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Akeeba Backup for Joomla!

#8872 3.1.5 backup files not extracting correctly

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 Thursday, 26 May 2011 18:03 CDT

user19069
Mandatory information about my setup:

Have I searched the forum before posting? Yes
Have I read the Troubleshooting Wizard before posting? Yes
Have I read the documentation before posting? Yes
Joomla! version: 1.5.14
PHP version: (unknown)
MySQL version: (unknown)
Host: Rackspace Cloud Sites
Akeeba Backup Professional version: 3.1.5

EXTREMELY IMPORTANT: Please attach your Akeeba Backup log file in order for us to help you with any backup or restoration issue.

Description of my issue:

The issue occurs during the kickstart restoration process. The files do not unpack correctly. the backup works without a problem. The backup files are in jpa format and split into 10MB pieces. I attempted to use the eXtract application but I still can't extract the files. There is always a file error. I tested the process on several backup files that were in the same format from several of my client sites. They are all failing during the eXtract.

This problem occurs using the latest version of kickstart. I also attempted to extract them using the kickstart 2.4.1 version. That version failed silently during the extract process and went on the installation process. the installation process was unsuccessful because the files where not available and resulted in a AJAX parsing error on the .sql file during Database loading.

The only consistency that I noticed during my testing and troubleshooting was that the failure almost always failed at the point at which the eXtract program was processing an audio file - mp3, m4a, etc. There was one failure when it experienced a pdf file.

This is a very important issue to solve since my clients are in the financial services industry and they/we are required - by law - to backup and retain the sites for 3 years. It must be restored in the event of an Audit by federal government regulators. I have an unknown number of backups that will not restore. They all seem to encounter the same problem. I have tested many of the backups and they seem to have an issue starting with the change to 3.1.5. I also changed the file format at that time to jpa from zip.

Please help. Thanks.

nicholas
Akeeba Staff
Manager
I can see seval problems here. First, you are using a severly outdated verdin of Joomla!, one that Akeeba Backup was never tested on. You are also using a very outdated version of Akeeba Backup that has been superseded by a newer stable version several months ago. It is also a security vulnerable version.

Anyway, your problem is most likely caused because of unreadable files. These old versions had an issue with such files. That's why we were telling you that as soon as you get warnings in your backups it is imperative to perform a test restoration. That's how we discovered and fixed this issue.

At this time, very little can be done. At best, you have the site's SQL database dump. It's the first thing inside the archive and according to your account it is extracted. Maybe you can restore that database over a newer version of the site's files, essentially reconstructing the site as closely to what it was as possible.

I always tell this and I will tell it once more: always test your backups. Especially after doing a major change in your site like upgrading any component or adding big files. An untested backup is, as you unfortunately found out, as good as no backup at all.

Moreover, since your client considers backups as a mission critical feature of their site they should consider taking full server backups using a backup solution designed especially for that. Our software comes with no warranty, as per sections 14 and 15 of the license, so this may not be what they are required by law to have. IANAL so you'd better consult with your client's legal team regarding the exact requirements imposed by law upon them.

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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