Site down, need help and opinions...

[e9coupe]

My site is down today with a database error. I believe I'm running 3.8.x. Its a really old version. I also believe that my web host updated PHP recently and could be the cause of the problem.

My questions...

What version should I update to and how do I go about finding someone trustworthy/reliable to do it for me? Its been quite a while since I hired help.

Dan

[Dr.CustUmz]

I'd recommend vb 3.8.10 it supports the latest php, and doesn't include all the bloat vb4 and 5 have. as far as hiring someone, request in the paid section and go with someone who is recognized on here. and you believe can truly do it, paypal is the best method to provide payments, DO NOT GIFT THE PAYMENT! or its like you donated and it's harder to get your money back so keep all conversations.

pro tip to save some $ ;)
upload the files, run yoursite.com/install/upgrade.php

[squidsk]

If you don't give us the database error it's impossible for us to help you fix the problem.

[e9coupe]

e9coupe.com/forum/index.php

A friend told me he found this error on the source of the forum page. Not sure it helps...

<!--
Database error in vBulletin :

mysql_connect(): The mysql extension is deprecated and will be removed in the future: use mysqli or PDO instead
/home/e9coupe/public_html/forum/includes/class_core.php on line 311

MySQL Error :
Error Number :
Request Date : Tuesday, May 10th 2016 @ 12:32:09 PM
Error Date : Tuesday, May 10th 2016 @ 12:32:09 PM
Script : http://e9coupe.com/forum/
Referrer :
IP Address : 108.224.108.180
Username :
Classname : vB_Database
MySQL Version :
-->

which leads me to class_core.php . At line 311 it says this:

$link = $this->functions[$usepconnect ? 'pconnect' : 'connect']("$servername:$port", $username, $password);

which is a database connect. That?s failing right away.

[Lynne]

Change your config.php file to use mysqli instead of mysql and see if that fixes the issue.

[billstelling]

yep, looks like the update borked your site. Upgrading to the latest 3.8.10 should sort in for you but I have not messed with 3 in years so not much I can offer to help you with it. Plenty of vb3 users here and I bet it's been covered here somewhere already..

found it I think..

http://www.vbulletin.com/forum/forum/vbulletin-3-8/vbulletin-3-8-questions-problems-and-troubleshooting/4336249-database-errors-site-won-t-load
includes/config.php
Find:
$config['Database']['dbtype'] = 'mysql';
Replace:
$config['Database']['dbtype'] = 'mysqli';

Lynne beat me to it..

[e9coupe]

That didn't fix it. Does it take a little time for some reason?

[Dr.CustUmz]

download the latest vb3 from members area 3.8.10 beta 1 and upload all them files and run the upgrade

[TheLastSuperman]

That didn't fix it. Does it take a little time for some reason?

No, if that were the only issue the entire site would be viewable immediately after the file edit. There is more than simply that going on, as you suspected initially it's due to PHP and/or mysql version (not the difference between mysql/mysqli but the actual version # i.e. MySQL 5.5 etc).

download the latest vb3 from members area 3.8.10 beta 1 and upload all them files and run the upgrade

Before you do this e9coupe, check to ensure you know what version of PHP i.e. PHP5.4 you're running, also ensure you know which version of MySQL you're using. IF your site is not up to par contact your host and ask for the changes required to be made.

Reference: http://www.vbulletin.com/forum/forum/vbulletin-3-8/vbulletin-3-8-questions-problems-and-troubleshooting/4091944-vbulletin-3-8-9

Make sure you backup the site before doing anything, database and files (does not matter if site is down now, it can be restored using those files and database copy) so if anything goes wrong you have a current "pre-upgrade" version just in case.

[Dr.CustUmz]

+1 do that ^^

[e9coupe]

My host said to use PHP Selector in my cpanel and use an older version of PHP. I can select different ones and check it but thought I'd ask here first...

5.5
5.4
5.3
5.2
.......

[twistsol]

For vBulletin 3.8.x, PHP 5.3 will work

[e9coupe]

Okay, a couple things needed fixing. The PHP version was changed to 5.3 and somehow the database password got changed so it didn't match the config.php file. That got things working, but not on Chrome. Firefox and Explorer handle it but not Chrome.

This site can?t be reached
The webpage at http://e9coupe.com/forum/ might be temporarily down or it may have moved permanently to a new web address.

[Dr.CustUmz]

works in chrome for me, you may need to clear cache

--------------- Added 1462921815 at 1462921815 ---------------

scratch that, homepage works, every other page doesnt

[twistsol]

Clearing the cache in AdminCP -> Maintenance was going to be my suggestion as well. I can see the home page in safari, but nothing else. The error I'm getting refers to Safari's inability to decode compressed images.

Firefox is working

[e9coupe]

My friend suggested I check with the webhost....

"Check with your webhost. I bet they’ve got apache gzip compression turned on or something like that"

[Mattwhf]

My site is down today with a database error. I believe I'm running 3.8.x. Its a really old version. I also believe that my web host updated PHP recently and could be the cause of the problem.

My questions...

What version should I update to and how do I go about finding someone trustworthy/reliable to do it for me? Its been quite a while since I hired help.

Dan
Hey Dan,
What is your hosting plan are you using? shared or a VPS?
I suppose you got a high load on your hosting, if that repeated more times, you should update for your hosting a better package.