Close Window x

Frequently Asked Questions

Help Center Search

What is the difference between a system backup and a user backup?

Print this Article
Comment on this Article
Last Updated: April 23, 2008 11:10 AM

There are two types of backup: System Backup and User Backup. Here is a list of differences between the two back-up file types:

How Back-Up Files are Created:

  • System Back-up Files - created automatically by our system each night.
  • User Back-up Files - created by the customer using the back-up feature in the Hosting Control Center's database administration tools. Alternatively, you can upload MySQL database files to _db_backups folder on the root level of the hosting account.
Where Back-Up Files are Stored
  • System Back-up Files - stored on servers inaccessible to the user.
  • User Back-up Files - stored in the_db_backups folder on the root level of the your hosting account.
How Back-Up Files are Managed:
  • System Back-up Files - managed by our system, which periodically creates and replaces these files.
  • User Back-up Files - managed by the user. Using an FTP client, you can download, upload, rename, and delete these files.
How Back-up Files are Named:
  • System Back-up Files - use the database name followed by a date stamp.
  • User Back-up Files - use the database name. While you cannot define a filename during the back-up process, you can rename a file once the process is complete.

Note: You must use the appropriate filename extension when renaming any back-up file: MySQL files use the .sql extension. SQL Server files use the .bak extension.