OpenVDM includes a utility script for backing up and restoring the MySQL database. The script reads database credentials directly from www/app/Core/Config.php so no separate credentials file is required.

Setup

The script is provided as a template in bin/db_backup_restore.py.dist. Copy it before use:

cp bin/db_backup_restore.py.dist bin/db_backup_restore.py

Backup files are stored in database/backups/ by default (created automatically on first run). This directory is excluded from version control.

Creating a Backup

source venv/bin/activate
python bin/db_backup_restore.py backup

The script creates a timestamped SQL file:

database/backups/openvdm_20240115_143022.sql

What is backed up:

  • All table structures (schema)
  • All table data, with one exception

What is excluded from data:

  • OVDM_Messages rows — message history is ephemeral and excluded to keep backups small. The table structure is still preserved so the database can be restored cleanly.

Custom Backup Directory

python bin/db_backup_restore.py backup --output-dir /mnt/backup_drive/openvdm_db/

Restoring from a Backup

Interactive Selection

Run without arguments to choose from available backups:

python bin/db_backup_restore.py restore

Available backups:
  1) openvdm_20240115_143022.sql
  2) openvdm_20240110_090000.sql
  3) openvdm_20240105_120000.sql
  0) Cancel

Select backup to restore [0-3]:

Direct Restore

python bin/db_backup_restore.py restore database/backups/openvdm_20240115_143022.sql

Another Config.php

The credentials are read from www/app/Core/Config.php by default. Use --config to read them from another file:

python bin/db_backup_restore.py --config /path/to/Config.php backup

Verbosity

Add -v flags to increase output detail:

python bin/db_backup_restore.py -v backup    # INFO level
python bin/db_backup_restore.py -vv backup   # DEBUG level

Prerequisites

The script uses the MySQL client tools (mysqldump and mysql), which the OpenVDM installer installs with the database server.

The Database Export Script

utils/export_openvdm_db.sh is a simpler alternative, used in the upgrade instructions. Run as root, it dumps the database (also without the message rows) to standard output, asking for the MySQL root password twice:

sudo bash ./utils/export_openvdm_db.sh > ~/openvdm_backup.sql

Updated: