Converting from VBulletin, but receiving errors

[MrMike]

I recently got database dump of a VBulletin forum that I'm trying to convert to SMF.

I didn't get all the VB files, just the database dump. The VBulletin forum was version "3.8.7 Beta 1", and was a working forum.

When I run the VB-to-SMF converter, I get this message:

"The converter detected that your host has open_basedir enabled on this server.  Please ask your host to disable this setting or try moving the contents of your vBulletin 3 to the public html folder of your site."

I have disabled open_basedir on this server, but still receive the same message.

Since the converter only asks for the database password, I figured it must be looking for the VBulletin config file to get the user name and database name, so I got a sample config file from the VBulletin site and edited it so it had the correct database info. I placed it in a '/vb' directory and I enter that path when running the converter.

Unfortunately, running the converter still gives me the exact same message.

Any suggestions on what might be the problem, or how to convert this VB database to SMF?

[Antes]

you can try on localhost then move your files to your host ?

[MrMike]

you can try on localhost then move your files to your host ?

Sadly, that is not an option for me.

I'm wondering if I'll have to buy VBulletin and install it just so I can convert it.

[Antes]

You don't have vBulletin files ? use config.php file on localhost i don't think that makes difference.

[MrMike]

You don't have vBulletin files ? use config.php file on localhost i don't think that makes difference.

As I said, I don't have the option of doing it on localhost, and I've already tried using a sample VB config file.

No matter what I do, I get this error: "The converter detected that your host has open_basedir enabled on this server.  Please ask your host to disable this setting or try moving the contents of your vBulletin 3 to the public html folder of your site."

Is this actually some sort of open_basedir error, or something else?

[MrMike]

For what it's worth, I tried the remedy in this post:

http://www.simplemachines.org/community/index.php?topic=346739.msg2347260#msg2347260

I created an "includes" directory and placed the 'config.php' file in it, then ran the converter. I got a page full of these errors (the actual domain has been replaced by 'xxxxxxxxxx'):

Code Select Expand

Notice: Undefined index: convert_script in /var/www/virtual/xxxxxxxxxxx.com/htdocs/convert.php on line 822

Warning: Invalid argument supplied for foreach() in /var/www/virtual/xxxxxxxxxxx.com/htdocs/convert.php on line 825

Notice: Undefined index: convert_script in /var/www/virtual/xxxxxxxxxxx.com/htdocs/convert.php on line 837

Notice: Undefined index: convert_script in /var/www/virtual/xxxxxxxxxxx.com/htdocs/convert.php on line 733
Successful.
Recalculating forum statistics...
Notice: Undefined variable: result in /var/www/virtual/xxxxxxxxxxx.com/htdocs/convert.php on line 2257

Notice: Undefined variable: result in /var/www/virtual/xxxxxxxxxxx.com/htdocs/convert.php on line 2258

Warning: mysql_fetch_assoc(): supplied argument is not a valid MySQL result resource in /var/www/virtual/xxxxxxxxxxx.com/htdocs/convert.php on line 1223

Warning: mysql_free_result(): supplied argument is not a valid MySQL result resource in /var/www/virtual/xxxxxxxxxxx.com/htdocs/convert.php on line 1233

Notice: Undefined variable: result in /var/www/virtual/xxxxxxxxxxx.com/htdocs/convert.php on line 2257

Notice: Undefined variable: result in /var/www/virtual/xxxxxxxxxxx.com/htdocs/convert.php on line 2258

Warning: mysql_fetch_assoc(): supplied argument is not a valid MySQL result resource in /var/www/virtual/xxxxxxxxxxx.com/htdocs/convert.php on line 1241

Warning: mysql_free_result(): supplied argument is not a valid MySQL result resource in /var/www/virtual/xxxxxxxxxxx.com/htdocs/convert.php on line 1251

Notice: Undefined variable: result in /var/www/virtual/xxxxxxxxxxx.com/htdocs/convert.php on line 2257

Notice: Undefined variable: result in /var/www/virtual/xxxxxxxxxxx.com/htdocs/convert.php on line 2258

Warning: mysql_fetch_assoc(): supplied argument is not a valid MySQL result resource in /var/www/virtual/xxxxxxxxxxx.com/htdocs/convert.php on line 1264

Warning: mysql_free_result(): supplied argument is not a valid MySQL result resource in /var/www/virtual/xxxxxxxxxxx.com/htdocs/convert.php on line 1277

Notice: Undefined variable: result in /var/www/virtual/xxxxxxxxxxx.com/htdocs/convert.php on line 2257

Notice: Undefined variable: result in /var/www/virtual/xxxxxxxxxxx.com/htdocs/convert.php on line 2258

Warning: mysql_fetch_assoc(): supplied argument is not a valid MySQL result resource in /var/www/virtual/xxxxxxxxxxx.com/htdocs/convert.php on line 1323

Warning: mysql_free_result(): supplied argument is not a valid MySQL result resource in /var/www/virtual/xxxxxxxxxxx.com/htdocs/convert.php on line 1325

Notice: Undefined variable: result in /var/www/virtual/xxxxxxxxxxx.com/htdocs/convert.php on line 2257

Notice: Undefined variable: result in /var/www/virtual/xxxxxxxxxxx.com/htdocs/convert.php on line 2258

Warning: mysql_fetch_assoc(): supplied argument is not a valid MySQL result resource in /var/www/virtual/xxxxxxxxxxx.com/htdocs/convert.php on line 1331

Warning: mysql_free_result(): supplied argument is not a valid MySQL result resource in /var/www/virtual/xxxxxxxxxxx.com/htdocs/convert.php on line 1337

Notice: Undefined variable: result in /var/www/virtual/xxxxxxxxxxx.com/htdocs/convert.php on line 2257

Notice: Undefined variable: result in /var/www/virtual/xxxxxxxxxxx.com/htdocs/convert.php on line 2258

Warning: mysql_fetch_assoc(): supplied argument is not a valid MySQL result resource in /var/www/virtual/xxxxxxxxxxx.com/htdocs/convert.php on line 1348

Warning: mysql_free_result(): supplied argument is not a valid MySQL result resource in /var/www/virtual/xxxxxxxxxxx.com/htdocs/convert.php on line 1349

Notice: Undefined variable: result in /var/www/virtual/xxxxxxxxxxx.com/htdocs/convert.php on line 2257

Notice: Undefined variable: result in /var/www/virtual/xxxxxxxxxxx.com/htdocs/convert.php on line 2258

Warning: mysql_num_rows(): supplied argument is not a valid MySQL result resource in /var/www/virtual/xxxxxxxxxxx.com/htdocs/convert.php on line 1357

Warning: mysql_free_result(): supplied argument is not a valid MySQL result resource in /var/www/virtual/xxxxxxxxxxx.com/htdocs/convert.php on line 1359

Notice: Undefined variable: result in /var/www/virtual/xxxxxxxxxxx.com/htdocs/convert.php on line 2257

Notice: Undefined variable: result in /var/www/virtual/xxxxxxxxxxx.com/htdocs/convert.php on line 2258

Warning: mysql_fetch_assoc(): supplied argument is not a valid MySQL result resource in /var/www/virtual/xxxxxxxxxxx.com/htdocs/convert.php on line 1365

Warning: mysql_free_result(): supplied argument is not a valid MySQL result resource in /var/www/virtual/xxxxxxxxxxx.com/htdocs/convert.php on line 1366

Any ideas on what to try next? It seems like progress, but why it would throw all these errors is beyond me...

[MrMike]

After some more moving around of the config file, I'm now getting this at the very top of the converter:

Notice:  Undefined variable: dbname in /var/www/virtual/xxxxxxxxxx.com/htdocs/convert.php(407) : eval()'d code on line 1

Notice:  Undefined variable: tableprefix in /var/www/virtual/xxxxxxxxxx.com/htdocs/convert.php(407) : eval()'d code on line 1

And then this:

----------------------------------
Sorry, the database connection information used in the specified installation of SMF cannot access the installation of vBulletin 3.  This may either mean that the installation doesn't exist, or that the MySQL account used does not have permissions to access it.

The error MySQL gave was: Incorrect database name ''
----------------------------------

Now, I know the database name and password are correct (they work for SMF and it's the same database). The VB database has been successfully imported into the same database that SMF is using, and I see the tables there.

Is the converter having trouble reading the VB config.php file, and if so, where can I just hard-code these values into the convert.php file?

Dose the converter need any of the VB files besides the config.php file?

[Antes]

I dont think Converter needs another files.

[MrMike]

I'm making some headway on this...I got the converter running at least, and I'll document everything I had to do when I'm done.

However, it's not converting all of the posts from VBulletin.

For example, in one board in the VB forum there are 7,741 threads and 22,995 topics.
When the converter finishes I end up with 3975 posts (threads) and 1515 Topics.

Original VBulletin counts: Threads: 89,620, Posts: 289,685,
After conversion to SMF: 12268 Topics, Posts: 45860 

Some of the converted forums are completely empty, others have some posts in them, but never the full count. (??)

Is this a known problem, or is there something else going on? I'd love some assistance with this and would be willing to give login & FTP info to any SMF staff member(s) who may be able to resolve this.

I'd hate to have to give up and run this as a VBulletin forum- it's a reasonably large gaming site, PR5, with about 90,000 posts and an active community. Am I destined to run this as a VBulletin forum, or can someone help me to convert this?

[Antes]

if you trust me , sent your db to me via PM.

[MrMike]

Okay, I managed to sort this out. A bit of a fight to the death, but the old VBulletin forum was converted to SMF 1.1.13. I'll place an invite to it on the board here in the next day or so after it's cleaned up a bit and a good theme is in place. But after a few dozen drinks, much swearing, and no small amount of tears, it's working.

There are 292,431 posts in 89,673 Topics, with 13,353 members (about 20% of whom are bots or spammers, and who will be removed with a flamethrower and tongs).

The board was a popular gaming forum that got overrun with spammers, and then one of the VBulletin plugins got majorly borked and crashed the forum. I saw the site it and thought it would make a nice SMF forum, so I got a hold of it and resurrected it. 

Here's what had to be done to make the converter work with VBulletin 3.8.7 Beta 1:

First, open up the VBulletin config.php file (in the VBulletin "/includes" directory).
Add these lines at the very top, after the opening php tag:

Code Select Expand

$dbname='<YOUR DATABASE NAME>';
$tableprefix='';
(Replace "<YOUR DATABASE NAME>" with the name of your actual database.)
This gets rid of the "undefined variable" message that will make the converter crash.
(This may not be necessary on all servers, but it was on all of the servers involved here.)
(See http://www.simplemachines.org/community/index.php?topic=63950.msg442085#msg442085)

Next, in the "vbulletin3_to_smf.sql" file, search for "avatardata" and change it to "filedata".

Go to the smf_categories table, find the ID_CAT column and ALTER it to be mediumint( 8 ) instead of a tinyint(4) like it is now.
Go to the smf_boards table, find the ID_CAT column and ALTER it to be mediumint( 8 ) instead of a tinyint(4) like it is now.
(See http://www.simplemachines.org/community/index.php?topic=63950.msg444353#msg444353)

Cross your fingers, sacrifice a small goat, and run the converter. (More than one goat may be required.)

If all goes well it'll run...and run...and run...then it'll recalculate the statistics, and, if the goat was pleasing to The Holy Converter you will receive the blessed "Conversion Finished" message. Congratulations, you have freed yourself form the shackles of VBulletin.

My board with almost 300,000 posts took about 10 minutes to run and convert. Your mileage may vary.

Hope this helps someone.

[MrMike]

As promised, here's the resurrected message board:

GameThinker.com Gamers Forum

This forum used to run on VBulletin, but has now been brought into the SMF family.

See a better description of the mods and add-ons in the SMF Forum Showcase.