What to Backup?
It is required that you backup your entire DotNetNuke directory on the web server as well as a full backup of the database.
In order for our support team to be able to successfully restore your DotNetNuke installation, you must ensure that all the module .dll files and any other necessary files are contained in the directory.
Before you begin...
- To better transfer the Backup files, we recommend using an FTP application. We will use Filezilla for this tutorial. You can download a copy from https://filezilla-project.org/.
- Install the Filezilla client on your local computer.
- Request a personal SFTP Username and Password from your AccordLMS support specialist and store it in a safe place.
- Create a New Folder, with a meaningful name (Your company name) on your computer to store the backup files that will be created during this process.
Set up the FTP connection
In order to deliver your backup files to Accord LMS Support Team, you will need to configure your FTP client correctly. We have put together some instructions as a setup example to help you in performing this configuration. Please keep in mind that we have used Filezilla software for this example and some of the instructions may differ from your actual software. There is no actual restriction on which FTP software to use but please do not try to upload using Window's Explorer as you will get an error.
Important:
- Do not try to upload using Window's Explorer. You will get an error.
- Do notuse the quick connect feature in FileZilla.
- Open your copy of Filezilla and Navigate to File > Site Manager.
- Click New Site.
- Input a meaningful name for the new site.
- Fill the Host field with the address provided by Accord LMS Support Team.
- From the Protocol dropdown, select SFTP - SSH File Transfer Protocol.
- For Logon Type, use Normal.
- Enter the User and Password provided in the given fields.
- Click Connect.
You will receive an "Unknown host key" warning dialog message. It is normal behavior and part of the TOFU (Trust on first use) security model as employed by SSH. All SFTP sessions are encrypted and authenticated by the server's host key. If the host key is unknown, then Filezilla provides no guarantee that you are really connecting to the correct server. FileZilla will never blindly trust anything (certificates, server keys, ...) and always asks the user for confirmation.
- Check the box to "Always trust this host, add this key to the cache".
- Click OK to proceed.
You are now connected to SFTP server. To transfer files, just drag and drop files from the Local Site Window located on the left to the Remote Site Window located on the right.
Performing the Backup
Performing the backup of a DotNetNuke site is a two step process. In the next steps we will discuss how to back up the DNN installation directory and then we will go through the options available for backing up the database.
Backing up the DotNetNuke folder
If you have direct access to the server;
- Navigate to the folder where your site is located.
- Right click on the DotNetNuke directory and select Send To > Compressed (zipped) Folder. This applies to most versions of the windows operating system. Other compression options may be available depending on the software installed on your computer.
Once the Compression process finishes, a 'DirectoryName.zip' file containing all needed backup files will be created. Please store this file in a safe location until you deliver it to our support team.
If you do not have direct access to the server:
You can connect to your FTP site and copy all files to a location on your local computer. Once all files have been copied, you can create a zip file including all files and folders that were just downloaded.
Backing up the Database
To backup the database you must have access to the database server and the file system of the database server.
Follow the steps below to create a database backup file from your SQL Server Manager.
- Access your Microsoft SQL Management Console.
- Navigate to your specific database in the Object Explorer.
- Right-click on the database and select Tasks > Back Up...
- Ensure that 'Full' is selected for the Backup type.
- Click the 'Add..' button to choose the Destination where you want your file to be saved.
- Browse and select the folder where you want the backup to be saved.
- Provide a File name for the .bak file that is going to be created.
- Click OK to generate your backup. You will receive a success notice upon completion.
Once the process completes you will have a full backup file containing all tables and data for your database.
Preparing files for the FTP Upload
Navigate to the Folder where you saved both the Website folder zip file (created in the first step of this article) and the database backup (.bak) file. Open it to make sure that all the required files are there. If you stored any of these files in a different folder, just move them, making sure they are contained within the same folder.
We will now compress the folder containing both files (.zip and .bak) into a unique .zip file, in order to help make the upload faster;
- Right click on the Parent Folder to bring up the context menu.
- Navigate to Send to > Compressed (zipped) folder.
From the Filezilla window, explore your local file system and locate the .zip file created in the previous step.
- Right-click on the file and select Upload from the context menu.
The file transfer will begin at once. You will be notified once complete.
After the upload is successfully completed, please send an email to the support team indicating the complete filename of the zip file so that it can be downloaded for further investigation.
