[Amorya]

Ok, my Pismo is in for repairs. The techs have said that the hard drive is broken and they are going to replace it. They told me that they would copy over my documents, but they refuse to copy my applications because you can't copy an installed app without it causing problems. (I'm very annoyed about that - I don't have original disks for some of them and won't be able to get them back. Bastards.)

Anyway, they claim my docs will be saved. But I've a pile of stuff in a MySQL databse that is a 3-year archive of a web discussion board. I've been meaning to sort it out and return it to the web (where everyone involved can access it) but for now, mine is the only copy anywhere in the world. So, how do I direct the techs to where the files are? I need some way to make sure they copy everything across, and I don't trust them to know how to use MySQL (I don't trust techs at all, really, and I want anything I tell them to be idiot proof).

Any ideas?

Amorya

[mosespatrader]

I don't know where you have mysql installed, but on my system it's installed at /usr/local/mysql.

You just want to make sure you backup the data directory under the mysql directory. When you have your machine back up and running, just re-install mysql and restore the data directory. You should then be up and running.

cheers.

[Gul Banana]

Tell them to use something like Carbon Copy Cloner to copy the ENTIRE contents of your hard drive! Destroying your data doesn't sound like a 'repair' to me...

[Amorya]

Originally posted by Gul Banana:
Tell them to use something like Carbon Copy Cloner to copy the ENTIRE contents of your hard drive! Destroying your data doesn't sound like a 'repair' to me...

It's my dad's insurance that're paying, and so apparently the repair has to be done to satisfy them not me. I sent it in because I couldn't even get it to start up... can't see how it was a hard drive problem if it won't start off CD, but that's what they say

Would asking them to make an image of the whole thing in disk copy and transfering that work? They say they have to reinstall the OS for me, because I had software conflicts and issues, so I doubt they'd clone the whole drive.

Hmmm, thinking about it, I hope they're not looking at my OS9 installation... I know that has issues, but since I haven't used it for over a year I don't really care...


Amorya

[foamy]

Beware of Retrospect in this respect.

I knew my machine would need the HD reformatted, so I purchased Retrospect Express and told it to copy the entire HD. It seemed to work, but I didn't check if /usr was copied.

After I reformatted, I copied the contents back only to find out that it did NOT copy many of the Unix folders at the root level, /usr included. Luckily I had a relatively up to date version of my mysql databases.

Does anyone know how to get retrospect to copy everything?

[Amorya]

Originally posted by foamy:
Beware of Retrospect in this respect.

I knew my machine would need the HD reformatted, so I purchased Retrospect Express and told it to copy the entire HD. It seemed to work, but I didn't check if /usr was copied.

After I reformatted, I copied the contents back only to find out that it did NOT copy many of the Unix folders at the root level, /usr included. Luckily I had a relatively up to date version of my mysql databases.

Does anyone know how to get retrospect to copy everything?

Thanks for the warning. I'll make that clear to them.

Amorya

[ttjervaag]

I think the best way to back up, or move a mysql database is through a database dump. Can't remember the command offhand, but I'm sure it's in the mysql manual somewhere (http://www.mysql.com/doc/en/).

I've used it myself and that will give you a dump of the entire database with insert statements so when you're back up and running you just run the backup .sql file to restore all your data. Now I've gotten too used to phpMyAdmin and can't remember any of the commands. That's progress for you!

Hope this helps,

Terje

[Millennium]

As others have pointed out, your best bet is actually to do a database dump, rather than copying the raw files. Unfortunately, I don't know the commands for it either. But that's what I suggest you do.

[Amorya]

Originally posted by Millennium:
As others have pointed out, your best bet is actually to do a database dump, rather than copying the raw files. Unfortunately, I don't know the commands for it either. But that's what I suggest you do.

Main problem on this one will be: I'm explaining this all over the phone to a repair company that was picked for me by our insurance company. I've never heard of them and they're not an authorised Applecentre or anything (there's only 2 of them within about 3 hours drive of me, and this isn't one of them).

Apparently, they have not been able to start up off my hard drive. but they're offering to copy files. Am I correct in assuming that I can't do a MySQL dump if MySQL is not running on that drive?

If I get them to copy /usr then will I be able to get the files back into MySQL at a later date?

BTW, if it makes a difference, MySQL was running as root not as a separate username. That was another thing I'd been meaning to change but not got round to.


Amorya

[tobli]

Run this at the terminal "mysqldump -u [your mysql user name] -p -e [your database name] > dumpfile.sql"

To restore the data into an empty database, use "source dumpfile.sql" once logged in via the mysql command line client.

[Angus_D]

You won't be able to use mysqldump unless you're booted and mysql is running. It depends how you installed MySQL and where it was configured to look for its database files.

[Amorya]

Originally posted by Angus_D:
You won't be able to use mysqldump unless you're booted and mysql is running. It depends how you installed MySQL and where it was configured to look for its database files.

I installed it as a MacOS X package (not an official one). At the time I installed it, I knew next to nothing about it, I just wanted it on there to try and learn PHP. So I accepted all the default settings (hence it running as root instead of with a specific name.)

Amorya

[Simon Mundy]

Can they do an archive and install rather than a whole clean install? Then you'll still keep all your old bits'n'bobs and copy them back to their rightful place as you need to.

[l008com]

Sounds like this place is going to more damadge than repair. As far as copying apps over, it sounds like thier a buhc of windows users with no clue. And how exactly are they going to save only yoru documents? Are they going to go through all your stuff file by file? Do they even know how to install OS 9 or OS X? I'd tell them to image the whole drive and then do a fresh basic install and you can fix things yourself. I doubt this will be the end of your problems, from the sound of it.

[Amorya]

Originally posted by l008com:
Sounds like this place is going to more damadge than repair. As far as copying apps over, it sounds like thier a buhc of windows users with no clue. And how exactly are they going to save only yoru documents? Are they going to go through all your stuff file by file? Do they even know how to install OS 9 or OS X? I'd tell them to image the whole drive and then do a fresh basic install and you can fix things yourself. I doubt this will be the end of your problems, from the sound of it.

Exactly my thoughts. They are the standard place EagleStar (insurance) ships any broken computers, and I don't think they're Mac specific. I'd rather get it back now, as they seem to have got it to boot, but they insist on fixing software conflicsts with the OS.

They can't do archive and install because apparently they are replacing the hard drive. And they have to throw the old one away, they can't return it to me because of policies.

Edit: If they image the drive with Disk Copy or something, will it keep the UNIX folders like /usr?

Amorya

[Terri]

This doesn't help you now, but this is the way I back up my *nix web servers.
http://www.cgi-interactive.co.uk/mysql_dump.html