The contents (text) of mac5 are all stored in a MySQL database. I use a script called AutoMySQLBackup to run daily, weekly, and monthly backups of the contents. These “dumps” are then copied over every night by Retrospect to a backup server (currently Mac17’s external Seagate drive.)

I routinely check these to make sure they are running by inspecting the contents of a recent dump. I noticed in the monthly set that besides “fivefor1_mtfiveforks” was another database “mysql”. Went on a wild goose chase looking under the /etc/periodic/monthly script and couldn’t even find AutoMySQLBackup. Turns out the monthly (and weekly) runs are all addressed in a single daily script under /etc/periodic/daily. Oh. Right. Set it up 3 years ago… who can remember.

Turns out I had not noticed an extra “advanced” setting that had a default database “mysql” in it, and so I was backing up a default, empty database every day for the past several years. Not much space, and easy enough to correct. While there decided I should add the gallery2 database (which holds photo titles, descriptions, and comments.)

So on OZ in

HD2:private:etc:periodic:daily:automysqlbackup.sh are two lines:

DBNAMES=”fivefor1_mtfiveforks gallery2″

MDBNAMES=”fivefor1_mtfiveforks gallery2″ <-under advanced settings