4.6.10. mysqlhotcopy — A Database Backup Program

mysqlhotcopy is a Perl script that was originally written and contributed by Tim Bunce. It uses FLUSH TABLES, LOCK TABLES, and cp or scp to make a database backup. It is a fast way to make a backup of the database or single tables, but it can be run only on the same machine where the database directories are located. mysqlhotcopy works only for backing up MyISAM and ARCHIVE tables. It runs on Unix.

To use mysqlhotcopy, you must have read access to the files for the tables that you are backing up, the SELECT privilege for those tables, the RELOAD privilege (to be able to execute FLUSH TABLES), and the LOCK TABLES privilege (to be able to lock the tables).

shell> mysqlhotcopy db_name
        [/path/to/new_directory]

shell> mysqlhotcopy db_name_1
        ... db_name_n /path/to/new_directory

Back up tables in the given database that match a regular expression:

shell> mysqlhotcopy db_name./regex/

The regular expression for the table name can be negated by prefixing it with a tilde ("~"):

shell> mysqlhotcopy db_name./~regex/

mysqlhotcopy supports the following options, which can be specified on the command line or in the [mysqlhotcopy] and [client] groups of an option file. For information about option files, see Section 4.2.3.3, "Using Option Files".

Table 4.16. mysqlhotcopy Options

Format	Option File	Description
--addtodest	addtodest	Do not rename target directory (if it exists); merely add files to it
--allowold	allowold	Do not abort if a target exists; rename it by adding an _old suffix
--checkpoint=db_name.tbl_name	checkpoint	Insert checkpoint entries
--chroot=path	chroot	Base directory of the chroot jail in which mysqld operates
--debug	debug	Write a debugging log
--dryrun	dryrun	Report actions without performing them
--flushlog	flushlog	Flush logs after all tables are locked
--help		Display help message and exit
--host=host_name	host	Connect to the MySQL server on the given host
--keepold	keepold	Do not delete previous (renamed) target when done
--method	method	The method for copying files
--noindices	noindices	Do not include full index files in the backup
--old_server	old_server	Connect to server that does not support FLUSH TABLES tbl_list WITH READ LOCK
--password[=password]	password	The password to use when connecting to the server
--port=port_num	port	The TCP/IP port number to use for the connection
--quiet	quiet	Be silent except for errors
--regexp	regexp	Copy all databases with names that match the given regular expression
--resetmaster	resetmaster	Reset the binary log after locking all the tables
--resetslave	resetslave	Reset the master.info file after locking all the tables
--socket=path	socket	For connections to localhost
--tmpdir=path	tmpdir	The temporary directory
--user=user_name,	user	MySQL user name to use when connecting to server

--help, -?

Display a help message and exit.
--addtodest

Do not rename target directory (if it exists); merely add files to it.
--allowold

Do not abort if a target exists; rename it by adding an _old suffix.
--checkpoint=db_name.tbl_name

Insert checkpoint entries into the specified database db_name and table tbl_name.
--chroot=path

Base directory of the chroot jail in which mysqld operates. The path value should match that of the --chroot option given to mysqld.
--debug

Enable debug output.
--dryrun, -n

Report actions without performing them.
--flushlog

Flush logs after all tables are locked.
--host=host_name, -h host_name

The host name of the local host to use for making a TCP/IP connection to the local server. By default, the connection is made to localhost using a Unix socket file.
--keepold

Do not delete previous (renamed) target when done.
--method=command

The method for copying files (cp or scp). The default is cp.
--noindices

Do not include full index files for MyISAM tables in the backup. This makes the backup smaller and faster. The indexes for reloaded tables can be reconstructed later with myisamchk -rq.
--password=password, -ppassword

The password to use when connecting to the server. The password value is not optional for this option, unlike for other MySQL programs.

Specifying a password on the command line should be considered insecure. See Section 6.1.2.1, "End-User Guidelines for Password Security". You can use an option file to avoid giving the password on the command line.
--port=port_num, -P port_num

The TCP/IP port number to use when connecting to the local server.
--old_server

In MySQL 5.6, mysqlhotcopy uses FLUSH TABLES tbl_list WITH READ LOCK to flush and lock tables. Use the --old_server option if the server is older than 5.5.3, which is when that statement was introduced.
--quiet, -q

Be silent except for errors.
--record_log_pos=db_name.tbl_name

Record master and slave status in the specified database db_name and table tbl_name.
--regexp=expr

Copy all databases with names that match the given regular expression.
--resetmaster

Reset the binary log after locking all the tables.
--resetslave

Reset the master info repository file or table after locking all the tables.
--socket=path, -S path

The Unix socket file to use for connections to localhost.
--suffix=str

The suffix to use for names of copied databases.
--tmpdir=path

The temporary directory. The default is /tmp.
--user=user_name, -u user_name

The MySQL user name to use when connecting to the server.

Use perldoc for additional mysqlhotcopy documentation, including information about the structure of the tables needed for the --checkpoint and --record_log_pos options:

shell> perldoc mysqlhotcopy