Theqah
TheqahTheqah.com

Backup & Restore Troubleshooting

A comprehensive guide to diagnosing and resolving backup and restore issues

Understanding the Environment Panel

The Environment panel on the site details page displays important information about PHP and WordPress settings that affect backup and restore operations.

Key Metrics

  • memory_limit: Maximum memory available to PHP. Recommend at least 256M for backups.
  • max_execution_time: Maximum script execution time. Recommend 300 seconds or higher for large sites.
  • Free Disk Space: Should be 2-3x the expected backup size.
  • ZipArchive: Required for creating compressed backup files.
  • cURL: Required for uploading backups to cloud storage.

Common Issues and Solutions

Memory Exhaustion (OOM)

Symptoms: Backup fails during file compression or database export phase.

Solution:

  1. Increase memory_limit in php.ini or wp-config.php
  2. Add to wp-config.php:
    define('WP_MEMORY_LIMIT', '512M');
  3. Contact your hosting provider if limits are locked

Execution Timeout

Symptoms: Backup stops abruptly after a period, typically at 30 or 60 seconds.

Solution:

  1. Increase max_execution_time to 300 seconds or more
  2. Add to .htaccess:
    php_value max_execution_time 300
  3. Some hosts require changing this via control panel

Disk Space Exhaustion

Symptoms: Backup fails while creating ZIP file or writing database.

Solution:

  • Ensure free space is 2-3x the expected backup size
  • Delete old backups or unnecessary files
  • Review uploads folder size - may contain unnecessary large files

Backup Upload Failures

Symptoms: Backup is created locally but fails when uploading to Theqah.

Possible Causes:

  • NETWORK_TIMEOUT: Slow or unstable network connection
  • AUTH_FAILED: Invalid API key - reconnect the site
  • SERVER_STORAGE: Cloud storage quota exceeded

Restore Issues

Restore Stalls or Fails

Solutions:

  • Ensure the site is connected and responding
  • Verify sufficient disk space (2-3x backup size)
  • If stuck, use the 'Force Unlock' button in the plugin settings
  • Check WordPress error logs (wp-content/debug.log)

Best Practices

  • Memory: 256M minimum, 512M for large sites (>1GB)
  • Execution Time: 300 seconds minimum, 600 for large sites
  • Disk Space: Maintain 3x backup size as free space
  • Backup Scheduling: Schedule backups during low-traffic periods
  • Plugin Updates: Keep Theqah Connector plugin updated for latest fixes