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Repeated failure to import database into fresh install of SMF

Started by Bivouac, October 04, 2017, 12:26:56 PM

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Bivouac

    Hello!

    Having succeeded in exporting a backup of my database via phpMyAdmin (due in no small part to some excellent advice from 'Sir Osis'), I'm now having difficulties importing it into a fresh install of SMF on my new hosting package.

    I've installed SMF, and it's working nicely.  So I tried to import my SQL file into it, and phpMyAdmin has timed out three times in succession.  It's not a huge file by any means (60 mb), so I'm assuming the error is mine (rather than simply that it's taking so long that phpMyAdmin has got bored and gone bowling instead).

    Now I'm wondering if I've totally misunderstood what I'm meant to be doing. 

    Am I correct in thinking that this is the procedure?


    • Create new, empty database
    • Install new SMF forum onto that database
    • Import database SQL via phpMyAdmin on top of the existing (new) forum?

    ...Or am I supposed to be importing it into a totally blank database, without a forum pre-installed on it?
    Would that be what's causing phpMyAdmin to time out? 

    Many thanks in advance for your help, oh wise and generous people of SMFland.

    Cheers,
    Bivouac.




Illori

could be a limit set by the host. you may need your host to import the backup for you.

vbgamer45

Yeah might be too large for the form.
You can try zip/compress the file before upload as well.
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Sir Osis of Liver

If you still have access to original database, export it as gzip (empty logs first), it will be smaller than sql, and try importing it.  phpmyadmin will often fail to import a 60mb database, even if limit is much higher.  If it doesn't go, do what Illori suggested and ask host support to import it.
Ashes and diamonds, foe and friend,
 we were all equal in the end.

                                     - R. Waters

Bivouac

Cool. Thanks very much guys.  I'll try the gzip method first.  (Not 100% sure what you meant by "empty logs first", Sir Osis... Sounds slightly scary. Does that involve deleting any of the existing data or contents???) 

One of the reasons I'm treading with a certain degree of caution is that my forum members are still actually using the current/old forum, even as we speak, and I don't want to risk them having the content pulled from under their feet if at all possible.  I'm trying to make the migration to the new site/host as smooth as possible for them.

Also, is phpMyAdmin the only method of importing the database (other than having the hosting company do it), or are there other, more user-friendly alternatives I could try?

Thanks again.
Bivouac.

Bivouac

Aha!  I think I've sussed what Sir Osis meant by "emptying logs"...  Under "Structure", do I simply go to all the entries like smf_log_activity and click on the garbage bin icon? 

That won't break the forum or anything, will it?

Sir Osis of Liver

You can empty logs on Admin -> Logs and Admin -> Forum Maintenance, don't mess with the database directly.  Some hosts have database backup/restore feature in control panel, you can also use a third party utility like MySQLDumper to export/import database.
Ashes and diamonds, foe and friend,
 we were all equal in the end.

                                     - R. Waters

Bivouac

Brilliant!  That sounds a lot less dangerous!  Thanks.   :D

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