Upgrading to vb 3.6

[loonytune15]

OK just a couple of questions in regard to upgrading to vb 3.6.

Basically i see it as a good time to clean up my vb on my server so I plan on getting rid of the vast majority of my hacks, except for a couple of the main ones (eg portal and gallery).

So if i uninstall all the hacks in the plugin and product page Can I delete all the files off my server, reupload vb 3.6 and keep all the posts and threads and member info?

I dont plan on upgrading to vb 3.6 till it goes stable but if i cant delete all the files in one hit then i need to start uninstalling these hacks 1 at a time now.

So is it possible to do that?

[roosevelt]

Well delete all the files from your server is a okay way to do. This is how I update my forum:

1) Make backs including the database
2) Replace all vbulletin files with the new vbulletin files or just changed files
3) Use the upgrade tool which comes with the latest version of vbulletin
4) Test things out and make sure everything works.

That's all!!

[loonytune15]

ok so i understand this.

I can delete all the files from my forums directories including the vb 3.5.4 files and then upload vb 3.6 run the upgrade part and it should all work and I wont lose all the vitals like posts and all me admin cp options?

[Paul M]

Yes.

Posts / settings etc are stored in the database, not any files.

[rogersnm]

You don't have to delete all the files in your forums directory just replace them (upload the new files and allow overwrite).

[Paul M]

The best policy is to delete them and start with a fresh set.

[rogersnm]

ok, but it worked fine with me and thats what somebody said over at vb.com

[Marco van Herwaarden]

Hmm best would even be (especially for a fresh start) to rename your current vB directory, then create a fresh one for 3.6, upload 3.6, copy over config.php (and other things that you might need) and run upgrade. If all go wrong, you can simply delete 3.6, rename the old directory back and restore database.

I would always advise to first create a testboard to test the process and make sure you have backups for both database and file system for each "milestone" in your upgrade.

PS Good reading might be eva2000's Upgrade method (http://www.vbulletin.com/forum/showthread.php?t=187770)

PS Going to move this to vBulletin discussion because it is not really a coding topic but more general.

[rogersnm]

yeah, don't do it live!

[loonytune15]

Hmm best would even be (especially for a fresh start) to rename your current vB directory, then create a fresh one for 3.6, upload 3.6, copy over config.php (and other things that you might need) and run upgrade. If all go wrong, you can simply delete 3.6, rename the old directory back and restore database.

PS Going to move this to vBulletin discussion because it is not really a coding topic but more general.

I was wondering where my thread went :D

So All i neeed to do is upload vb 3.6 to a new directory rename my current forum directory to temp for instance and put the config file over? And of course make sure the new directory is called what my old forum directory was called.
Then upgrade.

Sounds like a plan, at least then i'll know that all my files from the old hacks will be gone. :cool:

[Beller]

If you were to copy the config file over to a test forum would the both forums connecting to same database not cause problems?

[Marco van Herwaarden]

Yes good addition, make sure you edit the config to point to the test database if you are setting up a testboard.

There are a view more things to be aware of when copying your lifeboard to a testboard:
- Change the board url in your vBulletin Options to your testboard
- Members who are subscribed to threads or forums could get mails about updated threads link toyour testboard. Easiest way to avoid this is by disabling the scheduled tasks that handle the subscriptions.
- If you store attachments or Avatars/Profile Pictures in the filesystem, and you have set an absolute path to that directory on your production board, change these paths to point to your testboard directory! (Make sure you are not moving the directory or all filez will be moved from productionboard directory to your testboard!!!)

And probably some more i can't think of now.