So my question is: Are there any popular good
solutions for backing up large databases that you are using for backing up your wiki?
Try MySQLDumper (
http://www.mysqldumper.net ).
"MySQLDumper is a PHP and Perl based tool for backing up MySQL databases. You can
easily dump your data into a backup file and - if needed - restore it. It is especially
suited for shared hosting webspaces, where you don't have shell access. MySQLDumper is
an open source project and released under the GNU-license."
A PHP script has a maximum execution time that is usually set to 30 seconds on most server
installations. A script running longer than this limit will simply stop working. This
behavior makes backing up large databases impossible.
MySQLDumper uses a proprietary technique to avoid this problem."
It's a very reliable tool which is provided by many hosting providers here in
Germany.
hth
Frank