Help me pick the right forum software.

[radxmpl]

Hello,

I would like to setup a forum website thus I am doing research on available forum softwares to pick the right one for my needs.  I came across this webpage which lists many different softwares available

hxxp:en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_Internet_forum_software_(PHP) [nonactive]

Most of free softwares are PHP with mySQL, which are widely supported by hosting companies.  There are a few features that I must have:

1/ The ability to search a particular forum or all forums.

2/ Image and file attachment to post, images and files need to be in their own directories.

3/ User can subscribe to thread and be emailed when there are new postings to thread.

4/ Back up and restore easily.

I can't seem to find information on how the forum software make use of the database and how easy it is to backup and restore database or move from one hosting company to another.  I am very concerned about the database and the ability to restore the forum without losing posts if the need arises.  If only one database is used overtime it will get very big, and if everytime you need to backup this database via FTP it could take a lot of time.  Is there a software that breaks the database into archives?  Let's say once a year or once a month an archive is made from all the posts from that year or month, this way you would only need to make incremental backups.  Also I would like member information to reside in a separate database.

I understand any software, especially the free ones, can be custom made to my needs for a fee.  Obviously I am trying to find a pre-made software that fits my needs the most before going the custom made route.  Many of the pre-made softwares fit most of my needs except the ability to make incremental backups and separate member database.

Any and all pointers are greatly appreciated.

[metallica48423]

SMF does have a backup feature in the admin CP.  This of course can be limited by some server configurations which limit the ability of it to work correctly.  We do also provide tools for backing up and restoring databases. 

SMF can do attachments, but they will go in the /attachments directory

SMF does have topic and board subscriptions

SMF can also search boards, including within a single board, all boards, or a selection of boards (and only those which the member can actually access, so it can be used by people with enhanced or reduced board access and it will honor what they can and can't see)

Some resources:
create_backup.php/restore_backup.php
Restoring a Database
Forum Maintenance

SMF generated and phpmyadmin backups can be restored using the restore_backup.php tool or phpmyadmin itself.

Thanks for your interest

[radxmpl]

Thank you very much for your reply.

I plan on running the forums for many years and as such I predict the database will get bigger year after year.  As I understand it now, and please correct me if I am wrong, there is only one database.  In order to backup the database you must lock the forums down thus users can't use the forums while it's locked down.  When backing up you must backup the entire database everytime, as the database gets bigger the time it takes to backup will be longer.

I imagine it would be better to archive a database after it gets to a certain size, or create a 'master database' then append new topics/post at regular intervals.  Basically I am looking for incremental backups and no limit on the database growth.  Can SMF do this?

[Dannii]

Have a look at the ForumMatrix too.

As for backups, you don't need to lock the forum at all, and through a tool like phpMyAdmin, you can back up as little or as much of it as you like. If your forum gets to such a size that backing it up takes a seriously long time, then you could invest in a second server, load balance between both, and backup off only one.

[radxmpl]

Thanks for your reply,

I came across this

hxxp:www.zzee.com/zmdb/ [nonactive]

That claims the utility can make incremental backups of mySQL database.  Now I need to find down what limitation a mySQL database can have, file size, record limit....

[Fiery]

radxmpl,

Did you have any other questions about SMF?

[humbleworld]

No doubt SMF is the best forum software. Tried and tested.