Setting up scheduled backup.

beriberi · Post by **beriberi** » Wed Mar 04, 2009 7:54 am

Feature request:

Would be nice if Open Dental featured a scheduled backup. Currently, I have to manually press the backup button everyday, but I forget to do this quite often.

If I knew exactly which folders to backup directly from the server safely, then I suppose I could schedule an automatic backup to an online storage daily.

It is not very clear, just from looking at the Open Dental generated backup, which folders, other than the A-Z folders, were backed up. Would sure appreciate if an advance user can help us out with a list of those important directories that must be backed up. Also, not certain, if I went this route, restore would be as straight forward compared to the Open Dental generated backups.

Thank you.

Debbie OD Support · Post by **Debbie OD Support** » Wed Mar 04, 2009 9:19 am

The folders that need to be backed up if you installed them on the default drive through our installer. Of course if you changed the drive when you installed Open Dental it will be a different drive.

Database: C:\mysql\data inside this folder is a folder named "opendental"

A-Z (image folder) C:\ there should be a folder either called "OpenDentalData" or "OpenDentImages"

These are the two folders that you need for a backup. If you are going to have a server automatically back them up you need to stop the Mysql service before you back it up and then of course turn it back on.

Add this to your pre-script to stop the service
Net stop mysql
Add this to your post-script to start the service
Net start mysql

You will not be able to do this with a Vista machine

richardwaite · Post by **richardwaite** » Wed Mar 04, 2009 9:28 am

It would be easy enough to do with a Vista machine with UAC enabled if you run the commands with administrative permissions. If the backup commands are in a batch file, simply right click on it and select "Run as Administrator" and click Continue or OK on the UAC prompt.

Rickliftig · Post by **Rickliftig** » Wed Mar 04, 2009 2:57 pm

Hi Debbie - Please clarify the "close mysql" reasoning. I have Karen's replicator dong backups at about four hour intervals to another computer in the office and then in the evening to my house. I have been able to restore these copies, so what am I doing right/wrong? Thanks in advance. You're #1 <G>

Debbie OD Support · Post by **Debbie OD Support** » Wed Mar 04, 2009 3:05 pm

Well the first thing is that if the mysql service is stopped then there is no chance that anyone could be using the database when it is being copied. Also the mysql service holds onto files as it is on and those files might not be able to copy because they are being used. It is just safer to stop the service.

Post by **jordansparks** » Thu Mar 05, 2009 10:53 am

It does seem safer. But after years of backing up daily without stopping the service, I can confidently state that it works just fine.

murmsk · Post by **murmsk** » Sat Mar 07, 2009 11:39 am

we use Mysql Administrator to do hourly scheduled database dumps. It is a free database administrator tool from Mysql which shuts down the database and backs it up to a single file in less than 30 sec. I have separate backups for the end of each day and month. Each night all these files are backed up to my home computer automatically by another free program called Crash Plan .

steve

Open Dental

Setting up scheduled backup.

Setting up scheduled backup.

Re: Setting up scheduled backup.

Re: Setting up scheduled backup.

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