Bug #54216 ibbackup backs up all storage engines.
Submitted: 3 Jun 2010 19:45 Modified: 6 Jan 2011 20:24
Reporter: Hema Sridharan Email Updates:
Status: Closed Impact on me:
None 
Category:MySQL Enterprise Backup Documentation Severity:S3 (Non-critical)
Version:mysql-5.1-meb, MEB 3.1.0 OS:Any
Assigned to: John Russell CPU Architecture:Any

[3 Jun 2010 19:45] Hema Sridharan
Description:
* Create database dbb
* Create all type of tables in dbb (that is MyISAM , InnoDB, Archive, CSV, MERGE)
* Load some data in these tables
* Execute ibbackup and apply logs
* Copy the .frm files for all the tables in backup dir
* Drop database dbb
* Shutdown the server
* Copy back .frm files from backup dir to datadir
* Restart the server 
* Check for the data contents in all tables and also verify the engine type in all tables using SHOW CREATE TABLE <db.t> command.
* This will show that all the engines are backed up successfully.

Note that manuals specify that IHB backs up only MyISAM and InnoDB tables. If this is the case,
Either appropriate error / warning message should be issued when backing up other table types OR
There should be proper documentation that " IHB can backup all storage engines that includes MyISAM , InnoDB, Archive, CSV, MERGE"

How to repeat:
Please execute the test that is attached.

Suggested fix:
Either documentation should be fixed or proper warning / error message should be issued when backing up other table type using ibbackup
[4 Jun 2010 16:16] Hema Sridharan
Please find the attached test file

Attachment: bug.test (application/test, text), 3.01 KiB.

[7 Jun 2010 9:35] Sveta Smirnova
Thank you for the report.

Verified as described.
[10 Jun 2010 11:04] Thava Alagu
The test case seems to copy over the datadir contents to backupdir *after* the tables have been populated-- this means that not only .frm files, but also the associated data files (*.CSV for csv tables, etc) are copied over to backup dir.
Hence the result is not surprising.
[10 Jun 2010 12:12] Thava Alagu
Another clarification -- it seems by default, innobackup backs up all data files in the data dir no matter what storage engine it belongs to. There is innobackup --only-known-file-types option which backs up only the files with following extensions:

   table definitions (.frm files),
   merge tables (.MRG), MyISAM tables and indexes (.MYD and
   .MYI), triggers (.TRG and .TRN), database characteristics
    (.opt), partitions (.par) and ARCHIVE tables (.ARM and .ARZ).

So, in principle, innobackup can be used to support multiple different storage engines. The documentation seems to include these details, however there are few places, where the terms "InnoDB and MyISAM" tables are stressed which may sound bit misleading as if the support is limited to these. So, this may be assigned to doc team for further evaluation.
[6 Jan 2011 20:24] John Russell
Updated the most prominent titles and mentions of MyISAM. Some examples the only illustrate InnoDB and MyISAM still just mention those 2 storage engines.

According to product management, InnoDB and MyISAM are by far the most popular SEs and are the ones we want to emphasize, so we will not add extra wording about the other SEs for every mention of MyISAM.