Account Backups
Where to Download Your Account Backup
If the HelioHost team made a backup of your hosting account data, you can retrieve it by visiting https://heliohost.org/backup and following the instructions on the page to download the file.
Inside the downloaded backup file, there will be a large file named backup_user-data_##########.tzst which contains all your files.
The file will be in a format called Z-standard and will need to be extracted.
How to Extract Your Account Data from the Backup File
Linux or Mac
On Linux or Mac you can install the zstd package and extract it on the command line.
Access Your Files in Ubuntu v22+
Navigate to the directory containing your backup file named
pleskbackup-YourAccountUsername.tarInstall the
zstdpackage with thesudo apt install zstdcommandUntar the downloaded file with the
tar -xvf pleskbackup-YourAccountUsername.tarcommandYou should see a list of filenames similar to the below:
There will be several
.tzstfiles inside that you can extract using theunzstdcommandYour account data is located at
domains/YourAccountUsername.helioho.st/backup_user-data_##########.tzstNavigate to the
domainsdirectoryNavigate to the
YourAccountUsername.helioho.stdirectoryExtract your data from the
backup_user-data_##########.tzstfile with theunzstd backup_user-data_##########.tzstcommandYour data will then be extracted to a
.tarfile calledbackup_user-data_##########.tarUntar the file with the
tar -xvf backup_user-data_2408272149.tarcommandYou should see a list of your site files and directories. For example:
Windows
On Windows you can use WinRar v6+ or 7-Zip v24+.
Access Your Files
Navigate to the main backup file named
pleskbackup-YourAccountUsername.tarExtract the
.tarfile using one of the software packages listed aboveThe files will be extracted to a folder named
pleskbackup-YourAccountUsernameOpen the folder and navigate to the
domainsfolderOpen the next folder, named
YourAccountUsername.heliohost.usorYourAccountUsername.helioho.stNavigate to the file named
backup_user-data_##########.tzstOpen the file to access your data
Making Your Own Manual Account Backup
As mentioned in our Terms of Service, it is not HelioHost's responsibility to keep backups of your data. We strongly recommend you backup your data regularly and keep it in a safe place.
Backups created through Plesk count towards your 1000 MB account storage limit. To avoid account suspension for exceeding your disk quota, we recommend regularly downloading and deleting older backups.
If you need more space, you can donate to increase your account storage from 1000 MB up to a maximum of 6000 MB total. For even more storage, we offer VPS Plans with space ranging from 50 GB to 300 GB.
Follow the navigation steps below to make a backup of your hosting account inside Plesk:
Login > Plesk > Websites & Domains > [ domain ] > Backup & Restore
Click the Back Up button:
Select the account content you want to back up, and click on the OK button:
Downloading a Local Copy of Your Backup
Once the backup process finishes, click on the green arrow icon to download the backup file to your local computer:
Make your selection about using a password to encrypt users' passwords contained in the Plesk database or not, and click on the OK button:
Your backup file will be downloaded to your local machine with filename backup_domain.helioho.st_##########.tar
Scheduling Automated Account Backups
Follow the navigation steps below to set up or modify scheduled account backup settings inside Plesk:
Login > Plesk > Websites & Domains > [ domain ] > Backup & Restore > Schedule
After clicking the Schedule button, adjust the settings as needed.
Backup files count towards your 1000 MB account storage limit, so we recommend filling in the Maximum number of full backup files to store field to a number that makes sense for the total filesize of your account. Otherwise if you leave this field blank, backup files will pile up and increase your file storage unnecessarily, leaving you at risk of account suspension for exceeding your disk quota.
If you need more space, you can donate to increase your account storage from 1000 MB up to a maximum of 6000 MB total. For even more storage, we offer VPS Plans with space ranging from 50 GB to 300 GB.
Restoring Your Account Backup
Backups cannot be restored directly in Plesk using the Restore button.
To restore a backup, you must first extract the backup file on your local machine, then upload the specific parts you need.
Repairing Damaged Backup Files
If you have trouble when trying to extract a backup file, try opening it in a hex editor to inspect or repair the file. The screenshots below use frhed, a free and easy-to-use hex editor, but the process should be similar in other hex editors.
View the damaged
tzstfile inside the hex editor. You will likely see an error message right at the top. In this example, the error message starts withUnable to getpwnam for user, but other error messages are possible.
Find the magic bytes (which should be
28 B5 2F FD) in the file, as highlighted in the example.Delete everything before the magic bytes.
After making this change, the magic bytes should display as being the first bytes in the file, as shown below:
Save the file. When you try to extract it again, the issue should be resolved.
Further Support
If you get stuck after following the instructions above, please go back and check all of your steps again. If you can't figure out what is wrong, please post a topic in the Customer Support forum. Please make sure you provide your hosting account username and details of the problem, including what steps you have tried, and any error message(s) encountered.
References
Sections of this tutorial have been adapted from posts about extracting Plesk backup files and repairing a damaged backup file on the HelioNet forum.
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