Double backups?

With all due respect the right question to ask is:

How can I set it to create only one database backup?
(2 backups = 2 emails).

Duplicate of this topic.

FYI: It is not a multi site specific issue …

If the provided info answers your question please mark this topic as ‘resolved’.

dwinden

Thanks for correcting my question. But whether it’s two emails or two backups, it seems like something the plugin should not be doing. I have this plugin installed on several websites and it does it with all of them. Sends two emails or creates two backups. Why? There is no option in Settings for this. Unless there is and I am missing it. Considering you’re having me edit WordPress files to fix it (as per the linked topic), I’m guessing the option doesn’t exist.
I never bothered much with the other websites because they are old and this is added on. But this particular website is new. It’s on a shared host, but the WordPress install stands alone and controls only this one site. (Not multi-site – I don’t even know what that means! lol) And I am just starting the site, so the only other plugin is Akismet (which was disabled at the time of backup), so now I know this is an error with the plugin and not a conflict with other plugins or some malformed installation, as I considered on my other sites.

That was long. Sorry. I made the modification, as noted in the linked post, so I will let you know if it worked, once the scheduled backup comes around again.

Thanks!

I think it would be far too technical to explain this issue in all of its details.

So I will give you the short version.
By default the iTSec plugin scheduled database backups are triggered by anyone accessing the site (either frontend or backend).

There is a quick check performed on every page load to see whether the last backup has expired. If so an attempt is done to do a new database backup.

Basically the iTSec plugin has a custom database backup scheduling mechanism.

However WordPress includes its own scheduling mechanism. It is called WP Cron. It is part of WP core and default enabled.

The 2 backups are the result of a flaw in the design of the iTSec plugin custom backup scheduling mechanism.

The constant defined in the wp-config.php file will disable this custom backup scheduling mechanism and enable the scheduling of database backups using WP Cron. Problem solved.

End of story.

dwinden

So now I get three emails … or three backups?
The duplicate emails/backups were coming on Saturdays – it’s scheduled to backup every seven days.
After making the changes you linked to on Sunday October 18, I received one single email/backup on Wednesday October 21.
Then I received the double email/backup on Saturday October 24.
And now I have received onesingle email/backup on Tuesday October 27.
This seems excessive.

@saladgoat

Is the Schedule Database Backups setting in the Database Backups section of the iTSec plugin Settings page still enabled ?
If so please disable it and Save All Changes.

dwinden

Yes it was. Was it not supposed to be? That wasn’t covered in the linked post. Anyway, I have turned it off now.
Now we wait…. ??

@saladgoat

My apologies for the inconvenience.
Using common sense I assumed setting the constant in the wp-config.php file would automatically overrule the iTSec plugin custom scheduling mechanism for database backups.

While reviewing the database backup PHP code I discovered that is not the case. After setting the constant in the wp-config.php file you MUST explicitly disable the Schedule Database Backups setting.
Otherwise both scheduling mechanisms will be active and you will continue to receive 2 backups/emails from the iTSec plugin custom database backup scheduling mechanism and 1 backup/email from the WP Cron scheduling mechanism…

Thank you for bringing this flaw under my attention.
Please do let us know whether this additional info helps to fix the issue and if so mark the topic as ‘resolved’.

Unfortunately none of this seems to be documented by iThemes …

dwinden

Now I am not receiving email backups at all.

@saladgoat

It could be there is a problem with the database backup cron task.
Keep in mind your database is constantly changing and growing.
So every database backup attempt is a unique task.

Check the webserver error_log for any errors.

Or try and run a manual Database Backup from the iTSec plugin Backups tab.

dwinden

Oh, I missed this last response.

Here’s what I did instead.
I left it alone for a while.

On December 6 I went back in and turned on Enable Scheduled Database Backups. But I left Backup Full Database UNchecked.
I immediately received a backup email. Only one. Yay.

Then I got one on December 9. OK, maybe it’s just settling itself into a routine?

Then I got one on December 12 – and have received one EVERY DAY since then. Whaaaat?

I just checked the settings to see if something got reset, but now I don’t see anything about how often to do a backup. I’m sure that option was there before.

In fact, I am just checking another site I run (that I rarely log into) and see that a past version of iThemes (5.1.0) is showing an option for Backup Interval under Scheduled Database Backups. Was this removed in the recent update? Or do I need to uninstall and reinstall iThemes in this one website? The backup function works fine (no double emails) in six other sites I run….

To your response: the error log shows nothing about this.

@saladgoat

Nothing has changed in the latest release for the Database Backup feature.

There may be a ui javascript conflict\error in the problematic site.
Check the browser javascript console for any errors.

dwinden