How does Jira manage changes during MySQL Database backups?

[Deleted user]

Our Jira instance runs on a MySQL database that is managed by our IT department.  They run a nightly backup.  My understanding is that during the backups, which can take up to 15 minutes, the database is locked.  If someone tries to make a change (update a ticket, etc) during that time, can Jira handle that, or will it generate an error?

Note that this is not a backup initiated from within Jira.  They are using either native MySQL tools, or a third party tool to backup the database.

Thanks in advance

[Nic Brough -Adaptavist- · Accepted solution]

It stops.  And, as you suspect, generates errors.

If it can't write to the database behind it, it simply fails every action that needs to write.  Create, Edit and Transistion all fail.  Moderately gracefully - they do not write any crud to the database, index or caches, but they can put some inscrutable text in front of your people.

This is a bit better than some other Atlassian systems that simply shut down when they can't access their database.  At least Jira keeps running, waiting for when the DB comes back.

[Deleted user]

Thanks Nic.  We'll look at scheduling the backups during the least used periods.
Any idea if Atlassian is building something into Jira to manage this?  Since the tools are so DB dependent, I really want to have a robust backup solution.

[Nic Brough -Adaptavist-]

No, they recommend using the databases backup tools for medium and large Jira systems.

There are some more advanced tools that take uninterrupted database copies.  A simple trick I used to use before the more clever tools came along was to replicate the database to a second database.  When I needed a backup, I'd break replication so the second database was static, and the backup would not interrupt the first database, then restore it after backup and let the replication catch up.  (Ok, there was a bit more to it, but this at least gave us snapshot database copies without interrupting usage)