Automated course backup

Location: Administration > Courses > Backups

The backup configuration page enables administrators to configure automated course backups and a backup schedule. Automated course backups runs the same functions as individual course backups. It's a good idea to schedule backups for when your server isn't usually busy. Running the backup tool over all the courses can be processor-intensive, so you shouldn't run it when there are a lot of students trying to access the server.

Course versus site backups

• Course backups are more expensive in terms of time and CPU usage. The recovery time to have your site running again is longer.
• Course backups are useful for obtaining "fresh" copies of courses to be re-used or distributed individually, however they should never be used as a primary backup system (unless your hosting doesn't allow the preferred site backups).
• In order to make scheduled course backups, you have to setup CRON to run periodically. Have a look at Set up cron for details.
• Site backups, as explained in upgrading Moodle, are recommended in order to have all data saved with the best confidence and the shorter recovery time.

• From 1.6 onwards, course backups automatically skip courses which are unavailable to students AND have not been changed in the last month.

See also

• Backup FAQ
• Backup restore