Making a backup

This article doesn't cover backing up your user files, but only the FileRun installation which includes the user settings, WebLink information, metadata, file comments and any other data the FileRun users might attach to the files and folders.

There are two parts to a complete back up of your FileRun installation:

  1. The MySQL database information
  2. The FileRun application files and folders

1. MySQL

If you are using a hosting service, you most probably have a MySQL database backup option in the hosting control panel. It should help you download an .sql file that contains the database' structure and data.

If there isn't a dedicated backup option, there is most probably phpMyAdmin, which is a tool for managing MySQL databases that you can use to make the backup.

  1. Log into phpMyAdmin on your server
  2. From the main login screen, select Databases (You may not need to do this step)
  3. Now click the name of your database - or your FileRun database if you have several databases.
  4. Click the Export tab on the top set of tabs.
  5. Look at the left box at the top of the Export section. All the tables in the database you selected are in that box. If you have other programs that use the database, then choose only those tables that correspond to your FileRun install. They will be the ones with that start with df_.
  6. Ensure that the format type is set to SQL.
  7. In the SQL section, tick the following boxes:Structure, Add DROP TABLE, Add IF NOT EXISTS, Add AUTO_INCREMENT, Enclose table and field names with backquotes
  8. Tick the DATA section. (The sub-options do not really make much of a difference.)
  9. Tick the Save as file option, and leave the template name as is.
  10. Now click Go and you should be prompted for a file to download. Save the file to your computer. Depending on the database size, this may take a few moments.
  11. You have now backed up your database. If you wanted, you could download a backup in each of the compression formats. Your choice. For example: None and “zipped”.

You will need SSH access to the server or direct access to the server's command line prompt.

cd /path/to/filerun/
filerun> mysqldump --add-drop-table -h localhost -u mysqlusername -p databasename -c > filerun.backup.sql

Replace mysqlusername and databasename with the actual names. You can find them inside system/data/autoconfig.php. You will be asked to enter your MySQL password. Type it and hit Enter.

2. FileRun application files and folders

This is simple as making a duplicate copy of the FileRun installation folder.
You can use any method (FTP, SSH, or the hosting control panel file manager).