I am testing our automated backup process for Moodle 4.0 on a Redhat 8 environment (Apache 2.4/PHP 7.4/Mariadb 10.3), and our largest course that normally runs 9 hours outside our Moodle cron fails to complete. I'm getting this error now:
== Performing backup... ==
!!! error/backup_controller_dbops_nonexisting !!!
The other courses end normally after the automated course backup has finished.
Uhhhh ... typo? 4.1 hasn't been released yet. Still a dev+
$release = '4.1dev+ (Build: 20221011)';
Uhhhh ... going after an 'earlybird' badge?
The latest supported 4.0 ia:
$release = '4.0.4+ (Build: 20221011)'
'SoS', Ken
Hi Ken,
Yes, not a typo😉and no, not an early badge needed😊
We’re just looking forward what to expect from the next LTS release 4.1 (in November I believe?)
But it’s a serious problem I discovered, and I think it must be somewhere in the new code (or maybe old courses that take a lot more time to backup)? Can’t get a finger behind it.
Maybe you can give it a try yourself?
Limited resources here so I'll have to wait to just prior to 4.1 release.
We've had this kinda discussion/cussion before.
For starters ... what is a large course? Age of course? - when was it last reset? or is it a 'foreever course' ... #users, # quizzes, # videos/audios etc. It's backing up just takes a long ... VERY LONG ... time to do so. So what is the size of that backup file?
Then there is the standard stuff ... ok, we know Red Hat, but after that?
so on an so forth!
But ... press on!
'SoS', Ken
Hi Ken,
The backups that cause the long time to run are very large courses (2GB) with a lot of users and quizes included. They are already used for a long time and because of the long time to run they were a reason to exclude them from the normal automated backup run. But now the largest course that ran 12 hours in Moodle 3.9, doesn't finish between the last and next automated backup anymore.
The only difference in the environments is Redhat 7/Moodle 3.9/PHP 7.2 versus Redhat 8/Moodle 4.1/PHP 7.4.
Ok, thinking outloud here ... cause I don''t have the resources to try out myself.
First a comment: I wouldn't consider a 2Gig course large ... but then again, am in the K12 world sooooooo. I've several courses above that 2Gig - largest being 7.7 Gig.
Now outloud ...
auto used to take backup preferences - general backup defaults.
What are those? include logs, histories, calendar events, etc. - keep logs for X days
Actually, in 3.9, auto has settings of it's own:
and also in a 4.0.4+
Number of courses?
Your 4.1 isn't actively used so do you archive your 3.9 - restore to new environment - then upgrade to 4.1? Then run auto?
adhoc task on the 3.9 look like? ditto for your 4.1dev.
How long does that 2Gig course take to backup IF you were to backup just that course from cli?
'SoS', Ken
Hi Ken,
The backup preferences are the same on 3.9 and 4.1, general logs and general histories are excluded from the backup.
The 2Gig backup takes 10 hours to complete, as I already mentioned it's a course that's already used for a long time
and with a lot of users and quizzes. Maybe it would better to create a new course and stop using these old courses
2Gig, to me, isn't a large course.
Suggestion if you have moosh installed ...
moosh has a course-info option. Takes only the course ID as a parameter.
Run like:
moosh -n course-info 342
will show the following ... * items might be of interest ...
Course ID: 342
No of contexts: 54
Context by level:
CONTEXT_MODULE (70): 50
CONTEXT_BLOCK (80): 4
Context by module:
assign (1): 8
folder (8): 20
forum (9): 1
* quiz (16): 8
resource (17): 13
Number of role capability overwrites: 0
Role capability overwrites by context:
Number of local role assignments: 0
Locally assigned roles by context:
Number of enrolled users: 2
* Users enrolled by role:
editingteacher (3): 2
Number of groups: 0
Group statistics:
Min number of members in a group: 0
Max number of members in a group: 0
Avg number of members in a group: 0
Course modinfo size: 101830
Number of sections: 13
Section statistics:
Sections visible: 12
Sections hidden: 1
Min number of modules in a section: 0
Max number of modules in a section: 7
Avg number of modules in a section: 3
Number of grades: 0
Number of log entries: 0
Number of files: 1234
* Total file size: 2277831177
Cache build time: 0.067739009857178
Dunno if moosh runs under a 4.1 dev however.
'SoS', Ken
"can't install/use Moosh on our servers" ... really?
Mind expanding upon that? Know you have commercially supported RedHat boxen ...
When it comes to moodle, I've always 'felt' one needed tools outside of Moodle alone to efficiently admin.
By all means you could 'call it a day' ... but curious minds would want to know!
'SoS', Ken