Backing Up

Introduction

As with any computer data, it is essential to back up your LightSpeed data regularly, so you can rest easy, knowing that you have another copy of your database that you can restore if necessary. Luckily, LightSpeed makes it easy to perform frequent backups.  

Beginning in 3.6, LightSpeed notifies "Administrator" or "Manager"-level users if no scheduled backup has been completed within the previous 7 days. 

Make sure you follow the appropriate set of instructions below, depending on the version of LightSpeed that you're using.

LightSpeed 3.x

Manual Backup

To manually back up your database, go to Tools > Utilities > Backup Database. A window will appear asking you to confirm you want to backup database.  Click Backup Database.  This will save a copy in Macintosh HD > Users > Shared > LightSpeed > Backups, named server1-yyyy-mm-dd-manual-(randomized ID code).lightspeedBackup.

Scheduled Backup

To schedule a regular backup:

1. Go to Tools > Utilities > Backup Database.
2. Click the Schedule tab.  
3. Configure whether you want the backup to be performed every day, or on particular days, and at what time.  The larger your database, the longer the backup will take, so depending on the size of your database, it is recommended to set your backups for after business hours.  Remember to keep your server running overnight in order for backups to be completed - if the computer sleeps during the backup process, your database will not be backed up.  You do not need to keep LightSpeed running for the backup to occur.  

External Backup

Your backed up database should then be backed up to a volume different than the original. Burning the backed up database to CD, or copying it to an external hard drive or USB drive, will insure that in the event of a hard drive failure on your server, your LightSpeed database will remain intact as of the last backed up copy. It is recommended that you keep a current, backed up copy of your LightSpeed database at an offsite location, at all times.  

RESTORING A BACKUP

Please see here for instructions on restoring your database from a backup.

LIVE BACKUPS

Do not attempt to back up your live database externally, as it slows performance of LightSpeed significantly. This includes any third party backup solution, including Time Machine. Your live database is stored at Macintosh HD/Library/Application Support/LightSpeed Server. Exclude this folder from your backup solution. Further, it is not possible to restore a backup of this live database. 

LightSpeed 2.x

As with any computer data, it is essential to back up your LightSpeed data regularly, so you can rest easy, knowing that you have another copy of your database that you can restore if necessary. Luckily, LightSpeed and the OpenBase SQL database make it easy to perform frequent backups.

Manual Backup

To manually back up your database, go to Tools > Utilities > Backup Database. This will save a copy in Macintosh HD > Library > OpenBase > Backup. 

Incremental Backups

To schedule incremental backups:

• Go to Apple Menu  > System Preferences > OpenBase > Backup.
• Make sure Enable Incremental Backups is selected. 
• Keep the directory path for the backup as /Users/Shared/OpenBase/Backups. 
• Each hour, a file will be updated at the above path. 

Please see here for instructions on restoring your database from a backup. 

If you want to change your directory path for the backup to a different location, or if you plan to use Retrospect to back up your data, please contact Xsilva Support at (514) 907-1801.  It is not necessary to create an ASCII dump of the data.