Hi there - we looking for an IT professional who knows SSH and Wordpress.

We have a website on Linode which has some issues regarding upgrading and making a little more secure.
Ideally we would like to be able to backup the whole site and database. But we have really limited knowledge.
Unfortunately the developers who helped create the site are no longer in contact, so we are muddling along.

Can anyone here help or recommend anyones services? Linode Support suggest we ask the community.

Also what is the going rate for this type of work?

Thanks
Joe

Backup is easy enough to script out. Two scripts (running via cron) to get your whole Wordpress site backed up nightly.

Dump your Wordpress Database

wpdlog-db-backup.sh
#!/bin/sh
cd /backup/wordpress-dlog
mysqldump -u dbuser -dbpassword --databases dlogdb | gzip > dlogdb-backup-`date +%H%M_%m%d`.sql.gz

Archive your Wordpress Files (all of them)

wpdlog-file-backup.sh
#!/bin/sh
cd /backup/wordpress-dlog
tar -zcvf dlog-backup-`date +%H%M_%m%d`.tar.gz /www/dlog

Run those two scripts via cron

40 0 * * * /usr/local/bin/wpdlog-db-backup.sh >/dev/null 2&>1
40 2 * * 5 /usr/local/bin/wpdlog-file-backup.sh >/dev/null 2&>1

Keep all the scripts and the location of the backups in a folder that DOES NOT face the public.

Then use the backup method of your choice (we use RSYNC) to move the backup files to OFF-System storage.

The reason for the two steps (backup to local folder, THEN move to off-system storage) is to minimize the backup time. Quicker to make the backups locally, then move at your leisure.

As to securing Wordpress - install a plugin to enforce strong user passwords, and then use .htaccess to protect the admin page. And of course keep everything, wordpress and all your plugins, up to date ALWAYS.

_________________
Either provide enough details for people to help, or sit back and listen to the crickets chirp.
Security thru obscurity is a myth - and really really annoying.

Hi Von - Sorry I don't understand the above.

Thanks for trying.

Hi Joe,

For actual professionals you'll be looking at around $75 an hour or so. You may be able to find younger professionals for a bit cheaper that should be able to get the job done.

You may also consider taking a look at www.freelancer.com, you can hire overseas for pretty cheap - but be careful with who you hire and be sure to check their references and reviews to ensure a smooth transaction.

I'd be happy to help you, but I'm not going to be cheap ($100 an hour). Just send me a PM if you're wishing to have me take a look.

Also, one other thing, having the in-house expertise to keep your website and server updated and secure is extremely important. If you do not have that, I would recommend considering moving your site to a managed service where the provider will keep your blog updated for you. Wordpress.com provides their own hosting service that provides just that, with a caveat, you cannot use any third party plugins. (Might not be an issue if you already aren't...)