Restoring MySQL 8.0 server from cold backup files Recently, my database server running MySQL 8.0 crashed due to power outage. I have access to a cold backup (i.e., all physical files) of the server before the crash occurred. I do not have any other backups (e.g., mysqldump) of the server.

Now, I am trying to restore the server from the backup files that I have. The manual for this procedure suggests that I can directly copy all .ibd files as long as I can set up identical table structures (https://dev.mysql.com/doc/refman/8.0/en/innodb-migration.html).

Meanwhile, I am unable to find a way to create tables that are identical to those in the crashed system (I vaguely remember that when I did this years ago, I can restore table schema using .frm files but they do not seem to exist anymore in MySQL 8.0).

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
Looks like you're reading the wrong page. Restoring from a file system ("raw") backup doesn't require you to "set up identical table structures"; simply copy all MySQL files from the backup to their original location, then start MySQL.