Backup Problems - One Course

Backup Problems - One Course

by James Whitacre -
Number of replies: 9

Hi,

Over this past weekend we ended up doing a completely new install using v1.82(latest stable branch). We had begun to experience various strange database issues, perhaps as a result of numerous upgrades since we began on v.1.5. One of the issues we were having on the previous installation was a failure in several courses with our backups.

Since we've had this new installation going...all seems well except we are still experiencing a backup failure in one of our seventeen courses. It seems to hang either while zipping the backup or writing it? See below:

Name: backup-dt108-20070928-1149.zip
  • Creating temporary structures
  • Deleting old data
  • Creating XML file
    • Writing header
    • Writing general info
    • Writing course data
    • Writing users info.
    • Writing scales info
    • Writing groupings info
    • Writing groups info
    • Writing events info
    • Writing gradebook info
    • Writing modules info
      • Assignments
      • Books
      • Chats
      • Forums
      • Resources
    • Course format data
  • Copying user files
  • Copying course files
  • Zipping backup

I've turned on debugging and done the backup, but no errors appear. I'm alittle stumped at where to go from here with no clue what's going on. Can anybody point me in the right direction?

Jim

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In reply to James Whitacre

Re: Backup Problems - One Course

by Art Wolinsky -
I've been experiencing a similar problem and have some insight into the cause, but still need a solution. We have about a half dozen courses. The one where the back up stalls has zip files in it. It appears that the zip files are what is causing the problem. If I remove the zip files, the back up is fine. These zip files are presentations that contain dozens of other files that must be downloaded by the user to make the presentation.

I thought about changing the extension name and having people rename them, but that doesn't do anything. The problem still occurs.
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In reply to Art Wolinsky

Re: Backup Problems - One Course

by Art Wolinsky -
By George, I think I've got it. I believe it either doesn't like multiple layers of zip files or doesn't like multiple layers of zip files uploaded to a folder in the Files area. The zip files I was uploading were actually composed of 3 or four files and one or two zip files. The structure that causes the problem looks something like this.

Files
|
Safety Folder
|
Privacy1.zip
|
Information.zip
Safety.zip
Instructions.doc

The structure I now have that works looks like this.

Files
|
Information.zip
Safety.zip
Instructions.doc

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In reply to Art Wolinsky

Re: Backup Problems - One Course

by teresa pomposo -
I have the same problem. When I try to do a backup of a course with zip files the backup don´t complete.
Any solution? sad
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In reply to Art Wolinsky

Re: Backup Problems - One Course

by Karen Taylor -
That worked for me too! Zip files cause the problem.
Thanks you have saved me lots of work recreating the course!!

Karen
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In reply to Karen Taylor

Re: Backup Problems - One Course

by Matt Molloy -

Hi all,

Just for information, I was also having the same problem, just one course failing to backup. Five other courses, no problem. Checking the reports, the backup was going as far as Zipping backup, then nothing. I edited the memory_limit in php.ini, upping the value, restarted the server, and all now works perfectly.

Maybe the zip files themselves were not causing the problem, just the size of the zip files-I'm speculating here! On the course of mine that was giving the problems, there were some hefty sound files in the course files, and I suspect the problem was with these.

Matt

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In reply to James Whitacre

Re: Backup Problems - One Course

by Salvador Cabusi -

Hello,

Pls. look at this post.
http://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=78369

Follow Rich Schumaker's post.

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In reply to James Whitacre

Re: Backup Problems - One Course

by Larry Elchuck -
We have one course that exceeds 4 Gb. Since tipping the 4 Gb mark, we have been unable to back it up using cron or manually. It fails at the Zipping backup stage.

We did set the upper memory limit to 768 Mb.

Is there an upper limit on the size of a file that can be zipped (eg 4 Gb)?

If so, is there any way around this?
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