WordPress.org

When I change automation setting, the site seems to be unresponsive (though the browser appears to be doing stuff).

I know, the plugin is eager to create the first automated backup right there and then. It just means WordPress is busy executing the script. It's the same phenomenon that happens when you create a manual Snapshot. Give it a minute and the site will come back to life.

When I hit "Create Snapshot Backup" my screen goes blank, but the WordPress sidebar and header are still here. Is that normal?

This happens on older Firefox browsers, since Firefox 5 I haven't seen this problem anymore. While the script is active, your browser should appear to be "loading" and you will receive messages like "All done - thank you" in a yellow box. Internet Explorer appears to be "busy" loading a page - they all behave slightly differently. Leave the script running and the site will come back to life.

What's required server side for this plugin to run?

Since I'm using shell commands to create the archive file, this Plugin only works only on Linux servers - NOT on Windows servers.

Does this Plugin run on Windows Servers?

I'm afraid not - you have to be on a Linux server for this to work. I've developed and tested it on CentOS / RHEL.

I don't have another FTP account. Can I still use this plugin?

Absolutely - there's a handy download link at the end of the backup procedure so you can save your file locally. Simply ignore all error messages relating to FTP uploads.

Are there any plans to integrate storage options other than FTP?

Yes indeed, I'm planning to add support for cloud based services such as Dropbox and Amazon S3 in the near future. Watch this space!

Can I do these backups automatically, say via a Cron Job or WP Cron?

Yes you can! Since Version 2.0 of the plugin you can create regular automatic backups under Snapshot Backup - Automation.

Please note that this feature relies on the WP Cron function, which means you need traffic to trigger this function. If you want to help this along you can call your WordPress index.php file using a standard cron job at regular intervals.

How to I restore a snapshot?

I'm working on an elegant solution for this, but for now you'll need to do this manually.

In a nutshell: Download the TAR archive from your repository, unTAR it using your favourite ZIPping tool and upload the contents back into your web hosting directory (overwriting any existing files). You'll also find an .SQL file under wp-content/uploads. That's your database file which needs to be uploaded to your MySQL server (say via phpMyAdmin or BigDump), replacing any existing tables in said database.

If on this occasion you're restoring a snapshot to another domain or subfolder in your existing domain, you will also have to change certain values in your database. We'll leave this for another time - search for Moving WordPress for detailed instructions on how to do this.

There's a handy article on my website which explains this in more detail: http://wpguru.co.uk/2011/04/how-to-restore-your-snapsnot-via-ftp/