For an overview of incremental backups and usage examples for these options, seeSection 4.3.3, “Making a Differential or Incremental Backup” andSection 5.1.3, “Restoring an Incremental Backup”.
To take an incremental backup, specify the--incremental or--incremental-with-redo-log-only, along with the--backup-dir option. Depending on whether--incremental or--incremental-with-redo-log-only is used, other options are required or recommended. All InnoDB data modified after theLSN (specified directly or indirectly by the options you use) is copied into the incremental backup.
--incremental[={page-track|full-scan|optimistic}]Command-Line Format --incrementalType Enumeration Default Value page-trackValid Values page-trackfull-scanoptimisticPossible values for this option and their effects are explained further in the following list:
page-track:mysqlbackup looks for changed pages inInnoDBdata files that have been modified since the last backup, using the page tracking functionality on the server, and then copies them. This is potentially the fastest way formysqlbackup to create incremental backups.If page tracking cannot be used (seeIncremental Backup Using Page Tracking) and
--incrementalis not set explicitly,mysqlbackup performs a full-scan backup instead. If this value has been set explicitly but page tracking cannot be used, the backup fails with an error.full-scan:mysqlbackup scans allInnoDBdata files in the server data directory to find pages that have been changed since the last backup, and copies them.optimistic:mysqlbackup scans only for changed pages in theInnoDBdata files that have been modified since the last backup and then copies them. In general, optimistic incremental backups are faster than full-scan backups when not many tables in the database have been modified. Some restrictions apply when this option is employed; seeFull-scan versus Optimistic Incremental Backup.
--incrementalalso requires the use of either--incremental-baseor--start-lsn. OnlyInnoDBtables are backed up incrementally. By default,all files are included in the incremental backup in their entirety. To exclude data that is not specific toInnoDB in an incremental backup, use--only-innodb.When
--copy-back-and-apply-log,--copy-back, or--apply-logis used, there is no need to use--incremental.--incremental-with-redo-log-onlySpecifies that anincremental backup is to be created using only the redo log. This alternate type of incremental backup has different performance characteristics and operational limitations compared to backups created with the
--incrementaloption; seeCreating Incremental Backups Using Only the Redo Log for a discussion on their differences, and for how to perform properly a redo-log-only incremental backup.To use this option, you also need to specify the
--incremental-baseoption or the--start-lsn. Just like with the--incrementaloption, only InnoDB tables are backed up incrementally. By default, all non-InnoDB files are included into the incremental backup and in their fullness. To exclude non-InnoDB data in an incremental backup, use the--only-innodboption.You cannot use the
--compressoption together with the--incremental-with-redo-log-onlyoption.--incremental-base=mode:argumentCommand-Line Format --incremental-base=mode:argumentType String With this option, themysqlbackup retrieves the information needed to perform incremental backups from the metadata inside the backup directory rather than from the
--start-lsnoption. It saves you from having to specify an ever-changing, unpredictableLSN value when doing a succession of incremental backups. Instead, you specify a way to locate the previous backup directory through the combination ofmode:argumentin the option syntax. The alternatives are:history:{last_backup | last_full_backup}The prefix
history:followed by one of the two possible values:last_backup: This makesmysqlbackup query theend_lsnvalue from the last successfulnon-TTS backup as recorded in thebackup_historytable of the server instance that is being backed up.last_full_backup: This works similarly as the valuelast_backup, except that it makesmysqlbackup look for the lastfull backup that was taken and use it as the base backup, thus creating a differential backup .
NoteIf the last full or partial backup made was aTTS backup,mysqlbackup skips it, and keeps searching the backup history until it finds the lastnon-TTS backup and then returns its
end_lsnvalue.dir:directory_pathAdvanced: You specify the prefix
dir:followed by a directory path argument, which points to the previous directory backup. With the first incremental backup, you specify the directory holding the full directory backup; with the second incremental backup, you specify the directory holding the first incremental directory backup, and so on.
Command-Line Format --start-lsn=LSNType Numeric In anincremental backup, specifies the highestLSN value included in a previous backup. You can get this value from the output of the previous backup operation, or from the
backup_historytable'send_lsncolumn for the previous backup operation. Always used in combination with the--incrementaloption; not needed when you use the--incremental-baseoption; not recommended when you use the--incremental-with-redo-log-onlymechanism for incremental backups.NoteNo binary log files are copied into the incremental backup if the
--start-lsnoption is used. To include binary log files for the period covered by the incremental backup, instead of--start-lsn, use the--incremental-baseoption, which provides the necessary information formysqlbackup to ensure that no gap exists between binary log data included in the previous backup and the current incremental backup.Advanced: Specifies the location for data of an incremental directory backup. When creating or restoring an incremental directory backup, the option serves the same function as
--backup-dirdoes for backups and restores in general, and the option can in fact be used interchangeably with--backup-dirfor directory backups. See the description for--backup-dirfor details.For an
apply-incremental-backupoperation, the option specifies the incremental backup directory whose data is used to update a directory backup specified by the--backup-diroption.NoteDo not use this option with any operations for image backups, for which the option has no meaning.