Moving a Phpbb Forum to SMF, Different Servers

[Gotti]

Sorry is this is a little long winded hopefully someone will be able to help me out. I have a PhpBB forum that I have had for a little under 2 years at Server A under Web Site A, it has about 95,000 posts and 800 members and I dont want to lose them. Server A is very unstable and have refused updated so I am moving to Server B but they dont support Phpbb and they advised me to try SMF.

So I installed SMF on at Server B, under Web Site B and I have to save it looks far better and has a ton more options than PhPbb did and I would love to get my members and post moved in here, I read all the posts I could (about 2 hours worth), but I couldnt find any with help on moving from site to site, eveeything I saw was doing it on the same Server and the same database name. So here are my many questions:

1) Can I do this, convert my phpbb forum from website A, server A to SMF at Server B, website B.

2) I am not that tech savy when it comes to databases, if this is possible, is there a service that I can hire to do this for me?

3) I have backups of the Phpbb database that I do weekly in gzip and no zip formats, would it be possivle to use one of those backup files to import my members and posts here?

I hope I was clear and I really hope someone can help me out. I'd really like to get the process going, and I dont want to risk losing all those members.

Thanks a Lot!

[xenovanis]

On server A, convert your forum to SMF. Next, follow the directions in this topic:

Moving Server

[Gotti]

On server A, convert your forum to SMF. Next, follow the directions in this topic:

Moving Server

I cant convert it on Server A because the owner of the Hosting Company seems to be MIA and the Cpanel is in need of some kind of "edge update" so im basically locked out of any new installs, this is a major reason why I am moving to a new server.

[brauchi]

Even if your new server doesn't support PHP. Shouldn't you be able to install phpBB by yourself. I am have installed phpbb on;y for that reason. And once the data is moved over you can delete phpbb again.

[Gotti]

Even if your new server doesn't support PHP. Shouldn't you be able to install phpBB by yourself. I am have installed phpbb on;y for that reason. And once the data is moved over you can delete phpbb again.

They wont let me, when I asked them this is what they said:

Unfortunately due to the security flaws in PHPBB, you are not able to install it in our shared hosting plans. You may use XOOPS or SMF instead.

[Oldiesmann]

Can you get a database dump from the old phpBB board? If so, your new host shouldn't have any problems because you'll only be using the information in the database, config.php and extension.inc, not the entire phpBB system itself

[Gotti]

Can you get a database dump from the old phpBB board? If so, your new host shouldn't have any problems because you'll only be using the information in the database, config.php and extension.inc, not the entire phpBB system itself

I'm not really sure what you mean by a dump (I assume a backup), but I  have access to the pphbb board backup control panel and I think I can into phpmyadmin but I dont know how to use it. Could you let me know what exactly I have to get from them and I can see if I can get it.  Thanks so much.

[JustClem]

They wont let me, when I asked them this is what they said:

Unfortunately due to the security flaws in PHPBB, you are not able to install it in our shared hosting plans. You may use XOOPS or SMF instead.

Gotti, you might ask them if you can install it into a password protected directory and only for the purpose of transfering the phpBB posts to SMF.  My host does not allow phpBB (which I think is a silly policy), but I think they would allow you to install it for this purpose, especially if it was not accessible to anyone that did not have the password.

[Oldiesmann]

Can you get a database dump from the old phpBB board? If so, your new host shouldn't have any problems because you'll only be using the information in the database, config.php and extension.inc, not the entire phpBB system itself

I'm not really sure what you mean by a dump (I assume a backup), but I  have access to the pphbb board backup control panel and I think I can into phpmyadmin but I dont know how to use it. Could you let me know what exactly I have to get from them and I can see if I can get it.  Thanks so much.

Yes, I do mean a backup.

[Gotti]

Can you get a database dump from the old phpBB board? If so, your new host shouldn't have any problems because you'll only be using the information in the database, config.php and extension.inc, not the entire phpBB system itself

I'm not really sure what you mean by a dump (I assume a backup), but I  have access to the pphbb board backup control panel and I think I can into phpmyadmin but I dont know how to use it. Could you let me know what exactly I have to get from them and I can see if I can get it.  Thanks so much.

Yes, I do mean a backup.

Okay, well I have about 100 of those, I do one once a week via the phpbb control panel, the file is a SQL file and its about 250MB, I just did one right now, so how can I get that into SMF at the new server?

Also, is the backup generated by phpbbs backup utility all I need or do I have to try and get a different type of backup?

[Oldiesmann]

The one that phpBB gives you should work fine, although 250MB is probably too big to upload through phpMyAdmin.

[Gotti]

The one that phpBB gives you should work fine, although 250MB is probably too big to upload through phpMyAdmin.

Its 248 to be exact, I have 3 files, one is just data, one is just structure and one is both together. If I cant use the Admin program, then how will I get the backup to SMF? Thanks for all the help as well.

[Oldiesmann]

Unfortunately even with the structure and the data seperate, it still might be too large to upload through phpMyAdmin. Most hosts have the upload limit set to 2MB...

Is there any particular reason that you can't convert to SMF before moving to the new host? It would make things a lot easier.

[Jerry]

you could use [Unknown]'s restore script couldn't you?
http://www.simplemachines.org/community/index.php?topic=18350.msg168327#msg168327
His script is not just for smf, for general sql files too I think.
you would have to upload the sql file to the server, so you would need space for it.

[Gotti]

Is there any particular reason that you can't convert to SMF before moving to the new host? It would make things a lot easier.

My current host has gone MIA and you cant do any new installs there, I tried and I got a "You need to upgrade to at least EDGE 10.4.0-103 in order to install, contact your admin..."

So there is now way to put SMF there.

So with it being 250 MB, your saying im pretty much dead in the water?

[brauchi]

I don't know how long this would take you. But there is a way. SOmething I had done when I was on a very bad server where i couldn't pload my MYSQL tables. I had to cut and paste from the sql. file.   

This way I had to do a lot of copy and pasting but I was able to have my complete information on the new server.

I hope you will find a different way than that. Becasue this will take some time to get done.

[Gotti]

you could use [Unknown]'s restore script couldn't you?
http://www.simplemachines.org/community/index.php?topic=18350.msg168327#msg168327
His script is not just for smf, for general sql files too I think.
you would have to upload the sql file to the server, so you would need space for it.

I just read that whole thread and I am willing to give it a try. So if I understand it correctly, I should upload my current backup to my new server, then upload the php file from that thread and then have it point to the backup I put there?

[Gotti]

Update: I uploaded the SQL to the new server, but when I run the restoration tool it says:

Cannot connect to the MySQL database server with the supplied data.

If you are not sure about what to type in, please contact your host.

MySQL server name: Kept at localhost


MySQL username:  Put in the name I used to login to the MySQL section at my server

MySQL password: Put in the password that let me get into to MYSQL at my host

MySQL database name:  I tried the name of the only database I saw in MYSQL, I tried the one listed in SMF on the Admin Page (if it matter the one it had there I didnt see in MYSQL, I tried blank, all of it)

And it just kept saying Cannot connect to the MySQL database server with the supplied data.

[xenovanis]

MySQL server name: Kept at localhost


MySQL username:  Put in the name I used to login to the MySQL section at my server

MySQL password: Put in the password that let me get into to MYSQL at my host

MySQL database name:  I tried the name of the only database I saw in MYSQL, I tried the one listed in SMF on the Admin Page (if it matter the one it had there I didnt see in MYSQL, I tried blank, all of it)

Try the server and logindetails you find in Settings.php.

[Gotti]

MySQL server name: Kept at localhost


MySQL username:  Put in the name I used to login to the MySQL section at my server

MySQL password: Put in the password that let me get into to MYSQL at my host

MySQL database name:  I tried the name of the only database I saw in MYSQL, I tried the one listed in SMF on the Admin Page (if it matter the one it had there I didnt see in MYSQL, I tried blank, all of it)

Try the server and logindetails you find in Settings.php.

In where, the new server under where SMF is installed?