Backups

The different databases/files for the e-Learning and VMMC systems are backed up every 24hrs, at 1am local time. Resulting files are stored in the folder root/backups. Details about what is backed up is detailed on the table below.

Backup file naming conventions

We use the following convention:

• YYYY-MM-DD - the date that the backup was completed, local time

• HH-MM: the time that the backup was completed, local time

• “MOH_ZWE”+system: the name of the system backed up

• .X.X - The version of the associated product, to ensure “restorability”

• .XXX the file extension

Resulting file names for MOH ZWE:

• Moodle db: yyyy-mm-dd-hh-mm-moh-zwe-moodle-4.5.sql.giz

• Moodle files: yyyy-mm-dd-hh-mm-moh-zwe-moodle-files.giz

• VMMC db: yyyy-mm-dd-hh-mm-moh-zwe-mongo.7.giz

• Superset: yyyy-mm-dd-hh-mm-moh-zwe-superset.3.giz

Retention

In the absence of any mandate on backup frequency and retention, the following backup procedure was implemented for the various systems' databases, as of December 2024:

• Daily backups, kept for 31 days

• Weekly backups (Sunday), kept for 1 year

• Monthly backups (last day of the month), kept for 7 years

For the Moodle folder, we implemented the following backup policy:

• Daily backups, 31 days

• Weekly backups, kept for 6 months

• Monthly backups, kept for 7 years

The moodle files folder contains:

• Language customizations

• Files & images uploaded to Moodle

• Cache storage

• User session’s data

Storage needs

Average backup size & transmisison time

• Mooodle DB

• Moodle files