📌 Purpose & Quick Summary

Automated backups are critical for website continuity. The Backup Schedules engine allows you to configure automated, recurring backup jobs (daily, weekly, or monthly) that execute silently in the background. You can define exact backup scopes, designate storage destinations (Local, FTP, or Google Drive), and enforce automated retention policies to delete older archives and conserve storage space.

BoostonCP Backup Schedules Configuration

Figure 7.1: Automated Backup Schedules configuration modal showing frequency options, targets, and retention rules.

🖥️ Interface Tour & Elements

  1. Schedules List View: Displays all active recurring backup jobs with status toggles, schedule frequency badges, destination indicators, and last-run timestamps.
  2. Add / Edit Schedule Modal:
    • Schedule Name: Descriptive label for the backup routine (e.g. Daily Database Snapshot).
    • Frequency Presets: Quick selection for Daily (runs midnight), Weekly (Sunday night), or Monthly.
    • Backup Type: Full Account, Files Only, or MySQL Databases.
    • Destination Target: Dropdown to select Local Storage, Remote FTP, or Google Drive.
    • Retention Limit (Copies to Keep): Integer counter defining how many historical snapshots to retain before older copies are automatically purged.
    • Execution Time: Custom hour selector for off-peak execution.

🛠️ Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Creating an Automated Backup Schedule

  1. In the Backups menu, click the Schedules tab (or Add Schedule button).
  2. Click New Schedule.
  3. In the configuration modal:
    • Enter a Schedule Name (e.g. Nightly Full Backup).
    • Under Frequency, select Daily.
    • Under Backup Scope, choose Full Account.
    • Under Destination, select your configured Google Drive or Remote FTP.
    • Set Retention Copies to 7 (keeps the last 7 daily snapshots).
  4. Click Save Schedule. The background cron engine registers the task immediately.

Step 2: Testing Schedule Execution

  1. In the schedules ledger table, locate your newly created schedule.
  2. Click the Run Now play icon in the Actions column.
  3. The system executes the task immediately to verify connectivity and archive generation without waiting for the scheduled hour.

Step 3: Pausing or Modifying a Schedule

  1. Toggle the Active switch next to any schedule to temporarily suspend execution.
  2. Click Edit to modify retention numbers, change frequency, or adjust destination endpoints.

⚙️ Complete Field & Parameter Reference Table

Field Name Options Technical Specifics & Best Practice
Frequency Daily, Weekly, Monthly Daily: Best for e-commerce and active blogs.
Weekly: Suitable for static company websites.
Execution Hour 00:00 - 23:00 Recommended: Set to off-peak hours (e.g. 02:00 AM) to minimize impact on site visitors.
Backup Scope Full, Files, Databases Separating daily DB backups from weekly full file backups saves massive storage space.
Retention Policy 1 - 30 copies When total archives exceed this number, the oldest archive is automatically deleted.
Destination Local, FTP, Google Drive Always maintain at least one off-site destination for true disaster recovery.

❓ Troubleshooting & Common Errors

1. Scheduled Backup Did Not Execute at Designated Time

  • Cause: Account cron engine disabled by package limits, or the user's password/token was changed.
  • Solution: Verify that your cron permissions are enabled in the Cron Jobs menu. Click Run Now to test if the script executes cleanly manually.

2. Remote FTP Transfer Times Out During Scheduled Job

  • Cause: Remote backup server firewall blocked passive FTP ports during large multi-gigabyte transfers.
  • Solution: Configure the remote FTP server to allow passive port ranges, or switch the backup schedule destination to Google Drive.