Testing Restore of mySQL Database

With the discussion about backups, I would like to raise a question I have had for some time. Having backups does no good if you cannot restore them. Files are rather easy to test. But how do you test restoring a database? I back it up with the usual tool. I have the docs to do the restore. But how to test to make sure that restoring works, without clobbering the active database? Thank you -- Stephen

back it up on another machine Dave Cramer On 23 December 2016 at 14:59, Stephen via talk <talk@gtalug.org> wrote:
With the discussion about backups, I would like to raise a question I have had for some time.
Having backups does no good if you cannot restore them. Files are rather easy to test.
But how do you test restoring a database?
I back it up with the usual tool. I have the docs to do the restore.
But how to test to make sure that restoring works, without clobbering the active database?
Thank you
-- Stephen --- Talk Mailing List talk@gtalug.org https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/talk

Restore on another database? Or in a virtual machine? Or in a container? On Dec 23, 2016 6:08 PM, "Dave Cramer via talk" <talk@gtalug.org> wrote:
back it up on another machine
Dave Cramer
On 23 December 2016 at 14:59, Stephen via talk <talk@gtalug.org> wrote:
With the discussion about backups, I would like to raise a question I have had for some time.
Having backups does no good if you cannot restore them. Files are rather easy to test.
But how do you test restoring a database?
I back it up with the usual tool. I have the docs to do the restore.
But how to test to make sure that restoring works, without clobbering the active database?
Thank you
-- Stephen --- Talk Mailing List talk@gtalug.org https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/talk
--- Talk Mailing List talk@gtalug.org https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/talk

On 12/23/2016 02:59 PM, Stephen via talk wrote:
With the discussion about backups, I would like to raise a question I have had for some time.
Having backups does no good if you cannot restore them. Files are rather easy to test.
But how do you test restoring a database?
I back it up with the usual tool. I have the docs to do the restore.
But how to test to make sure that restoring works, without clobbering the active database?
Thank you
you can recover on a different machine or start a second instance of the database on different ports. This is the kind of place where virtualization or containerization comes in handy. Testing your backups is always a good idea. -- Alvin Starr || voice: (905)513-7688 Netvel Inc. || Cell: (416)806-0133 alvin@netvel.net ||

If you don't test, you will have a Schrödinger's backup: both valid and invalid at the same time, until you try a restore. On Dec 23, 2016 6:20 PM, "Alvin Starr via talk" <talk@gtalug.org> wrote:
On 12/23/2016 02:59 PM, Stephen via talk wrote:
With the discussion about backups, I would like to raise a question I have had for some time.
Having backups does no good if you cannot restore them. Files are rather easy to test.
But how do you test restoring a database?
I back it up with the usual tool. I have the docs to do the restore.
But how to test to make sure that restoring works, without clobbering the active database?
Thank you
you can recover on a different machine or start a second instance of the database on different ports. This is the kind of place where virtualization or containerization comes in handy.
Testing your backups is always a good idea.
-- Alvin Starr || voice: (905)513-7688 <(905)%20513-7688> Netvel Inc. || Cell: (416)806-0133 <(416)%20806-0133>alvin@netvel.net ||
--- Talk Mailing List talk@gtalug.org https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/talk

Many years ago I worked for a company that had a tape backup system they sold with their computers. Due to a firmware screw up for fewmonths the backuptapes were written blank and thenwhen they were verified they verified as good. Fortunatelynone of the banks that were using the systems had a problem in that few months. In this case Schrödinger's backup was dead,alive and invisible. Regular testing is important. On 12/23/2016 03:36 PM, Mauro Souza wrote:
If you don't test, you will have a Schrödinger's backup: both valid and invalid at the same time, until you try a restore.
On Dec 23, 2016 6:20 PM, "Alvin Starr via talk" <talk@gtalug.org <mailto:talk@gtalug.org>> wrote:
On 12/23/2016 02:59 PM, Stephen via talk wrote:
With the discussion about backups, I would like to raise a question I have had for some time.
Having backups does no good if you cannot restore them. Files are rather easy to test.
But how do you test restoring a database?
I back it up with the usual tool. I have the docs to do the restore.
But how to test to make sure that restoring works, without clobbering the active database?
Thank you
you can recover on a different machine or start a second instance of the database on different ports. This is the kind of place where virtualization or containerization comes in handy.
Testing your backups is always a good idea.
-- Alvin Starr || voice:(905)513-7688 <tel:%28905%29%20513-7688> Netvel Inc. || Cell:(416)806-0133 <tel:%28416%29%20806-0133> alvin@netvel.net <mailto:alvin@netvel.net> ||
--- Talk Mailing List talk@gtalug.org <mailto:talk@gtalug.org> https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/talk <https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/talk>
-- Alvin Starr || voice: (905)513-7688 Netvel Inc. || Cell: (416)806-0133 alvin@netvel.net ||
participants (4)
-
Alvin Starr
-
Dave Cramer
-
Mauro Souza
-
Stephen