Chapter 15 Configuration Files and Parameters

You can specify mysqlbackup options either on the command line or as configuration parameters inside a configuration file. This section describes the use of configuration files.

In general, mysqlbackup follows the mysql style of processing configuration options: [mysqlbackup] and [client] group options are passed as command-line options. Any command-line options that you specify override the values from the configuration file, and in the case of duplicate options, the last instance takes precedence. mysqlbackup also reads options in the [mysqld] group to detect parameters related to the source repository when no connection to mysqld is available.

Within mysqlbackup option names, dashes (-) and underscores (_) may be used interchangeably, similar to mysqld parameters that use this same convention (see Using Options on the Command Line in the MySQL Reference Manual for details). The MySQL server's reference manual typically lists the parameter names with underscores, to match the output of the SHOW VARIABLES statement.

Options Files

mysqlbackup reads the location of the MySQL data to back up from (in order of priority):

• The connection information from the running database, whenever possible. Thus, in most cases, you can avoid specifying most options on the command line or in a configuration file.

• Parameters you specify on the mysqlbackup command line. You can specify certain options for individual backup jobs this way.

• The MySQL configuration file (by default, my.cnf on Unix and my.ini on Windows). The parameters are searched for first under the [mysqlbackup] group, then under the [client] group. You can put common parameters that apply to most of your backup jobs into the configuration file.

Because mysqlbackup does not overwrite any files during the initial backup step, the backup directory must not contain any old backup files. mysqlbackup stops when asked to create a file that already exists, to avoid harming an existing backup. For convenience, specify the --with-timestamp option, which always creates a unique timestamped subdirectory for each backup job underneath the main backup directory.

Configuration Files Stored with the Backup Data

Each set of backup data includes a configuration file, backup-my.cnf, containing a minimal set of configuration parameters. The mysqlbackup command generates this file to record the settings that apply to this backup data. Subsequent operations, such as the apply-log process, read options from this file to determine how the backup data is structured.

Example 15.1 Example backup-my.cnf file

Here is an example backup-my.cnf file generated by mysqlbackup:

[mysqld]
innodb_data_file_path=ibdata1:256M;ibdata2:256M:autoextend
innodb_log_file_size=256M
innodb_log_files_in_group=3

All paths in the generated backup-my.cnf file point to a single backup directory. For ease of verification and maintenance, you typically store all data for a backup inside a single directory rather than scattered among different directories.

During a backup, the configuration parameters that are required for later stages (such as the restore operation) are recorded in the backup-my.cnf file that is generated in the backup directory. Only the minimal required parameters are stored in backup-my.cnf, to allow you to restore the backup to a different location without extensive changes to that file. For example, although the innodb_data_home_dir and innodb_log_group_home_dir options can go into backup-my.cnf, they are omitted when those values are the same as the backup-dir value.