Version 3.3.4 restore doesn't work

[david63]

I only have on my HDD a back up from April (3.3.3).

Irrespective of the version only doing a backup every two months is not, in my opinion, a good security policy. As a minimum you should be backing it up at least once a day - I do a backup of my board every hour.

[warmweer]

I don't understand what is

will need to do the database update.

Well, updating a phpBB board involves updating the files AND the database.

the install is fresh, there is no previously attempt

I'm sorry, are you talking about your 3.3.3 install or a new 3.3.4 board you installed (on your PC? or on your host?)

I understand your advice, but if something happens during update (Computer crash etc), I have no working back up. This buggers me.

How do you know you have no working backup? Have you checked the table prefixes, does the backup contain all tables your live board had?

I should not be so complicated with table prefixes and so on.

There's nothing complicated about table-prefixes. When you installed the board you either used the default table prefix or you used a table prefix of your choice. When transferring a board you should just have to make sure your config.php points to the correct database and uses the correct table prefix

I
Let's say my forum is compromised and I only have on my HDD a back up from April (3.3.3).

If I understood your previous posts correctly, then you have a database backup of your 3.3.3 board, AND you installed a new 3.3.4 on the new host.
If you used the same table prefix for the 3.3.3 and the 3.3.4, then importing the 3.3.3 database backup into your 3.3.4 installation will cause a mismatch files <> database, so you will need to update that before accessing your board : database update only.

If you used a different table prefix, for your 3.3.4, then importing the 3.3.3 database will add the 3.3.3 tables but the 3.3.4 tables will be present and will be used (because your config.php points to the tables with the 3.3.4 prefix). In that case you have to edit the config.php (and still do the database update). (and then preferably remove the new 3.3.4 tables - the ones having the prefix you used when installing the new 3.3.4)

If by any chance your 3.3.3 on your live host is still left untouched, then make sure you have a working database backup.
If no >>> make one. (set force server url to NO before making the backup)
If yes >>> just restore that into your 3.3.4, edit the prefix in config.php after importing the tables, if necessary. And once that's done, update database only.

Transferring Your Board to a New Host or Domain

[kooksee]

(set force server url to NO before making the backup)
If yes >>> just restore that into your 3.3.4, edit the prefix in config.php after importing the tables, if necessary. And once that's done, update database only.

this is way way too complicated.
You guys are too advanced.

Table prefix is nothing easy to change and I am sure I will mess the things up.


So I understand there some kind of conflict between 3.3.3 and 3.3.4 (allthough it should'n be)


Let's forget the whole thing


I will present a new situation.

My forum is not working anymore, no idea why.
After the first moment of despair I remember I have a backup (made through ACP) from April. I have no idea what version of php I had then.
So the file is a .zip, on my HDD. I will be happy to restore that version, I don't lose much.

What is the next logical step? Pleaste take this as a case study, I have no deep knowledge on Databses (I have no idea what a prefix is). I know how to create a DB, a user, how to asign a user to a DB but that's about it.

[invenio]

Get your 3.3.3 forum working from your backups. Forget about 3.3.4 for now. Once you have that transferred and working (which you should be able to do rather easily following the instruction link above), come back here for further help on updating to the latest version of the software.

[warmweer]

Table prefix is nothing easy to change and I am sure I will mess the things up.

You do not have to change the table prefix in the database!
Only in the config.php >>> that defines which tables will be used.
Post the content of the config.php (blank out any sensitive information)
And then post a printscreen of the database contents so that we can see whether there are 2 sets of tables or not (meaning there could be a phpbb_acl_groups and a whole set of phpbb_ tables + also a whole set of tables with a different prefix (e.g; mytables_acl_groups, etc...)

[kooksee]

Get your 3.3.3 forum working from your backups. Forget about 3.3.4 for now. Once you have that transferred and working (which you should be able to do rather easily following the instruction link above), come back here for further help on updating to the latest version of the software.

Thank you, this is a good idea. If I have a valid copy of my 3.3.3 on another server I would update the main site it without fear of crash.

But if I don't know what version of php I had as I made the backup?

I just know is from April but I don't know whether is was 3.3.3 or 3.3.2 or other version.

(In this particular case I know the version) but let's suppose I don't.

what am I doing with my back up file?

[warmweer]

(In this particular case I know the version) but let's suppose I don't.

It doesn't matter since you're going to update it anyway: updating from 3.3.0, 3.3.1, 3.3.2 or 3.3.3 to 3.3.4 is exactly the same procedure

what am I doing with my back up file?

If your backup file (I take it that's a database backup) is the most recent state of your board, then you should use that, unless you accept the loss of more recent posts in using an older board.

[janus_zonstraal]

what am I doing with my back up file?

Is it a backup from the files or from the database?

If it is the database, import it with phpmyadmin into the database from your board.
Than update your board on the normal way.

If you have only the files and not the database, search for other placed if you can find a good backup from your database.

And make more backups from your database, I make 5 backups a day, and also my host is doing that.

[kooksee]

(In this particular case I know the version) but let's suppose I don't.

It doesn't matter since you're going to update it anyway: updating from 3.3.0, 3.3.1, 3.3.2 or 3.3.3 to 3.3.4 is exactly the same procedure

what am I doing with my back up file?

If your backup file (I take it that's a database backup) is the most recent state of your board, then you should use that, unless you accept the loss of more recent posts in using an older board.

I am sure I don't explain right.

but.

I have a back up called backup_1608372910_ul0wnypnfekw0to4.sql.gz

It is made through ACP, I have selected all tables.

I took it from the /store folder. So I am at this point.

You keep explaining multiple steps at once.

The very next step (please, just one step) would be installing a fresh 3.3.4?

[kooksee]

what am I doing with my back up file?

Is it a backup from the files or from the database?

If it is the database, import it with phpmyadmin into the database from your board.
Than update your board on the normal way.

If you have only the files and not the database, search for other placed if you can find a good backup from your database.

And make more backups from your database, I make 5 backups a day, and also my host is doing that.

It is the back up made through ACP. Where should I know what kind of back up it is?

It has the extension .sql.gz

[warmweer]

...
The very next step (please, just one step) would be installing a fresh 3.3.4?

NO, because after restoring your database backup you'll have to update anyway since your database is 3.3.3.

Put your 3.3.3 back, test and confirm that it's in working order.
And then update to 3.3.4 following the instructions at https://www.phpbb.com/support/docs/en/3 ... ide/minor/, using the Full Package or Changed files package.

BTW: the backup_1608372910_ul0wnypnfekw0to4.sql.gz is the database backup. You also need your 3.3.3 files in order to test it.

[kooksee]

NO, because after restoring your database backup you'll have to update anyway since your database is 3.3.3.

Put your 3.3.3 back, test and confirm that it's in working order.

I am not sure if is 3.3.3. could be 3.3.2 or even 3.3.1

What should I do?

[warmweer]

I am not sure if is 3.3.3. could be 3.3.2 or even 3.3.1

What should I do?

Restore the version it was. You can check that by first restoring the database backup, then look in the config_table - field version. But if you made the files backup at the time you made the database backups, then they should be the same version.

[kooksee]

ok, how do I restore database?

I create a new DB, asign user and import this file?

[janus_zonstraal]

ok, how do I restore database?

I create a new DB, asign user and import this file?

Yes you can do it that way.