File and Directory Restoration - mail dir not visible

phil99

• March 20, 2019 06:42

Hi I have enabled daily backups in WHM > Backup > Backup Configuration (for one account only). The backups are working successfully. However, when I go to WHM > Backup File and Directory Restoration (or the same from the account's cPanel), when I browse the files, the mail directory is not shown (neither is the .cpanel directory). The mail directory is being backed up, because it is in the tar.gz file. (For reference mail is not in the global exclude file and the account's exclude file is empty.) Is this by design? If so could you explain why please? Thanks

• 

  cPanelLauren

  • March 21, 2019 21:26

  Hi @phil99 The mail should most certainly be included in a backup unless it's explicitly excluded. How are you viewing the contents of the backup and are you sure that hidden files are being shown?

  0
• 

  Infopro

  • March 21, 2019 22:53

  However, when I go to WHM > Backup File and Directory Restoration (or the same from the account's cPanel), when I browse the files, the mail directory is not shown (neither is the .cpanel directory).

  
  I see the same. Left side in the screenshot is FTP view, right, Directory Restoration screen in WHM. 57645

  0
• 

  cPanelLauren

  • March 22, 2019 12:24

  I see now, mail isn't actually missing from the backup. The file and directory restoration feature does not by default allow you to restore mail, that's best done through cPanel>>Files>>Backup Wizard -> Restore This was a result of the internal case CPANEL-17927 which was resolved in v72 of cPanel.I do see that none of the documentation details this and I'm opening a documentation case to have that issue resolved.

  0
• 

  phil99

  • March 22, 2019 13:55

  Hi Lauren Thanks for the updates. As you say, this isn't mentioned in the main Backup documentation, though on further digging, I did find slightly obscure references to it, though with no explanation at [1] and [2]: "Note: The backups_create_metadata script will generate metadata for all directories under the /home/username directory, except for the /mail and /.cpanel directories." Unless I'm mistaken, the cPanel > Files > Backup Wizard > Restore does not provide the same functionality: 1. It only allows you restore the whole Home Directory. 2. You can only select a file from your own PC, not a backup file created by Backup that is stored on the server. So it would appear that the only way to restore only the mail directory from the Backup-created files is to manually extract the tar.gz file and copy the files across. I don't know the reason why this was disabled because of CPANEL-17927, but this seems like a significant omission. Would it be possible to at least have restoration of the mail directory as an option? Thanks [1] The backups_create_metadata Script - Version 78 Documentation - cPanel Documentation

  0
• 

  cPanelLauren

  • March 22, 2019 16:18

  You're correct it's mentioned only briefly in a few places, and not on the file/directory restore documentation. The initial issue was that the backup metadata was causing significant load times along with some other issues when large quantities of mail were included so the decision was to remove them from the metadata and that's where the internal case I mentioned comes into play but it should have also been included in the documentation.

  Unless I'm mistaken, the cPanel > Files > Backup Wizard > Restore does not provide the same functionality

  
  It doesn't you're correct, it'll restore the entire home dir.

  So it would appear that the only way to restore only the mail directory from the Backup-created files is to manually extract the tar.gz file and copy the files across

  
  Correct, If restoring the home dir isnt what you want, the mail is present in the archive along with the .cpanel folder but you'd have to restore it manually

  0
• 

  phil99

  • March 23, 2019 16:15

  Thanks for the explanation.

  0

Please sign in to leave a comment.