Resolved Database Backup for a server with no sites?

[Ither]

Server operating system version

CentOS Linux 7.9.2009

Plesk version and microupdate number

Version 18.0.49 Update #2

Hi,
I recently stood up a server with Plesk installed that is nothing more than a DB server. It has no subs or domains. I created my databases through the Tools and Settings > Database Server and clicked on the icon to launch phpmyadmin.

One thing I have noticed is that the Backup Manager built into Plesk doesn't backup the database? My DB itself is over 21GB and when I do a new backup, full, configuration, user files and databases -- it comes out to 21MB with no DB in it.

Is it not possible to backup the database unless a subscription and domains etc? Do I need to go go to cron job on the linux side to backup on a regular basis?

Thanks!

 

[Peter Debik]

From your description I understand that you are operating a database on the server that is independent from Plesk configurations. In that case Plesk might not backup that database. Instead, you can use this workaround:
1) Create a subscription Plesk. You can use a placeholder domain name for it, it does not need to be accessible from the Internet.
2) From the "admin" user account in Plesk, add this cron job:
# mysqldump --user=<username> --password=<password> <database> > <path/to/mysql_dump.sql>
and let the path/to/mysql_dump.sql write the output into a directory that belongs to the subscription you have created in step (1).
3) Configure the backup to backup that subscription.
What you'll get is not a database backup that you can restore directly from Plesk, but a backup of the subscription that includes the database dump. And that dump can later be imported to your database if needed.

 

[Ither]

Yes, I'm actually running (2) separate servers with Plesk installed on both. 1 server is WEB and the other is DB. The DB server Plesk has no domains, subs, etc. Which is why I suspected I couldn't use the backup manager traditionally--because on my older server when I had it all together (web/db) it would be included in my domain site backup.

Your workaround is great. Thank you so much!!

 

[scsa20]

Why bother using plesk on the DB server? Why couldn't you just install the DB server services on the second server and just have plesk on the web server configured to talk back to that server for DB deployment?