Restoring from a backup

The Discus Backup Manager contains the functionality to restore some or all files from a backup created in the "tar" format. The Backup Manager is optimized to restore data from backup archives created with the Backup Manager itself, and is compatible with backups created in Discus Pro 3.0 and higher. Limited compatibility is available for large-scale backups created with the "tar" utility but not using the Discus Backup Manager.

To access the ability to restore data from a backup, click the "Open" icon next to the backup from which you will restore data. This will bring up a screen listing all files in the backup archive. One or both of the following recovery methods will be listed:

Automatic restore

If your backup was created with the Discus Backup Manager and it contains all of the needed files, automatic restoration will be listed as an option. Automatic restoration will perform these steps:

1. All data currently existing on your board will be entirely deleted.

2. The data from the backup will be applied to your Discus board.

3. Your messages will be regenerated according to the selected skin. (If moving from one server to another, any search-and-replace for URL changes will be handled automatically.)

4. If needed, the file structure will be automatically upgraded from version 3.10 to version 4.0. This occurs only when your backup was created on a version 3.10 board but is being restored onto a version 4.0+ board.

An automatic restoration is the "cleanest" way to restore data, as your board will be reset to its exact condition at the time the backup was created. To run the automatic restoration procedure, check the box next to "To prevent accidental disaster..." and then click the "Restore from Backup" button.

Partial restore

Partial restoration is useful in cases where only specific files must be recovered. This is useful if one particular file has become corrupted or lost. This is not recommended to restore an entire board and should be used only with extreme caution.

To select the file(s) to restore, use the selection box that lists all restorable files in the archive. To select multiple files, hold down the CTRL key when clicking.

You can then choose to "Overwrite corrupted files only" (overwrite those files that currently have zero length on the server) or "Overwrite all selected files" (forces an overwrite of the existing file with the one from the backup). DiscusWare recommends that you select "Overwrite corrupted files only" -- there is generally not a reason to overwrite a non-corrupt file with one from a backup.

To restore the selected files, click the "Restore from Backup" button. After the progress gauge completes, you will be told which files, if any, have been restored from the backup. Note that directories themselves and files that do not contain program data generally cannot be restored through the Backup Manager.

Manual restore

It is possible to open the Discus backup file with a client program that recognizes the unix tar format (e.g., WinZip). These files can be extracted on your computer and then uploaded manually to your server using FTP. Be sure to transfer all text files in ASCII mode, and all binary files (images, certain uploaded attachments) in binary mode.