Offline Moodle: Incremental Backups

Current work on Incremental Backups

One of the first features that on Offline Moodle requires from Moodle is to be able to get updates from a central Moodle in a small, efficient package rather than a large download. The only reliable method for getting the required information in and out of Moodle at the moment is using the backup/restore feature that's built into Moodle and thus Offline Moodle. This works well enough but can easily create large files which will cause problems when a user just wants to update quickly before they go to work for example.

The answer to this is to enhance the backup component to offer smaller incremental updates aswell as the standard full backup. To achieve this the Open University (UK) have teamed up with Catalyst to develop this functionality and get it into the core of Moodle. We believe that not only is this functionality a necessary feature for Offline Moodle but that it will benefit many sections of the community particularly those responsible for managing Moodle installations.

Latest Work

If you'd like to check our progress you can download Moodle 1.9.4 with the latest incremental backup code at http://git.catalyst.net.nz/gitweb?p=moodle-r2.git;a=shortlog;h=refs/heads/mdl19-incrementalbackup .

We aim to put some text up here explaining in more detail how it all works and how to get a server and client work, how to automate it etc. For now just be aware that the backup work is well under way but the restore work is not. It's being developed against the postgres db and then ported to mysql so there are a couple of outstanding mysql issues.

You can try it out by creating a course with a little content. Then selecting backup from the course admin menu, make sure you select generate incrementals from the form provided. It's at the bottom of the list of drop down menus about half way down the form. Then generate the backup.

You can report a bug at http://tracker.moodle.org log it as part of the 'non core components' under the 'Offline Moodle' component and please include 'Incremental Backup:' in the bug title to help us identify it. Assign it to Colin Chambers.

If you wish to get in contact then please email me at c.chambers@open.ac.uk