In this article, we will explain how to make, manage, and delete backups.
Note: Backups add to your overall disk space on the server you host on, whether that be with us or another provider. It's a good idea to save old backups locally and remove them off the server when done.
Note: If you host with PinnacleCart, we do retain backups for up to 14 days on our servers. If you don't have any recent backups that you've created yourself, you can contact support to have a restore done on the server-side.
In this article, you will learn
How to Create a Backup of Your Website
How to Restore a Backup of Your Website
Downloading a Backup locally to Your Computer
How to Create a Backup of Your Website
For versions 3.9.0-R1 to 3.9.0-R7 (Latest version)
To create a backup, follow the steps shown in the video below.
For versions 3.8.0-R1 to 3.8.7-R3
To create a backup, follow the instructions in this article. You can create backups of specific areas of your cart or choose every option and backup the entire website.
For versions 3.7.11-R1 to 3.7.15-R2
To create a backup, go to Cart Settings on the left > Database & Backup > click the Backup/Restore tab > tick the boxes for what you want to backup and click the Backup button.
For earlier versions of 3.7.x
To create a backup, go to Cart Settings at the top > Database and Back-up Tools > click the Backup/Restore tab > tick the boxes for what you want to backup and click the Backup button. These exact directions should work for 3.6.4 and earlier versions as well.
How to Restore a Backup of Your Website
To restore a backup you've created, just return to the same page to create the backup, as outlined above. When you have backups available, you will see them listed on the Backup/Restore page. To the right of the backup, you will see a Restore link or button.
Screenshot for versions 3.9.0-R1 to 3.9.0-R7 (Latest version)
Screenshot for versions 3.8.0-R1 to 3.8.7-R3
Backup naming scheme
Backups created by the PinnacleCart software will use the following naming scheme: cart version - date - unique number - what was backed up - file type zip extension. An example of this would be 3.8.2 R.3-20160421-205438-files-skins-cache-img-db.tar.gz. This will help you locate an exact backup by the date it was created, and what was backed up so that you know you'll restore the correct one.
Downloading a Backup locally to Your Computer
Once you've created a backup for your site, it's a great idea to download it locally, so you can remove it from the server and save space. To do this, you have to establish an FTP connection to your website. See this article for how to use FTP with PinnacleCart.
Once you've established an FTP connection, navigate to your cart root, then go to content/backups. You will see the same backups there that you see on the Backup/Restore page of your admin area. Click the backup, right-click and choose to download the file. Once it's downloaded to the folder of your choice, right-click it on the server again and Delete it.
Note: You can also upload backups back into the content/backups folder. When you do this, they will show back up in the admin area, where you can restore them. In addition, once a backup is local, you can unzip it and find specific files. This will allow you to manually restore only a file or two if you wanted, or view the .sql file for old database information.
Links to Related Articles
How can I get FTP Access to my Files?
If you didn't get your question answered, please contact the Pinnacle Cart Support Team. To submit a ticket, go to the My Account drop-down menu at the top right of the admin area and select Support.
