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Akeeba Backup for Joomla!

#15519 MySQL DB table Restore Error

Posted in ‘Akeeba Backup for Joomla! 4 & 5’
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Environment Information

Joomla! version
n/a
PHP version
n/a
Akeeba Backup version
n/a

Latest post by nicholas on Wednesday, 27 March 2013 06:18 CDT

trlbldr

Mandatory information about my setup:

Have I read the related troubleshooter articles above before posting (which pages?)? Yes
Have I searched the tickets before posting? Yes
Have I read the documentation before posting (which pages?)? No
Joomla! version: (unknown) 2.5.9
PHP version: (unknown) 5.4.12
MySQL version: (unknown) 5.5.30
Host: (optional, but it helps us help you) BlueHost
Akeeba Backup version: (unknown) 3.7.4

EXTREMELY IMPORTANT: Please attach a ZIP file containing your Akeeba Backup log file in order for us to help you with any backup or restoration issue. If the file is over 2Mb, please upload it on your server and post a link to it.

Description of my issue:

Yesterday evening, I transferred a modernized Joomla site that I'd developed for a client to the client's Web host and domain. I had backed up the site at each stage of development using Akeeba 3.7.1, 3.7.2, and 3.7.3 before the new version (3.7.4) was released - I installed it, too. I prepared the customer's hosting account by removing all soon-to-be former files, obliterating the old MySQL db, and establishing a new instance of MySQL. Then, I uploaded Kickstart.php and the JPA file that I created just before beginning this process and ran the Kickstart installer. Everything seemed to go well, according to the prompts - yes, I inserted the new database name, user, and password during the installation - but...

When I went to the site homepage, I got an error telling me that there was a problem with the Session table in MySQL. I opened phpMyAdmin on the server to correct the issue, but...

There was no Sessions table. In fact, no table after the 'content' table had been created/restored. I removed all files, cleaned the temp folder, cleared my browser cache, and attempted the installation again. Three times again, in fact. At each time, the same issue occurred.

I accomplished my goal by using the last pre-version 5.7.4 JPA archive, after which I had to go into the admin backend and set up a couple of new modules, repeating work I'd done before I ran Akeeba Backup earlier in the evening.

I don't know why this happened; no errors were reported during the backup I did last night before transfering the site and no errors were reported by Kickstart during the installation process. I just know that the version 3.7.3 JPA file worked while the version 3.7.4 did not work.

Cheers,

Don White

Don White

nicholas
Akeeba Staff
Manager

Sorry, but I can't make heads and tails of your issue because it contains innacurate, partial and conflicting information :( Let me explain the problems I have and what I need from you to help.

The only change between 3.7.3 and 3.7.4 was that ANGIE (the restoration script) included in backups taken with 3.7.3 wouldn't save the database configuration parameters at the final step, two pages after it had restored the database. Therefore what you are reporting can't happen as there were no sufficient changes between 3.7.3 and 3.7.4 to justify this.

What I need: I want you to check the restored site. What is the installed Akeeba Backup version?

I'm also not sure what the "the last pre-version 5.7.4 JPA archive" refers to. I have no idea what you mean with "5.7.4" as it doesn't correspond to a past or present Akeeba Backup, Joomla!, PHP or MySQL release number.

What I need: Did you mean "the last JPA backup archive I had before upgrading to Akeeba Backup 3.7.4"? If not, please specify what you meant.

Without a backup log file I have no idea what is backed up and what is not. I can't possibly know if something was not backed up or not restored.

What I need: Please ZIP and attach the backup log file.

I have no idea if you were using ANGIE or ABI when restoring the site. Kickstart IS NOT a restoration script. That's the #1 thing Kickstart tells you when you run it! It only extracts the archive. The restoration script, at the top of the page, reads with very big letters either "ANGIE - Akeeba Next Generation Installer Engine" or "Akeeba Backup Installer". I need to know that if you want me to help.

What I need: What do you see at the top of the page of the restoration script? Does it read ANGIE or Akeeba Backup Installer? Next to it it also reads the version number, e.g. 3.6.12, 3.7.2, 3.7.4. I also need that.

While we are at it, I also want you to extract the backup archive and take a look inside the installation/sql directory. You will see several files named joomla.sql, joomla.s01, .s02 and so on.

What I need: What is the largest extension number you see? For example: .s123

Nicholas K. Dionysopoulos

Lead Developer and Director

🇬🇷Greek: native 🇬🇧English: excellent 🇫🇷French: basic • 🕐 My time zone is Europe / Athens
Please keep in mind my timezone and cultural differences when reading my replies. Thank you!

trlbldr
Nicholas,

I misstated the version number, of course. The JPA file was for version 3.7.4. Sorry.

I described the process I had to use. I stated that I finally restored the site using a backup created using version 3.7.3; that the archives created using version 3.7.4 did not fully restore the MySQL database, dropping all tables after 'content'.

As for whether the restoration using version 3.7.4 used ANGIE or ABI, I don't know. I just clicked through. It's been a few days; I believe I remember seeing ANGIE writ large atop the page.

I don't have the version 3.7.4-created archive. I had to get the customer's site back online, so I had to fall back to the v3.7.3 archive, instead.

I thought you might want a heads-up about the problem as I had to run off to another gig where I work on-site doing technical writing. I didn't mean to cause a problem, myself.

Cheers,

Don White

Don White

nicholas
Akeeba Staff
Manager
Hello Don,

Thank you for the feedback. I now have a better idea of what's going on. In the meantime I have performed dozens of restorations using ANGIE on different server environments. I could not reproduce the issue with the missing sessions table. The only way I could get this to occur was with 3.7.3 (there was a bug I fixed in 3.7.4) or when I manually excluded such tables from the backup.

I would appreciate it if you could take a backup of this client's site using 3.7.4 and try restoring it on your localhost (e.g. XAMPP, WAMPServer, MAMP, ...) and tell me if you can reproduce this issue.

Nicholas K. Dionysopoulos

Lead Developer and Director

🇬🇷Greek: native 🇬🇧English: excellent 🇫🇷French: basic • 🕐 My time zone is Europe / Athens
Please keep in mind my timezone and cultural differences when reading my replies. Thank you!

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