Backing up site via host's cPanel - is this good enough for moving to another host?

Hi there,

I am really sorry if this has been answered before, but I have been round the houses and back and can't seem to find it.

I want to move my site to different host and have read your posts regarding backing up the site via phpMyAdmin. As I am not an expert in site management and know that if it can go wrong, it probably will, after looking at the database folders etc., I decided not to go along this route.

My cPanel does offer backups of the following - Home Directory, mySQL, and Email Forwarders and Filters. These are saved as GZ files.

Would anybody know if these back ups will be sufficient to move my site to another host or am I better off trying to learn what to do with the phpMyAdmin?

Thank you for taking the time to read my post, hope to hear from someone soon :smile:

There are TWO components to the backup:

1. The database
2. The folders and files

Let's start with 2...

Download all the ZC folders and the respective files to your hard drive via FTP. It is often best to do this in "stages" - ie: a few "folders" at a time, to minimize potential errors that can occur during ftp. I usually do the admin folder on its own, and likewise the includes folder, as these usually contain several MB of files.

Now, backing up the database... The CPanel option generally is for restores on the existing server, and will only allow the host to perform a restore. I favour phpMyAdmin, as it gives you full control.

If you navigate to phpMyAdmin, you will see two "frames". The LH frame lists all databases you have operational. Click on the one relevant to your store. Naturally, if you have other databases and you want to use these on your new installation, then you will have to "backup" (export) them too.

After clicking on your store database in the left frame, the right frame will refresh showing all the tables. Across the top will be some menu tabs.

Click EXPORT.

Then the screen will refresh, offering a few options. You want to EXPORT all tables, so select ALL . Then, make sure the SQL radio button is chosen.

Then, you need to choose what options to include in the export:

These are a series of radio buttons / check-boxes, and generally, the ones selected by "default" are all you will need. I make sure the following are included.

OPTIONS: Select COMMENTS... leave the others unchecked.

STRUCTURE: I just select these:

Add IF NOT EXISTS
Add AUTO_INCREMENT value
Enclose table and field names with backquotes

DATA - check this checkbox.
... and the following:

Complete inserts
Extended inserts
Use hexadecimal for BLOB

Export Type: select INSERT

(Scroll down a bit) - on extreme bottom right, click GO button...

depending on the SIZE of your database, this may take a few minutes, but the screen will refresh and you will see a large textbox containing ALL the SQL with the tables and data.

You now need to highlight all this stuff and COPY it to your clipboard.

Then, just PASTE it into a notepad file and save it as my_database.sql on your local machine.

You now have all the SQL needed to populate your NEW database on the new server.

If you move to a reputable, certified host, they will usually import this into your new setup, so you just need to send them the file.

If you want to do it yourself, create a NEW empty database on your new server.

Click the SQL menu option.

When the empty input field comes up (if it contains any sql just delete that) open that notepad file of your original database sql and copy all of it again to your clipboard.

Put your cursor inside the empty sql field in the new database screen.

PASTE the contents of the clipboard so all your sql appears in the field (textbox) and then click GO.

You will now have your database on the new server.

It is important to make sure that the MySQL versions on the NEW server are compatible with those on the OLD server.

Oh my gosh, thank you soooo much :clap: :clap: :clap: you have answered everything and more. I can't thank you enough.... but maybe a coffee will suffice for now.

Thanks again schoolboy. :D

Before you finally cut ties with your OLD host, practice what I say above.

If you make errors, you can always delete the database on the NEW server, and try all over again.

Generally, when I move hosts, I don't "wave goodbye" to the old host until I see my stores operational on the new host. I also have a dedicated "dev" server where I move all my clients to anyway, so I ALWAYS have a "working copy" of all websites - just in case... :smile:

Thanks for the heads-up schoolboy :cool:

My current host is active for another year yet so I guess there is not rush to change, but tbh the sooner I can move to a new host the better for me.

Saying that, I certainly have taken on board everything you've said - copy and pasted your reply into my word program for reference as well :laugh: :laugh: and no, I won't do anything rash until I've had a few practise runs in phyMyAdmin.

Thank you so much again - you're a star :clap:

There's also the FAQ article on the topic: https://www.zen-cart.com/tutorials/index.php?article=100