How to use Server Rewind to restore files and databases

This article explains how to restore files and databases on your website using cPanel’s Server Rewind tool. With just a few clicks, you can use Server Rewind to restore a file, a group of files, or a database. For instance, you may unintentionally erase a file from your website. You can utilize Server Rewind to get the prior version of the file if backups are enabled on your website.

Many accounts now use JetBackup instead of Server Rewind for backup and restore management. If you do not see the Server Rewind icon in cPanel, look for the JetBackup 5 icon instead. For information about how to use JetBackup to restore files and databases.

• On Power+, Prestige+, and Pinnacle+ accounts, Server Rewind only restores files. It does not restore databases. For more information.
• Server Rewind is not available on managed VPS accounts with root access.
• Please note that Server Rewind is not available to the Lift 4, Lift 8, Lift 16, Mach 8, Mach 16, or Mach 32 VPS plans. For emergency restorative services.

For server performance and stability reasons, Server Rewind is unavailable from 3:00 AM to 5:00 AM in the local time zone of the server.

• For accounts hosted at the Amsterdam data center, Server Rewind is unavailable between 3:00 AM and 5:00 AM Central European Time or Central European Summer Time, when applicable.
• For accounts hosted at the Arizona data center, Server rewind is unavailable between 3:00 AM and 5:00 AM Mountain Standard Time.
• For accounts hosted at the Michigan data center, Server Rewind is unavailable daily between 3:00 AM and 5:00 AM Eastern Standard Time or Eastern Daylight Time, when applicable.
• For accounts hosted at the Singapore data center, Server Rewind is unavailable daily between 3:00 AM and 5:00 AM Singapore Time.

Backups and Server Rewind

All hostvento Hosting servers have redundant hard drives for real-time RAID 1 mirrored backups. We also provide off-server backups. These server backups are stored for the last 30 days on a best-effort basis. To do a restore from one of these backups, use the Server Rewind feature in cPanel.

To obtain backups and get help from our Guru Crew, submit a support ticket through the Customer Portal at . Please be specific in the request about what you would need restored, and we will try our best to get your data back.

It is also advised that you keep up with your backups. However, if you use the cPanel Backup tool to create full or partial backups, kindly refrain from saving additional backup copies on your hosting account. Please refer to section 3 of our Terms of Service for further details.

Restoring files with Server Rewind

To restore files using Server Rewind, follow these steps:

1. Log in to cPanel.If you do not know how to log in to your cPanel account.
2. Open Server Rewind:
   • If you are using the Jupiter theme, on the Tools page, in the Files section, click Server Rewind:
   • If you are using the Paper Lantern theme, in the FILES section of the cPanel home page, click Server Rewind:
     
3. Choose the date on which the file or files you wish to restore are present. To enlarge a date, select the + symbol.
4. Making sure that just the essential files are chosen for restoration is essential to the success of Server Rewind. Server Rewind may frequently freeze or crash if you try to restore the /public_html file, which contains numerous sites, or if you select an entire day rather than a single file (or directory). The best strategy to ensure a successful restoration is to restore only the files that are required, one site at a time.
5. Navigate to the file or files that you want to restore. To expand a directory, click the + icon. You can select an entire directory or specific files to restore. Click the checkbox next to each file you would like to restore, like in the example below:
   
   If no files have been selected, the following prompt will appear (you will then have to go back and select the files you want to restore:)
6. Under Options, select the Overwrite existing files checkbox to overwrite existing files with the restored files.
7. Optionally, if you want to restore the files to a different location, in the Restore into this location in my home directory text box, type the location for the restored files.
   If you are restoring an account that has been compromised, make sure that you restore the files to an empty directory. Server Rewind does not delete malicious files that were uploaded after the restore date you selected.
8. Click Restore!
   The length of time to complete the restore process depends on directory size, the number and size of the files, and so on.

Restoring databases with Server Rewind

• For database restores, Server Rewind does not currently support usernames longer than eight (8) characters.
• If you have any deleted MySQL databases that you want to restore, you must re-create them in cPanel before you run Server Rewind. For information about how to create MySQL databases in cPanel. If you do not re-create a database and then restore it using Server Rewind, the database will not be visible in cPanel. If you receive an error message in cPanel when trying to re-create a database, please open a support ticket on the Customer Portal at https://secure.hostvento.com so our Guru Crew can resolve the issue.
• Because of how PostgreSQL stores database data, Server Rewind cannot restore PostgreSQL databases. We strongly recommend that you create your own backups of PostgreSQL databases on a regular basis.

To restore databases using Server Rewind, follow these steps:

1. Log in to cPanel.If you do not know how to log in to your cPanel account.
2. Open Server Rewind:
   • If you are using the Jupiter theme, on the Tools page, in the Files section, click Server Rewind:
   • If you are using the Paper Lantern theme, in the FILES section of the cPanel home page, click Server Rewind:
     
3. Click the Restore Databases tab.
4. Select the date that contains the database version that you want to restore. To expand a date, click the + icon.
5. Select the database that you want to restore.
6. Under Options, select the Overwrite existing database checkbox to overwrite the existing database.
7. In the Write SQL into this location in my home directory text box, type the location for the restored database.
8. Click Restore.

Also Read

How to access webmail through cPanel

How to import e-mail accounts and forwarders

How to use Server Rewind to restore files and databases