Difference between revisions of "Wikispooks:Site Backup"

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==Introduction==
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{{HelpSection|image=SiteBackup.png}}
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{{IframeFolder|path=/backups/?C=N;O=D}}
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<big>'''You are encouraged to download the <u class="plainlinks">[[image:compressed.gif|link={{server}}/backups/wikispooks-latest.zip]][{{server}}/backups/wikispooks-latest.zip &nbsp;wikispooks-latest]</u> backup ({{BackupSize}}) in case the site goes offline for any reason.'''<big/><hr/>
 +
Weekly backup snapshots for the last two months are listed on the right in the '''<font face="Serif">Backup files list</font>'''. The <u class="plainlinks">[[image:compressed.gif|link={{server}}/backups/wikispooks-latest.zip]][{{server}}/backups/wikispooks-latest.zip <code>&nbsp;wikispooks-latest.zip</code>]</u> file is a link to the most recent snapshot ({{t|{{BackupSize}}}}). As the site is [[Wikispooks:Copyrights|open licenced]] you are free to publish some or all of the content elsewhere, either as a mirror or as part of another website.
  
'''Even if you are a reader only and not a contributor to this project, you are encouraged to download and keep a [https://wikispooks.com/backups/wikispooks-latest.zip backup copy] (~2GB) of this site in case of technical or other problems.'''
+
==Setting up and running a Copy Of The Site==
 +
{| class="wikitable" style="margin:.4em; float:right"
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| style="max-width:375px; text-align:left; padding:.4em .4em .4em 1em; font-size:105%; background-color:#EEE" | [[File:Gnome-system-software-installer.svg|40px]] <span style="font-size:118%; margin-left:10px;">System requirements</span>
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|-
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| style="padding:0 .4em .24em; font-size:95%; max-width:375px" |
 +
* '''Disk space''' > 16Gb
 +
* '''Web server''' such as [http://httpd.apache.org Apache] or [http://www.microsoft.com/iis IIS] or [http://nginx.org/en/ NginX]
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* '''[http://www.php.net PHP]''' version 5.6 or later, including:
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** [http://php.net/spl Standard PHP Library]
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** [http://php.net/pcre pcre] - Perl Compatible Regular Expressions
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** [http://www.php.net//manual/en/book.json.php JSON]
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** [http://php.net/manual/en/book.image.php GD] - Thumbnailing graphics
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** [http://php.net/manual/en/book.xml.php XML]
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** [http://php.net/manual/en/book.mbstring.php mbstring] - Multibyte strings
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* '''Database Server'''
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** [http://www.mysql.com MySQL] version 5.5 or later, or
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** [https://mariadb.org/MariaDB MariaDB] version 10.0 or later
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|}
 +
''The [{{server}}/backups/wikispooks-latest.zip backup file] contains everything you need to run a mirror of this site on a suitably configured web server; Separate installation of Mediawiki is NOT required.''
  
Site backups are published weekly to ensure that, should the site become unavailable for any reason, the information will not be lost - many people around the world will have a reasonably up to date version. The site has an open licence (see [[WikiSpooks:Copyrights]]) so you may copy the information and publish it elsewhere, whether as an exact mirror or as part of another website.
+
The web server currently used by Wikispooks is '''[http://httpd.apache.org/ Apache]''' running on [https://www.centos.org/about/ Centos 7] Linux. These instructions assume Apache, though [http://nginx.org/en/ NginX], [http://www.microsoft.com/web/platform/server.aspx IIS] and other web servers may work just as well. The instructions have been slightly modified to try to suit other Linux distos as well.
  
==Running A Copy Of The Site==
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'''N.B.''' ''[http://www.wampserver.com/en/ WampServer] or [http://www.apachefriends.org/en/xampp.html‎ Xampp] provide all the Apache web-server software required (except for Xcache) to run the Wikispooks site locally on either a Linux or Windows machine.''. If you do not install either [http://xcache.lighttpd.net/ Xcache] or [http://pecl.php.net/package/APC APC] separately, then you must change <code>$wgMainCacheType = CACHE_ACCEL;</code> to <code>$wgMainCacheType = CACHE_DB;</code> in <Code>/w/LocalSettings.php</code>.
To host Wikispooks on your machine, you will need:
 
* Some knowledge of running a webserver
 
* A recent site-backup. '''[https://wikispooks.com/backups/wikispooks-latest.zip Get the latest backup from here]''' (~2GB), or browse the [https://wikispooks.com/backups/ backups folder] for earlier backups.
 
* A computer with at least 5Gb of free disk space that runs a web server, including
 
** PHP v 5.0 +
 
** MySQL v 5.0 +
 
''N.B. Either WampServer or Xampp will be all the software you need to run the Wikispooks site locally.''
 
===Backup folder contents===
 
*'''zip files'''  - Dated site backups
 
*'''ws.sql''' - current Site Mysql database dump (This is also included in the backup zip files)
 
*'''Readme.txt''' - Instructions (similar to this page)
 
===Basic Instructions===
 
*Unzip the wikispooks backup file to a web server root directory.
 
*Create a new blank MySQL database
 
*Locate the <code>backups/ws.sql</code> for restoring the Wikispooks MySQL database
 
*Create a dedicated database user with full privilages; note this username and password.
 
*Import the ws.sql database dump into the new database. '''Note:''' The file is too large for a default configuration of phpMyAdmin to handle. You may wish to use a MySQL command for this, e.g.
 
::<code>$ mysql -u username -p password -h localhost data-base-name < ws.sql </code>
 
  
===Modifying <code>LocalSettings.php</code>===
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===Overview===
You will have to edit the <code>LocalSettings.php</code> file since the <code>LocalSettings.passwords.php</code> file which it includes is omitted from the backup for obvious security reasons. The simplest way to get your system working is to read the notes at the top of <code>LocalSettings.php</code>, and ammend it with the access credentials above to fit your database.
+
Set up your web server; create a blank MySQL database; download <u class="plainlinks">[[image:compressed.gif|link={{server}}/backups/wikispooks-latest.zip]][{{server}}/backups/wikispooks-latest.zip <code>wikispooks-latest.zip</code>]</u> to your server root and unpack it; import file <code>''path-to-server-root''/backups/ws.sql</code> into your blank MySQL database; edit <code>''path-to-server-root''/w/LocalSettings.php</code> and enter your database name and user credentials; navigate to your web-server root from your web browser to browse your local copy of Wikispooks.
  
===Using the Default MediaWiki Setup===
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===Web server directives===
If you experience trouble with the above method, you may have to resort to the cumbersome standard Mediawiki setup procedure. To use this, rename <code>LocalSettings.php</code> <code>LocalSettings.php.backup</code> and then browse to the site and follow instructions. Mediawiki will create a blank database and a matching '.../w/LocalSettings.php' file to allow access. You will then need to modify:
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*[http://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Manual:Short_URL Pretty urls] are required for full site functionality. Add the following to the bottom of your server or virtual server config file:<br/>  
# The database - import from the SQL dump at <code>backups/ws.sql</code> whicih will add the pages to the Wiki
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:<code>Alias /wiki ''path-to-server-root''/w/index.php</code>.<br/>
# The basic <code>LocalSettings.php</code> file to include the required extensions and other site configuration. There are many Mediawiki extensions in use on the site (including 'Widgets', 'Semantic MediaWiki', 'Semantic Forms', 'News', 'DynamicPageList' & 'Category Tree') which are fundamental to the proper display and operation of the site. These are all included in the backup, but must be included from the <code>LocalSettings.php</code> file to be operational
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:''Apache'' config files are usually located at <code>/etc/httpd/</code>.
 +
*for correct display of the [[Project:Site Backup|Site backups list]] box. Add the following to your server config file:<br/>
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:<poem><Code><Directory "''path-to-server-root''/backups">
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::Options +Indexes
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::IndexIgnore  .. header.html
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::HeaderName header.html
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::IndexOptions FancyIndexing SuppressDescription SuppressLastModified NameWidth=*
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</Directory></code></poem>
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*'''Linux only''': you may have to tweek a few directory permission for the site to run smoothly. In particular the following require user (Usually <code>Apache</code>) write permissions:<br/>
 +
:<code>''path-to-server-root''/w/cache/</code>
 +
:<code>''path-to-server-root''/w/images/</code>
  
===Finishing Touches===
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===The MySQL database===
The procedure as explained above is sufficient for the database and all the files. There will be a number of Apache config parameters that need setting in order for 'pretty URLs' to work properly, such as a .htaccess file. Full details can be found on the [http://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/MediaWiki Mediawiki web site].
+
The database must be created manually (see [http://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Manual:MySQL MySQL manual]).<br/> This site uses database name "<code>wikispooks</code>" and user "<code>WSuser</code>", so using these is simplest. If you change them, make sure to [[#Database settings|adjust '''{{t|LocalSettings.php}}''' accordingly]].
  
==Running A Live Site Mirror==
+
===The backup file===
 +
Place your downloaded <code>latest-site.zip</code> file in the server root directory and and unzip it. This will create a directory structure containing all application and associated site files. It will also place the database content file <code>ws.sql</code> in the <code>''path-to-server-root''/backups/</code> directory.
 +
 
 +
===Import the Wikispooks content into your database===
 +
Import <code>''path-to-server-root/backups/''ws.sql</code> into the new database.
 +
 
 +
'''N.B.''' The file is too large for a default configuration of phpMyAdmin to handle. Try a MySQL command for this, e.g.
 +
::<code>$ mysql -u username --password=''password'' --host=''localhost'' data-base-name < ws.sql </code>
 +
 
 +
===LocalSettings.php===
 +
The file  at <code>''path-to-server-root''/w/LocalSettings.php</code> contains the local customisations of the default Mediawiki install. It needs editing as follows to match your install:
 +
 
 +
====Domain settings====
 +
* Modify the below two lines to suit your install (For installation on your machine, set these to "http" and "localhost" respectively):
 +
<poem><code>$WSprotocol='https'; // For a local install, should be "http"
 +
$WSdomain='wikispooks.com'; // For a local install, should be "localhost"</code></poem>
 +
 
 +
====Database settings====
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* Enter your new database details in the below lines:
 +
<poem><code>$wgDBtype = "mysql";
 +
$wgDBserver = "localhost";
 +
$wgDBname = "wikispooks";
 +
$wgDBuser = "root";
 +
$wgDBpassword = "";</code></poem>
 +
 
 +
==Troubleshooting==
 +
If things don't go smoothly, the first thing you should do is go to the end of the file where you will see the following lines:
 +
::<code>#$wgShowExceptionDetails = true;</code>
 +
::<code>#$wgShowSQLErrors = 1;</code>
 +
Remove the <code>#</code> characters to get diagnostic output that may help you debug. It's recommended to replace them once things are working OK.
 +
 
 +
===<small>{{t|Warning: include(../../cgi-bin/WsDbInfo.php)}}...</small>===
 +
This occurs if you haven't [[#Database settings|fixed the database credentials]] as explained above.
 +
 
 +
===<small>{{t|CACHE_ACCEL requested but no suitable object cache is present. }}</small>===
 +
This means that the ACCEL cache is not available on your webserver. The first thing to try is to find the following lines:
 +
::<code>$wgMainCacheType = CACHE_ACCEL;</code>
 +
::<code>#$wgMainCacheType = CACHE_DB;</code>
 +
Try commenting the first of these out, and uncommenting the second. If this doesn't work, the easiest way to get it running is to comment them both out. This disables the cache, which will impact performance, but that problem can be tackled later if need arises.
  
If you have interest and resources to set up a realtime site mirror on your server, you are encouraged to do so. We may also be able to provide you with some technical assistance if needed. Requests for help setting up realtime mirrors should be addressed to <code>admin[at]wikispooks.org</code> and encrypted with [[WikiSpooks:PGP Public Key|'''this key''']].
+
===<small>{{t|Sorry! This site is experiencing technical difficulties. }}</small>===
 +
The active part of this message is a couple of lines lower. If it says "Cannot contact the database server:" this means that [[#Insert correct Database credentials|the custom Database credentials]] you entered into Localsettings.php are not functioning properly.
  
==Notes==
+
===<small>{{t|Lua error: Internal error: The interpreter exited with status 2}}</small>===
'''The following items are ''not'' included in the backup:'''
+
===<small>{{t|Lua error: Internal error: Error reading from pipe.}}</small>===
* 'ISGP archive' - a zip file of the full ISGP archive is available [https://wikispooks.com/ISGP/ISGP_site_backup_Jan_2013.zip '''here''']
+
The above error messages indicate that Lua is hitting a memory limit problem.<ref>https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Topic:Sftr334fvttqt3qm</ref> In this case, the pages will appear mostly OK, but will lack infoboxes. In this case, you should raise the amount of memory available for Lua.<ref>https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Extension:Scribunto#Lua_error:_Internal_error:_The_interpreter_exited_with_status_2</ref> Find the following two lines and comment them in:
* The 'Anon Uploads Form'
+
::<code>#$wgScribuntoEngineConf['luastandalone']['memoryLimit'] = 209715200; # bytes</code>
* 'ACH sytem'
+
::<code>#$wgMaxShellMemory = 204800; # in KB</code>
* 'Piwik stats'
 
* Wikileaks 'Cablegate Mirror'
 
* Wikileaks 'Torrents'
 
  
===Issues===
+
==Running A Live Site Mirror==
Many of the in-text links (especially on 'Category:IFrame' pages) will take you to the master Wikispooks site. This is because urls which ought to be coded as relative, have in fact been entered as absolute urls. It is easy to manually change any such url's in your browser address-bar at run time (simply replace 'https://wikispooks.com/' with 'localhost/your_root_dir_name/'. This issue will be addressed at source as and when.
+
If you have interest and resources to set up a realtime site mirror on your server, you are encouraged to do so. We may also be able to provide you with some technical assistance if needed. Requests for help setting up realtime mirrors should be addressed to <code>admin[at]wikispooks.org</code> and encrypted with [[Wikispooks:PGP Public Key|'''this key''']].
  
*'''Suggestions, Queries etc? - Please use [[WikiSpooks talk:Site Backup|this discussion page]]'''
+
===Known Issues===
 +
* [http://xdebug.org/ xdebug] is a php debugging tool which produces output similar (but considerably more verbose) to <code>$wgShowExceptionDetails</code> above. It is installed and enabled by default in both ''Wamp server'' and ''Xampp''. Wikispooks admins have found it useful in tracking down common installation problems but that a default setting results in ungraceful ''out of memory'' failures on some of the more common installation issues, rendering it useless in tracking them down. Either disable it by commenting out the ''[xdebug]'' block in ''php.ini'' or increase <code>max_nesting_level</code> from the default 100 with the following if you wish to use it: <code>xdebug.max_nesting_level=300</code>
 +
* The backups do not include the [{{server}}/anon/anon-ul.html Anon Uploads Form] or [{{server}}/piwik/index.php Piwik stats].
 +
* '''Suggestions, Queries etc? - Either Email the admin (non-Wikispooks members) or use [[Wikispooks talk:Site Backup|this discussion page]]''' (Wikispooks members)
 +
{{Wikispooks Footer/Technical}}
 +
[[Category:Wikispooks Technical]]

Latest revision as of 19:36, 24 May 2021

SiteBackup.png

You are encouraged to download the Compressed.gif wikispooks-latest backup (13 Gb) in case the site goes offline for any reason.


Weekly backup snapshots for the last two months are listed on the right in the Backup files list. The Compressed.gif wikispooks-latest.zip file is a link to the most recent snapshot (13 Gb). As the site is open licenced you are free to publish some or all of the content elsewhere, either as a mirror or as part of another website.

Setting up and running a Copy Of The Site

Gnome-system-software-installer.svg System requirements

The backup file contains everything you need to run a mirror of this site on a suitably configured web server; Separate installation of Mediawiki is NOT required.

The web server currently used by Wikispooks is Apache running on Centos 7 Linux. These instructions assume Apache, though NginX, IIS and other web servers may work just as well. The instructions have been slightly modified to try to suit other Linux distos as well.

N.B. WampServer or Xampp provide all the Apache web-server software required (except for Xcache) to run the Wikispooks site locally on either a Linux or Windows machine.. If you do not install either Xcache or APC separately, then you must change $wgMainCacheType = CACHE_ACCEL; to $wgMainCacheType = CACHE_DB; in /w/LocalSettings.php.

Overview

Set up your web server; create a blank MySQL database; download Compressed.gifwikispooks-latest.zip to your server root and unpack it; import file path-to-server-root/backups/ws.sql into your blank MySQL database; edit path-to-server-root/w/LocalSettings.php and enter your database name and user credentials; navigate to your web-server root from your web browser to browse your local copy of Wikispooks.

Web server directives

  • Pretty urls are required for full site functionality. Add the following to the bottom of your server or virtual server config file:
Alias /wiki path-to-server-root/w/index.php.
Apache config files are usually located at /etc/httpd/.
  • for correct display of the Site backups list box. Add the following to your server config file:

<Directory "path-to-server-root/backups">
Options +Indexes
IndexIgnore .. header.html
HeaderName header.html
IndexOptions FancyIndexing SuppressDescription SuppressLastModified NameWidth=*
</Directory>

  • Linux only: you may have to tweek a few directory permission for the site to run smoothly. In particular the following require user (Usually Apache) write permissions:
path-to-server-root/w/cache/
path-to-server-root/w/images/

The MySQL database

The database must be created manually (see MySQL manual).
This site uses database name "wikispooks" and user "WSuser", so using these is simplest. If you change them, make sure to adjust LocalSettings.php accordingly.

The backup file

Place your downloaded latest-site.zip file in the server root directory and and unzip it. This will create a directory structure containing all application and associated site files. It will also place the database content file ws.sql in the path-to-server-root/backups/ directory.

Import the Wikispooks content into your database

Import path-to-server-root/backups/ws.sql into the new database.

N.B. The file is too large for a default configuration of phpMyAdmin to handle. Try a MySQL command for this, e.g.

$ mysql -u username --password=password --host=localhost data-base-name < ws.sql

LocalSettings.php

The file at path-to-server-root/w/LocalSettings.php contains the local customisations of the default Mediawiki install. It needs editing as follows to match your install:

Domain settings

  • Modify the below two lines to suit your install (For installation on your machine, set these to "http" and "localhost" respectively):

$WSprotocol='https'; // For a local install, should be "http"
$WSdomain='wikispooks.com'; // For a local install, should be "localhost"

Database settings

  • Enter your new database details in the below lines:

$wgDBtype = "mysql";
$wgDBserver = "localhost";
$wgDBname = "wikispooks";
$wgDBuser = "root";
$wgDBpassword = "";

Troubleshooting

If things don't go smoothly, the first thing you should do is go to the end of the file where you will see the following lines:

#$wgShowExceptionDetails = true;
#$wgShowSQLErrors = 1;

Remove the # characters to get diagnostic output that may help you debug. It's recommended to replace them once things are working OK.

Warning: include(../../cgi-bin/WsDbInfo.php)...

This occurs if you haven't fixed the database credentials as explained above.

CACHE_ACCEL requested but no suitable object cache is present.

This means that the ACCEL cache is not available on your webserver. The first thing to try is to find the following lines:

$wgMainCacheType = CACHE_ACCEL;
#$wgMainCacheType = CACHE_DB;

Try commenting the first of these out, and uncommenting the second. If this doesn't work, the easiest way to get it running is to comment them both out. This disables the cache, which will impact performance, but that problem can be tackled later if need arises.

Sorry! This site is experiencing technical difficulties.

The active part of this message is a couple of lines lower. If it says "Cannot contact the database server:" this means that the custom Database credentials you entered into Localsettings.php are not functioning properly.

Lua error: Internal error: The interpreter exited with status 2

Lua error: Internal error: Error reading from pipe.

The above error messages indicate that Lua is hitting a memory limit problem.[1] In this case, the pages will appear mostly OK, but will lack infoboxes. In this case, you should raise the amount of memory available for Lua.[2] Find the following two lines and comment them in:

#$wgScribuntoEngineConf['luastandalone']['memoryLimit'] = 209715200; # bytes
#$wgMaxShellMemory = 204800; # in KB

Running A Live Site Mirror

If you have interest and resources to set up a realtime site mirror on your server, you are encouraged to do so. We may also be able to provide you with some technical assistance if needed. Requests for help setting up realtime mirrors should be addressed to admin[at]wikispooks.org and encrypted with this key.

Known Issues

  • xdebug is a php debugging tool which produces output similar (but considerably more verbose) to $wgShowExceptionDetails above. It is installed and enabled by default in both Wamp server and Xampp. Wikispooks admins have found it useful in tracking down common installation problems but that a default setting results in ungraceful out of memory failures on some of the more common installation issues, rendering it useless in tracking them down. Either disable it by commenting out the [xdebug] block in php.ini or increase max_nesting_level from the default 100 with the following if you wish to use it: xdebug.max_nesting_level=300
  • The backups do not include the Anon Uploads Form or Piwik stats.
  • Suggestions, Queries etc? - Either Email the admin (non-Wikispooks members) or use this discussion page (Wikispooks members)
Wikispooks logo.png Policy.png Wikispooks to do.png Tools2.png
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