Support

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:I don't seem to be able to get this to work on a couple of my slightly larger 2.5 Joomla! websites. As soon as it reaches the database I start getting problems where it halts and then fails eventually. The backup failed message reads as: Ajax loading error, HTTP status 500 (internal server error), internal server error, XHR ready service: press for raw server response.

I'm afraid this means absolutely nothing to me

Actually, your backup of the database finishes successfully. I think this is the problem:

INFO    |151026 16:00:40|Breaking step _before_ large file: <root>/php_errorlog - size: 2000000000

You would not need that error file in the event of a restore and it has the potential to corrupt your backup archive if you include it, so I think we'd better exclude that file.

I have removed quite a few large files about the backup is still failing. The error I reported on here first was from tetraplegic living.com. I tried backing it up again after removing a few large files but it halted almost immediately. It seems to be stopping at public_HTML, not sure why this is. However, when I change settings to backing up database only it was successful

I also tried backing up OscarFish lover.com but had problems with that as well. I've also included in the error log from this website backup

When I backup OscarFish lover.com it actually looks as though it is completing the database backup but starts going wrong on the last stage.

Please give me a new backup log and I'll take another look.

The backup appears to be failing at the finalised staging. As far as I can see it backing off the database and the files now okay. But like I said, as soon as it gets onto the final stage that's when it start struggling and then finally fails.

I've tried backing up tetraplegic living just won't work. It doesn't even give me an error log file to show you.

I can give you my login details if you wish you can see for yourself.

OK, that's very strange. It gets to the very end and then can't seem to figure out that there is nothing left to do. (That's the www.oscarfishlover.com log file.) If you look at the Manage Backups screen, what is the status of that backup? It should show as complete.

For the tetraplegic living site, make sure the log level in the Profile Configuration is set to "All information and debug". Other settings may not produce a log or not a usable log.

I just tried backing up Oscarfishlover.com again but got the same result. It seemed to finish backing up the files but then went into halts and then finally failed. Then if I go into managed backups, I've got this message

QL=SELECT * FROM `j25_ak_stats` WHERE `tag` <> 'restorepoint' ORDER BY `backupstart` DESC LIMIT 0, 20

That is most definitely not what you are supposed to see on the Manage Backups screen.

You didn't tell me what version of Backup you have installed. The latest version for the Joomla! 2.5 series is 4.1.2, available here: https://www.akeebabackup.com/download/akeeba-backup/4-1-2.html. If that is not the version that you have installed, STOP, I don't want to introduce any more variables. We want to download Akeeba Backup and install it twice, back to back, without doing anything else in between. Do not uninstall Backup, that will cause you to lose all of your settings and possibly your stored backup archives. This should fix a corrupted installation of Akeeba Backup if that is the problem.

Next, please check your Manage Backups screen again to see if that problem is fixed. If it is, you can try another backup.

I've just tried backing up tetraplegic living.com and it doesn't even get past the first stage. I've just opened a new account with site ground and that is where tetraplegic living is hosted. Tetraplegic living is the registered website so within public_HTML I have various other folders containing other websites that are add-ons. Now when I'm looking at the backup process, it's getting as far as public_HTML going no further, wondering whether this is the problem.

Which website do you want me to install it twice?

Oscarfishlover.com was the one where we had the error on the Manage Backups page. That is the one we need to reinstall.

For tetraplegic living.com, if you have multiple sites on that hosting account, you will need to exclude the add on sites from the tetraplegic living.com backup. If you back up multiple sites in one backup it is a nightmare to try to restore them. I never saw the log from that backup, so I'm working in the dark on that one.

Unfortunately even after reinstalling it still failed. It actually said 75% in the browser button.

And I have still got the SQL error message if I go into managed backups

I excluded all other add-on folders containing websites but it didn't make any difference, still didn't get past backing up public_HTML. I've uploaded the log for you

For www.tetraplegicliving.com we still have that 2 Gb PHP error log in the root folder. That file isn't going to back up, it has to be excluded from the backup.

Okay, we can now cross tetraplegicliving.com off our list, after your advice I have backed up that successfully.

Great! Can you please post a backup log for the next site?

I'm just looking at what version I've got on Oscarfishlover.com, it's 4.1.2. I've also got something called Akeeba Strapper. And wondering whether I should uninstall both of these and reinstall and see if that corrects the problem.

No. Uninstalling Backup will cause you to lose all of your settings and possibly all of your stored backup archives. It should only be done as a last resort and after making sure that the backups are stored in an alternate location.

Akeeba Strapper is part of Akeeba Backup. It is a support program, it does not have a separate function.

I just tried to run the backup on Oscarfishlover.com the same thing happened. It seems to get to the last bit after backing up the files and then just fails. There are no logs to download, I just have the SQL error message. I can provide you with admin login details if you wish, you can take a look for yourself, maybe there's a setting somewhere that is wrong, I really don't know

Apologies, there are no backups just an SQL error, here is the log

OK, now I get it! The backup fails at the very end - where it tries to update the Manage Backups page.

I have to talk to Nicholas about this one. I may not be able to get to him until Monday, but we are making progress. Your backup should be fine, the actual backup is complete when the error occurs.

Okey dokey, so even though I can't see the backups themselves, I can still retrieve them from the backup folder if I go to my cPanel, or FTP?

Yes you can. The backup has to be complete and the archive finalized before it can update the Manage Backups page. That is where it fails. The backup is getting the same SQL error that you're getting on the page, we just can't see it.

I have a couple of possibilities:

1. The "QL=" part of the SQL error is not coming from the Joomla! Core. It looks like it may be from a third party plugin. Do you have any plugins that may be affecting how data is written to the database? I know that isn't much to go on, but the error doesn't give a lot of clues.
2. We may have a problem with the database table that stores the backup records. To fix that we need to uninstall and reinstall. You will need to export your backup profiles first and make sure all of your stored backups are safely stored in a location other than on your website. As part of this process all backup archives stored in the default /administrator/components/com_akeeba/backup location will be deleted. When you have that covered, uninstall and reinstall, then import your backup profiles. If the problem is in the database table, that will fix it.

When you talk about a plug-in, what "type" of plugging are you referring to? Would that be "content" "editors" etc?

Most likely "System" but that is just a starting point.

The Eagle has landed. Uninstalling and then reinstalling sorted the problem and now it's backing up successfully. Thanks very much

Just another quick question. Is it possible to restore a backup from one domain until completely different domain? What I would like to do is do a test run by backing my 2.5 website up to 3.4. The last time I tried it on Oscarfishlover something went wrong with the database. So was wondering if I could make a backup of the site, put it onto a test domain, go through the migration and see how well it goes.

I'm glad it is working now but I don't understand why that fixed it.

Yes, that is one of the purposes of Akeeba Backup. More recent versions are more aggressive in determining that the server has changed. Older versions tended to assume the server was the same and tried to use the old database credentials. That caused problems.

I tried to restore a copy of a backup that I'd taken a couple of years ago but when I got to the first stage, it couldn't find the archive, that particular field was blank. So I've just taken another backup using 4.1.2 and I'm trying again

If you have any trouble with it, please start a new ticket. That way we can keep the issues separated.

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