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Using Bigdump to restore large database dumps

Description: Both the phpbb ACP and phpMyAdmin have difficulty restoring databases over 2 MiB due to PHP-imposed limitations. This application can get around this by breaking the restore into chunks.

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[url=https://www.phpbb.com/support/docs/en/3.2/kb/article/using-bigdump-to-restore-large-database-dumps/]Knowledge Base - Using Bigdump to restore large database dumps[/url]

Using Bigdump to restore large databases

Bigdump is available for download HERE:

Bigdump

BigDump is very easy to use.

1. Copy your current config.php to your local computer. config.php is located in the root folder of your board, for example, phpBB3/config.php.

2. Extract the bigdump.zip file and open the resulting bigdump.php file in a text editor (Wordpad is fine).

3. Where it asks for the database info, put in what is in your config.php file in the bigdump.php file, like THIS:

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    // Database configuration

    $db_server   = "your info here";
    $db_name     = "your info here"; (called $dbhost in the config.php file)
    $db_username = "your info here";
    $db_password = "your info here";   

4. In the bigdump.php file, make sure these two settings are as follows:

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    $linespersession  = 3000;
    $delaypersession  = 300;   
Also, edit the following line:

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$db_connection_charset = ''; 
To this:

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$db_connection_charset = 'utf8'; 
then save the file.

5. Using ftp, go to your server and create a folder in your board's root folder (for example, phpBB3/), and name it dump, so following the above example, you would have phpBB3/dump. This folder should be CHMOD 755.

6. Upload your backup sql file and the bigdump.php file to that "dump" folder. Bigdump can handle either .sql files or .sql.gz files

7. In your browser, go to (for example); yourdomain.com/phpBB3/dump/bigdump.php. Change that path as necessary, if your board's root folder has a different name or is installed in the domain root. You should see the name of your backup file and a link to start the restore, click on that and wait. It will take some time for large files, but as long as you get no errors and it does not stop, then wait until you get a success message and you are done.

8. When you have a successful restore, be sure to delete or rename the dump folder as it is a security issue if you don't.

That's it.

(Credit to Lumpy Burgertushie for much of this article)