How do I back up my MySQL DB?

I've got an older install of phpBB that I should probably update but before I do I want to make sure I'm not going to lose anything. Can I easily back up the data and then if needed put it back after the upgrade? Do I even need to back it up to do an upgrade?

If I were to upgrade, I would do this

1. Use phpmyadmin (available via Control Panel) to export database to a file, put the file somewhere on your computer c:\backup stuff\
2. Use a ftp client to download all the forum based files to your computer, as a backup

This way, you can always rollback if something goes wrong. Also make sure you get upgraded versions of any plugins or extensions you may have added for your forum.

are you related to DMX, perchance? I liked that movie he did with Jet Li