Bacula4 offers 2 methods of backing up MySQL databases.
MySQL Dump Method
- Backs up MySQL in native, fully portable format
- Must be used to accommodate end user database and database table restores in shared hosting environments via various end user restore modules (ie cpanel, plesk, directadmin, hsphere, etc)
- Dumps mysql databases using the MySQL formally supported mechanism for backing up MySQL. Databases are dumped on disk on the server, and then backed up to the storage devices.
Backup jobs will fail on sanity checks with MySQL dump process fails ensuring anytime you use MySQL Dump, MySQL is backed up, or else, the backup job will not complete successfully and appropriate notifications will be sent out.
- PLEASE NOTE - by default we backup the appropriate directory to transport the mysql dumps from the server to the SD, but, if you exclude path /opt/bacula/bacula4hosts/, your mysql dumps will not make it to the SD or be available for restore from the SD
Percona Powered Binary Inline MySQL Backups
- Backs up MySQL (and MariaDB) installs in fully recoverable formats.
- Backs up the entire MySQL install and ALL databases on the install
- Very minimal impact on MySQL databases and should be used on very large and heavy MySQL DBs
- For shared/reseller hosting servers with 100s > 1000s of mysql DB's, Percona tools should only be used as a DR solution and does not support end user restore capabilities. Ideally, on shared/reseller servers, Percona tools would be used in combination with MySQL Dump above
- to restore MySQL databases backed up with Percona tools, you can restore the entire MySQL install back to its original location (then restart mysql) - OR - you can run a 2nd MySQL daemon on the same or different server, restore the entire MySQL install and then dump from there and from Percona format, 1 or more MySQL DBs into a usable .sql format
How to use Percona Backups with Bacula4
Please Note
- please compile the appropriate version of percona mysql for your version of mysql
- the latest version of percona does not work on mysql 5.1x or older (v5.1x requires percona v2.0 for example). please make sure you compile the appropriate versions of percona tools for your mysql install (check percona installation documentation
- requires perl DBD that maybe installed by cpan -f DBD::mysql
- Need to add datadir=/var/lib/mysql/ to /etc/my.cnf **(we will move this to our GUI as definable in the near future)
- mysql bin log must be enabled ( log_bin = hostname-bin ) **(we will move this to our GUI as definable in the near future)
2) In your Bacula4 GUI, navigate to the wizard of the server you wish to enable Percona MySQL Backups on.
3) check the "MySQL Percona Tools" boxunder Job Options
4) complete the wizard as per normal and if there are any issues with your Percona install, it will be indicated on save