother you with more questions about this (for a while) ...

[Steve Machol]

By 'all the vB files' I mean all the files in the vB zip file. This would include the files in your main vB forums directory and all the subdirectories and files under that.

[The Vegan Forum]

By 'all the vB files' I mean all the files in the vB zip file. This would include the files in your main vB forums directory and all the subdirectories and files under that.

...which I assume I don't ned to backup anyway (as long as we have no hacks installed).

1) If I get this right, avatars can be installed in the database our in a separate folder.... is this true both for avatars the admin upload and the user uploaded avatars? Are they stored in the same folder (if they are not in the db itself)?

2) And what about user photos and attachments - are they included in the db backup? Or do they need to be backed up separately?

3) If both these options are possible, where in the admin CP do we find out where they are stored (when/if not in the db itself)?

[Dennis Olson]

Avatars and attachments may be stored EITHER in the database (the default) or externally in the server's file-system. If you wish the latter, you must select that via the AdminCP. If you don't know about this, that means that your avatars and attachments are IN the database now, and backing up the SQL tables would cover you.

[The Vegan Forum]

Well, I wasn't installing this myself... Since I vaguely remember clicking on a button re. where to put avatars 3 in the morning when the day we started to use vB, I just checked, and discovered that the avatars that we have uploaded are in the 'images' folder. The 'customeravatars' folder is empty (but I also just discovered that at least one user is getting a question mark instead of his avatar - did we loose the customer avatars when we updated to 3.05? Can I expect that the avatars that the users have uploaded are in the same directory? And what about uploaded attachments and user pictures - where in the folder hierarchy are they stored if not in the database itself? How can I find out where they are stored?

Is there a way to move the customer avatars and the avatars we have uploaded into the database?

[Dennis Olson]

It works like this:

1) You upload avatars into a directory

2) Via the adminCP, you select which avatars are available

3) Those selected avatars are then copied into the database, while their originals are left in the file system

That's it...