PHPbb to SMF...can I still use the PHPbb forum?

[hcar]

If I convert my PHPBB to SMF, will the PHPBB forum still be usable until I get the SMF forum all fixed up? We have a pretty active PHPBB forum, and I'd hate to lose it all while I'm playing with the SMF installation...if that makes sense. I guess I'm wondering if makes it's own database for SMF or if it changes the original database, making it unusable by the other forum. Thanks!

[Joshua Dickerson]

It will create its own tables and won't interfere with the phpBB tables. Although, the new content from your phpBB forum wouldn't be on the SMF forum. I would recommend converting after you have the SMF forum setup.

[[Unknown]]

The way to think of it is like this...

I'm sure you've at some time purchased or seen a cabinet of some sort.  Different cabinets are set up different ways, although often you can put the same clothing, books, silverware, or similar items within them (although some designs limit this.)

A database is like an empty space, where a piece of furniture can go.  A forum is like a cabinet - which forum you choose is much the same as which cabinet you choose.  They may be very similar, or as often very different, in the way they store the same things.  Some may be able to store more or less than other things, or store the things you wish more or less efficiently.

phpBB is a cabinet.  SMF is a different cabinet, and as much as it may be similar in some ways, it won't work to have the clothes in the other's drawers.  Luckily, this is the digital age - the data can be copied, unlike clothing or silverware, exactly.  However, this is an action like so many other things, not something that "keeps happening".  Opening the drawers of one cabinet will show you only what is in that cabinet, and will only reflect the things in the other at the time of last copying.

Or, without the metaphor, you'll have to convert again once you're ready or you'll lose data/posts/members.  However, you can convert as many times as you want and doing so will not affect the source in any way (except that it will be read.)

That said, it's a good idea to shut down the forum temporarily, should the option to do so be available, so that the data is copied correctly.  You wouldn't want half a shirt copied just because it was being taken out of the cabinet, would you?

-[Unknown]

[Oldiesmann]

I also recommend putting phpBB in offline mode once you want to convert.