News:

Wondering if this will always be free?  See why free is better.

Main Menu

'Unconnecting' SMF from an auto-installer?

Started by landyvlad, June 24, 2018, 09:59:46 PM

Previous topic - Next topic
Print
Go Down Pages1
User actions

landyvlad

June 24, 2018, 09:59:46 PM
Following on from some conversation in this thread...

When I was brand new at all of this SMF business, I actually installed SMF via 'softaculous' the tool on my host.
I subsequently learned (some time later) that this is definitely NOT the preferred method.

Fortunately softaculous hasn't automatically done anything to the system automatically, and I maintain it (updates etc) as usual - manually.

So for the benefit of those who may have used an auto-installer, is there any way to 'disconnect' the installer from the now installed program? i.e. so it doesn't have any way of changing things.

And when the time comes to upgrade to 2.1 I'm hoping I'll be able to do a 'proper' fresh install and then import the files and database etc (so that any auto-installer matters are gotten rid of).


"Put as much effort into your question as you'd expect someone to give in an answer"

Please do not PM, IM or Email me with questions on astrophysics or theology.  You will get better and faster responses by asking homeless people in the street. Thank you.

Be the person your dog thinks you are.

Biology Forums

#1
June 24, 2018, 11:35:31 PM
I installed SMF using softolicious 8 years ago. It doesn't add any extra code.

Aleksi "Lex" Kilpinen

#2
June 25, 2018, 12:16:53 AM Last Edit: June 25, 2018, 01:46:48 AM by Aleksi "Lex" Kilpinen
That's a really good question. I know Softaculous can also be configured to automatically update scripts, but I do not know how an end user might be able to cut that connection - apart from possibly removing the installation completely and manually installing it again in a different folder perhaps.

Edit: Typos
Slava
Ukraini!
"Before you allow people access to your forum, especially in an administrative position, you must be aware that that person can seriously damage your forum. Therefore, you should only allow people that you trust, implicitly, to have such access." -Douglas

How you can help SMF

landyvlad

#3
June 25, 2018, 01:12:43 AM
Thanks Study Force

Alex - isn't it though!  It occurred to me as I have seen a number of these type of queries over the few years I've been on this forum, where people have installed using a variety of different host-provided installers.   
They get plenty of "you shouldn't have done that" responses, but rarely anything actually positive or guidance on what/how/whether they need to address it.

Maybe it's something can could ultimately be discussed in the documentation? 
"Put as much effort into your question as you'd expect someone to give in an answer"

Please do not PM, IM or Email me with questions on astrophysics or theology.  You will get better and faster responses by asking homeless people in the street. Thank you.

Be the person your dog thinks you are.

Aleksi "Lex" Kilpinen

#4
June 25, 2018, 01:48:46 AM
Quote from: landyvlad on June 25, 2018, 01:12:43 AM
Maybe it's something can could ultimately be discussed in the documentation? 
Perhaps, though that might require more activily keeping an eye on the installers.
Slava
Ukraini!
"Before you allow people access to your forum, especially in an administrative position, you must be aware that that person can seriously damage your forum. Therefore, you should only allow people that you trust, implicitly, to have such access." -Douglas

How you can help SMF

br360

#5
June 25, 2018, 01:56:16 AM
The reason some may say not to use auto installers is because they have been known to not get all files loaded properly/or in the right directory- as well as the auto update which can overwrite mods, custom edits etc.

If the auto installer initially worked properly, and you set it to never automatically update, I don't think there is really any more connection your site really has with it (other than the possible email notification that a new update has been released).

GigaWatt

#6
June 25, 2018, 08:43:41 AM
Is there any mention of not using host installers in the documentation? I mean something like a warning, not a full blown "do not use your host's installer", since in some cases, the host's actually don't temper with the files or updates (like in the case of softolicious). Just a friendly warning, like "since we don't have control over what the host might or might not add in the installation files of our software, we do not recommend using the auto installer that your host might offer"... something along those lines.
"This is really a generic concept about human thinking - when faced with large tasks we're naturally inclined to try to break them down into a bunch of smaller tasks that together make up the whole."

"A 500 error loosely translates to the webserver saying, "WTF?"..."

Sir Osis of Liver

#7
June 25, 2018, 11:58:15 AM
I moved a GoDaddy forum several years ago that had been installed with their installer (fantastico?).  It had added a home.html file to forum root that prevented the forum from running when moved to different host.  Took a while to find it.  So, yes, there are various reasons for not using host installers, but many users are first introduced to SMF in host cpanel, and have already installed their forum via most obvious method, so it's done by the time they get here.
Ashes and diamonds, foe and friend,
 we were all equal in the end.
                                     - R. Waters

GigaWatt

#8
June 25, 2018, 12:49:03 PM
Well, a clean install is always an option... unless there are too many manual edits, in which case, if you've marked which files are edited (I usually do this, I leave the original, make a copy and leave it in the same directory with a descriptive ending like "before.this.and.that.edit", maybe even add a date at the end), you could copy only those files in the fresh install.

This is a lot of work in some cases, I know. Some of the forums I've seen are heavily modified, but for those that aren't, this completely doable. Just uninstall all of the mods you have installed (make a list of them before you uninstall them and uninstall them in the opposite order you've installed them), delete everything (except the attachments directory and maybe custom htaccess files), do a fresh install (from the large upgrade pack), use repair_settings.php? to check if everything is OK (repair anything that's not), install the mods again (in the order you've installed them before) and everything should be OK :).
"This is really a generic concept about human thinking - when faced with large tasks we're naturally inclined to try to break them down into a bunch of smaller tasks that together make up the whole."

"A 500 error loosely translates to the webserver saying, "WTF?"..."
Print
Go Up Pages1
User actions
Advertisement: