The database tools interface allows you to use functions to manage the MySQL database that the LinkX data is being stored in. The functions available in the Database Tools interface are described in this document.
Database Backup and Restore
The database backup and restore functions provide you with an internal method to create a backup of the MySQL database tables that LinkX uses to store it's data. On some servers, depending on the server configuration and size of your database, this internal function may not work and you may need to use an alternate method. The method that you use is really not that important, as long as the data is in a format that MySQL can read.
Database Backup
To use the database backup feature access the Database > Tools function from the control panel menu. This will load a page with a section header bar labeled 'Database Backup and Restore'. There will be an information bar below the header bar to let you know what method the software will use for the database backup function. Each of those is described below.
| mysqldump command line program | This is the best backup option and means that the mysqldump command line program has been found on your server. The mysqldump program is highly optimized for making backups of MySQL databases, and therefore will run the fastest and use the least amount of server resources. |
| Built-in LinkX function | This option is the second best and means that your server can run a background process to do the database backup. This prevents any types of server timeouts or PHP script timelimits from interrupting the backup process prematurely, but it will take longer than mysqldump to complete especially on larger databases. |
| Through web browser | This method will work with smaller databases, but will most likely fail with larger databases. The backup process must run through your browser which means that it can be prematurely terminated by PHP script execution time limits or server timeout settings. If you try using this method and it fails, check the alternate methods that you can use. |
Database Restore
To use the database restore feature access the Database > Tools function from the control panel menu. This will load a page with a section header bar labeled 'Database Backup and Restore'. There will be an information bar below the header bar to let you know what method the software will use for the database restore function. These are basically the same as the backup methods, so you can refer to that information above.
To do the actual database restore, you will first need to make sure the backup file has been uploaded to the data directory of your LinkX installation. Once it is uploaded simply enter it's filename in the text input box and press the Restore button. The data in that file will be read into the MySQL database. You should allow a few minutes for this process to complete (more time will be needed for larger databases) before you begin accessing the other software functions.
Alternate Backup/Restore Methods
Backing up your MySQL data can be done using any tool that creates a file containing the raw SQL queries needed to restore the database. Programs such as phpMyAdmin offer this capability, so you can try using that to backup your SQL data. Your server may also have a web-based control panel that has a feature to backup your MySQL data. If you still are unable to find a solution to backup your MySQL data, contact your server administrator to discuss with them the options you have for backing up your MySQL data.
Most utilities that allow you to backup your MySQL data also have a function to restore the MySQL data from the file that was generated. You can again try using one of these tools if they are available to you on your server, or you can contact your server administrator to discuss with them the options you have for restoring MySQL data from a file.
Database Repair/Optimize
This function allows you to "cleanup" the MySQL database tables that it uses so they are optimized for both speed and disk usage. In general, you will not need to run this command more than once every few weeks, as MySQL is quite efficient in maintaining it's datafiles. The only time you may need to run it more often is if you delete a large number of links from your database.
In some cases, usually after your server recovers from a serious error, your MySQL database may become corrupted. When this happens you will get error messages from LinkX indicating that there is a problem with one or more of your database tables. In most circumstances MySQL is able to repair damaged tables with it's built in functions. LinkX allows you to run these built in functions through the Database Tools interface. If you ever get these types of error messages, simply login to the control panel and use the Optimize/Repair function.
To use the database repair/optimize feature access the Database > Tools function from the control panel menu. This will load a page with a section header bar labeled 'Database Backup and Restore'. In the header bar, click on the
icon to start the repair/optimize process.
Raw Database Query
This function allows you to run a raw SQL query against the MySQL database that is storing the LinkX data. This feature is intended for advanced users who have experience working with SQL queries and understand the impact they will have on the database. In most cases you will not need to use this feature, unless you have been instructed to by the JMB Software staff.