Backup Your MT Files
I was reading how different people handle the task of backing up their weblogs. Since TypeMover is no longer an option for MT 3.2 I was interested to find something else, and saw a comment from Arvind about his solution. It's so quick and simple. He uses a script called dbsender.php http://www.phpfreaks.com/script/view/11.php which he cronned for every day. It automatically zips up his database and then emails him!
There were lots of other comments with lots of solutions, but I've decided to go with Arvind. I downloaded and configured the script, careful to follow the instructions. I've set up the script as a cron-job to run weekly and email me the zipped file. Restoring in case of an emergency is as easy as uploading the file.
To ensure you have copies of any modified templates, make sure you link them to a file. I set up a folder called templates, and gave them all a .tmpl extension, eg indiv-entry.tmpl. That way, if your installation crashes, you can re-link the templates and they're back without any drama.
Occasionally (like every 6 months) I'll do a complete site backup. This takes a very long time so it's not something I do often. You can use an FTP program like WS_FTP Lite to copy everything from the server, or use your cpanel to backup and download a zipped file.
Another good idea is to regularly check the junked comments and trackbacks, or set them to be automatically deleted. I get about 30 new junked trackbacks a day and this can quickly build up to bloat your database.
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