Symptoms

XML backup file restoration failed and the following is seen from the UI:

The following appears in the atlassian-confluence.log:

2012-08-31 18:58:56,524 ERROR [http-8770-5] [confluence.util.zip.FileUnzipper] unzipFileInArchive The file: exportDescriptor.properties could not be found in the archive: C:\data\confluence\temp\upload_59b7e4d6_1397b8e0951__7f4d_00000010\ds-185627-2.xml.zip

Cause

The XML backup failed to restore because Confluence was unable to detect/read exportDescriptor.properties file from the backup. This file is required for the restoration process.

1. This is a common problem when the exportDescriptor.properties file is:
   1. Missing from the XML backup
   2. OR incorrectly nested inside another sub-folder:
      Incorrect

      /Confluence-site-export-2024-09-10-16-03-57-737.xml/Confluence-site-export-2024-09-10-16-03-57-737.xml/exportDescriptor.properties 
      

      Correct

      /Confluence-site-export-2024-09-10-16-03-57-737.xml/exportDescriptor.properties 

      1. This can happen when the files aren't zipped correctly
2. This issue can also be due to insufficient disk space.
3. This can also be caused by selecting a file other than a Space/Site export zip file

Resolution

1. Ensure that the XML backup is valid. It should contain at least the following two files:
   1. exportDescriptor.properties
   2. entities.xml

2. When recompressing the file:

   When recompressing a backup, zip files directly

   Select all files in the sub-folder and zip them directly. Avoid zipping the folder itself, as this will nest the contents, preventing Confluence from locating them.
   (In the example below, "Archive.zip" is our recompressed XML backup file.)
   

   

   
   

   1. Do not use Windows ZIP compression to compress the XML backup. Use 7Zip or WinZip instead.
   2. Please make sure that you have sufficient disk space to import XML Backup.
      
   3. Ensure that you are starting with an XML backup zip file from Confluence
      1. Creating a Space Backup
      2. Creating an XML Site Backup