My server is down, which brings up some thoughts

how often do you backup?

[too much information]

Well the subject says it all. Just sitting here feeling helpless trying to remember which files I edited yesterday.

Here's my question, how often does everyone backup? (I mean the entire site, database, scripts, etc.)

[ecommerce man]

Everyday without fail to another server in another datacenter. We then back up the backups to tape every week.

[AWildman]

We also back up everynight to another server with identical content so that if anything happens, we can just switch over to the other server. I don't know how many times that back up has saved me.

[AWildman]

And I don't mean to say that I had to have the backup cause I'm careless or something! :) Didn't want to give the wrong impression...

[too much information]

I wish I could just switch over to another server, but it's my hosting service. Makes me want to host my own on the PC that I never use.

I currently do a total backup about every week, and save copies of every new edit on two machines, but now I have to sort out what I've done since last Friday. ugh

(side note: is anyone hosting their site on a residential cable line? if so, have you run into any bandwidth problems?)

[jbinbpt]

I also am with a hosting service, but ALL changes are stored on a local machine and also onto a CD-RW that goes home with me.

[mnamesir]

Backup whenever you make a change. Keep one copy of the site lcoal, and one copy on the WWW host. I'd run a daily backup routine (of your local data) that includes doing differential on top of the full backup - that'll save you time in backup, but take more on the restore- If you make frequent changes, then you may want to use a different backup method to more closely track revisions to the data/files.

I'd watch out for hosting your PC on your residential modem account - I has my account pulled by Road Runner for hosting a public WWW server off of it... If you're talking about low volume or a password-proptected site, then you should be all set. Most cable modem services give you an assymetric connection - more speed downloading than uploading. RR here is about 280KB/s down, 48KB/s upstream.

[dmorison]

All development is done on "DEV" servers.

When it's time to release...

DEV --> FTP --> BACKUP --> FTP --> LIVE

That way, the existing LIVE is always replicated in BACKUP (except for the few moments during a site upgrade); plus if you ever lose both LIVE and BACKUP then you've still got DEV...

Most data generated by the applications is backed up nightly to a separate data center; however critical data (user registration, financial transactions etc.) are replicated in real time.

[too much information]

well, here's a new development. My hosting service must have a pretty good backup because my site came back up with no problem... well almost.

I think the server lost my DSN name because I could not access my database at all. But before I could get an error message to confirm this, I got suspended for eating up too much processer (99% they tell me). I guess my subscribers are pretty active today. ;)

So now they are working to unlock their processor and tell me what the problem is. I already recreated the DSN, but being locked out is bad news because I can't test it.

Looks like I have some more development to do so that when this happens again I don't have to rely on the DSN!

(I say 'when' because I expect another round sooner or later, maybe with another site, who knows.)