I have all the old Zip files from 1.9 from a server that has fallen over. I am trying to FTP large files to the 1.9 (backup course area) on the server. I need to know where the course Zip files are stored on a 1.9 moodle site and them I'll upgrade the moodle site. Then save them as MBz files.
You need to be accurate if you can and say :
Public.html/folder/ folder2/ here.zip for me
Am a little confused as to goal here, but as to the finding of the 1.9 backups (if they exist in the 1.9) ... every course has a ID number which is found in the moodledata folder. Course ID #1 is the folder for the front page in a 1.9 version. The other # folders are the individual courses and in each there is a backupdata folder containing the backup files. Those #'d folders may not be sequential - ie, 1,2,3,4. Gaps means a course that used to exist has been deleted thus no course ID folder.
Sounds like you are planning then to upgrade the 1.9 site to a version 2 ... which is a major undertaking. What I've found ... if the backup zips remain in the 1.9 when migrating the site, their presence just makes the migration process work harder - ie, the 1.9 backups are just taking up space and requires heavier processing during the migration process to move all the backup zips into the new Moodle 2 file system. As a prelim to migrating a site, I usually archive the 1.9 backups to some other location ... one can still use them for course restores in a 2 later, although they each might issues of their own when restoring to a 2.
If the goal is to get Moodle 2 backups made from the 1.9 courses one might find installing a fresh 2 and then working with importing the 1.9 courses to get them in a 2 format an 'easier' path.
Others ... might think differently.
'spirit of sharing', Ken
Dear Ken,
Thank you for your suggestion. My problem is that I have all the original backups from course in zip 1.9 format. I have a version 2.0+ version of moodle on another server online and I can FTP the files to that Repository folder. When I restore in even in version 2.4+ is says , "your file is not in the right format ,.... that future versions will be able to restore this file".
I have the latest stable version , so how can I just change zip to mbz and try and install in 2.0 plus, or do I wait for a new version??
I thought if I install 1.9 then uploaded the zip files to the correct folder I could - simply upgrade. The original zip file I have were not originally on my server but elsewhere. Just so you know why I was not done originally.
So you can see I'm a little stuck - Is there anywhere that I can simply get them converted.?? Or just PTF to my new 1.9 moodle folder and retore and upgrade it?
Hi John. Just to clarify here: you have some courses that have been backed up from a 1.9 course and are in .zip format? You have a version 2.4 and when you go to restore them - for example - you could create an empty course and then in the course admin click "restore" and upload and restore your 1.9 backup - you get the message that the file is not in the right format? With 2.0 you can't restore them so that would be the correct message - but with 2.4 you should be able to restore a 1.9 course and Moodle will convert it for you. So there is either an issue here or a missed step that we need to identify.
yes exactly ---
I can get the old 1.9 zip files into the repository folder I created - then see the images this 2.4 stable version -
http://www.moreeinfo.com/zip.html
You can see that I can ftp the file to the right folder in 2.4 but the steps after that ? am I doing something wrong?
As a follow up ... Mary is mostly correct. However, it's been my experience that how much is converted depends upon what's in the 1.9 backup - or any backup ... including 2.3's to 2.4.
2.4 restores now gets users - which may or may not be needed/desired. That's an improvement.
However, restores may still not get it all ... that's ok! As long as the majority of what was in the course gets there. One still might need to unzip the .zip or the .mbz and get files that don't make the trip.
There is less work and that's good!
You've been using 2.0+ in your messages ... what is version ... exactly!
If you are still having trouble on your server restoring, the offer to use the sos.tcea.org server standbox still stands.
'spirit of sharing', Ken
Any way you go, there is some work to be done and restores might not work ... depends upon what's in the 1.9 backups.
ConversionThingy ... may not be free to you ... besides, think this thingy is PC only and I don't own a PC and really don't want to spend a dime. ;)
http://www.conversionthingy.net/
Should note that above shows backups with no users. So is bringing users over to the 2 also important?
Other ways involve work.
Suggest taking ONE of the 1.9 backups and unzipping to a test folder to see what's in them. Since these come from another server you did not manage, who knows what's in them.
After extraction of the 1.9 backup zip to a test folder, look to see if there is a moodle.xml file at the root of that test folder. Open with text file ... should give specific information as to that backup.
1.9.x to 2.x is an 'adventure' PERIOD! Wish it wasn't, but there are many cirsumstances and variables invovled. Not sure anyone has done a site migration from 1.9.x to 2.4. Not sure it's even possible. Migration so far has been up one, test, up two, test, etc.
If you'd like another set of eyes on one of those 1.9 backups, go to:
acquire an account. Drop a line after you do to ktask@sosoftexas.org.
I'll escalate your access levels to a category and we can then both see the zips and how a restore of those goes in a 1.9.
Next step would be to test there and make sure things work. Then backup again. Have another 2.3 and a 2.4 sandbox we could try to restore to at that point. If successful, backup from the 2.x sandboxes and you should have something in .mbz to restore.
'spirit of sharing', Ken
Thanks Ken and Mary,
Really I have say 6 important 1.9 zip files they have no real special extras in the folders - I would like users but that is not important - as most of the links I have are URLs - to files on a server. I'll have a look at your suggestion Ken and the old coversion Thingy - "I had a look at that" downloaded it but yes then it asks for money. ?? Also I went to the conversioncourse.schools at Newzealand but they have stop that service saying it is now part of 2.4 ?? which for me it is not.
Hi guys I'm testing the thingy thing - just wait and I'll let you know how I went . the video ken sent was better explaination than their -instructions.
Hi,
It looked as though it converted . I uploaded the file via FTP to the correct folder as the server has a small - meg limit. I have no short term access to change that although my provider is very good.
I found the right folder and then tried restore and nothing happened??
I have taken up Ken's offer and I await his reply.
Wow - I got an early Christams present from Ken - Thank you for your wonderful help. With Ken's wonderful help I was able to obtain a MBZ files for all of my courses.
I have to wait to upload these courses on a new server and Make sure I have pleanty of Meg upload space - in moodle and the server.
I thought I had lost all my work. To those looking for a solution to this -
I think the solution is to install 2.4 +plus but make sure you have a large server capacity - a standard server - purchased for simple sites is not your solution. Large uploads for files is really your answer.
Again to the Moodle forum - solved my problem - until the next time.
john
Glad to help. On a more technical note:
First attempt at restoring the 1.9.8 rather large backup (83+ Meg) resulted in very quick reponse (error) saying 'Could not write to database' and then yet another db error on same screen - 'could not read'. Neither really described what the error was.
Inserting the 'debugging' lines from the config-dist.php file into the config.php file and attempting again, one could see the actual error:
'server has gone away ...'. In checking MySQL forums/Google ... it was an indication that max_allowed_packet was set to low - default is 16M.
adding:
max_allowed_packet=500M
to /etc/my.cnf (Linux server MySQL) and restarting the mysqld service the restore process did complete. The value was a guess for this non-certified MySQLDB administrator ... but anything larger than 16M (yes, I know not very scientific). It may have worked with 32M, but I've found that setting more than one needs initially might cover the next large course/etc. Of course, that means one could set to high as well. Tweaking settings seems to be the order of the day when dealing with 2.x. Other added to my.cnf:
open_files_limit=6000
It is also highly recommended to run some kind of MySQLTuner for other tweaks.
PHP settings were also tweaked (previously): max memory a script can consume, max amount of time for script to run, etc..
This offered in hopes it helps someone else (non-certified MySQLDB admin) attempting to restore large 1.9.x courses to 2.4 Moodle.
'spirit of sharing', Ken