Finally, after a long wait, phpBB3 has been released, and its relatively easy to upgrade your existing phpBB installation. phpBB3 introduces hundreds of new features and fixes, a completely new look and a flexible MOD system. This tutorial will show you how to upgrade your phpBB2 board, step by step.
If you want to find out more about the differences between phpBB2 and phpBB3, take a look at this article:
It is also very important to backup your existing phpBB2 database.
If you have a particularly large database to convert, it is recommended that you perform the conversion on your computer, due to the conversion being a server intensive process. Instructions on how to do this are beyond the scope of this article. If you choose to perform the conversion online in a shared hosting environment, it is recommended that you perform the conversion late at night, so that server load is as low as possible.
Once you reach the end of the installation tutorial, do not delete the /install directory and login. Instead, click on the "proceed on to the converter" link. You will now be presented with the following screen:
Now click on the "Convert" link. You will be presented with the "Settings" page:
Fill out the form as follows:
Database type: MySQL
Database server hostname: localhost
Database port: leave blank
Database name: The name of your existing phpBB2 database
Database user: The username attached to that database
Database password: The password associated with that username
Prefix: You can usually leave this as it is. However, if during a phpBB2 installation you specified a different table prefix, enter that here. You can check what table prefix you are using through phpMyAdmin.
Board path: Here you need to enter the path to your phpBB2 installation, for example, if your phpBB3 installation is at /phpBB3 and your phpBB2 installation is at /phpBB2, you need to change "forums" to "phpBB2"
Refresh page: Unless you want to do a test conversion to make sure you won't run into any issues, you can leave this unchanged.
Double check the information you have filled in, and then click on "Proceed to next step". If everything is correct, you should see a page telling you that the conversion details have been verified. If not, go back and check the details again. Once the details have been verified, click on "Begin conversion". The next page will inform you of post-conversion checks that you need to perform; keep these in mind for when the conversion is complete. When you are ready, click "Continue conversion."
The conversion will now proceed. A number of pages will be presented to you, detailing the conversion process. When it is complete, you will be presented with the following page:
You now need to login to the board and check that everything was transferred correctly. Check for things like smilies, avatars, and the general settings Additionally, rebuild your search index.
To do this, go to the Maintenance tab in the administration panel and click on "Search index" under the Database category. Click on "Delete index" under the Fulltext native heading, and then click on "Create index". This will rebuild the search index and allow you to search again.
Once you have checked that everything transferred correctly, you can delete the /install directory and access your board.
Congratulations, the conversion was succesful!
phpBB3 is a widely supported and highly customizable online bulletin board script, perfect for building an online community with your AUSWEB Hosting.
To begin building your phpBB online forum community today with an AUSWEB Hosting plan, click the order button below and follow our signup page!
