How 2 Guide - Backups, Upgrades, and Recovery!
 

I wanted to post this here just like I did for vBulletin.com, you can locate this same tutorial there via this link: http://www.vbulletin.com/forum/showthread.php?335689-[Suite-OR-Forum]-How-2-Guide-Backups-Upgrades-and-Recovery!

If your unsure of ANY steps below please post but remember I color coded each section so when your scrolling for info bare in mind what's in blue pretty much relates to the blue text area and the other colors accordingly as well etc etc ;).

Upgrading is an important process and should not be taken lightly. Please be aware you should always do a backup and here is the best way to be perfectly safe about it:

Section 1 - Don't be stubborn, read the instructions you Grinch :p.

1. Check the Minimum Requirements found here:
http://www.vbulletin.com/forum/showt...m-Requirements
Also found here:
http://www.vbulletin.com/faq.php#faq-125
If your Hosting account/Server is not up to par with the minimum requirements it might not upgrade at all or cause you more trouble then it's worth! Some host will move you to another server with the minimum requirements if available or perhaps for an additional fee or monthly cost.

1a. Trevor Hannant has released a very detailed Guide to Upgrading including screenshots so I highly recommend you view all of Trevor's upgrading instructions, they might be just what you need for a super simple upgrade then you can skip the upgrade information below and simply use this forum tutorial if you need to recover your forum or learn some useful information on backups!

Please see all five parts via the vBulletin CMS however here are the links:

http://www.vbulletin.com/forum/conte...uctions/view/1
http://www.vbulletin.com/forum/conte...uctions/view/2
http://www.vbulletin.com/forum/conte...uctions/view/3
http://www.vbulletin.com/forum/conte...uctions/view/4
http://www.vbulletin.com/forum/conte...uctions/view/5

1b. Another bit of helpful information is Wayne Lukes information on upgrading to 4.0 located here:
http://www.vbulletin.com/forum/conte...-vBulletin-4-0

2. Test the backup to see if it will restore in a test environment.
3. If it restores then use it to test the upgrade but remember to disable all mods in admincp product manager and via Section 4 below in the config file.
4. If the upgrade was successful... now what? You decide! Change your forums folder name and rename the test one to be your forum, redo cookies to prevent login problems using tools.php and any posts since the time of the backup used are lost... or tell your members now about upgrading and close the board and repeat? Make that choice now and simply read for your parts below it's quite simple to keep up with otherwise post a comment and await a reply.
5. Well this is step number five so did it work? If so great copy this article and save on your computer with your vbulletin files so you don't have to track it down later if needed - always be prepared!

Now if you need more details on how to backup, test or restore here is some more information for you.

PLEASE NOTE YOU SHOULD NOT BE ATTEMPTING TO UPGRADE A LIVE SITE TO vBulletin 4.0!

Section 2 - Patience is a virtue.

1. If your upgrading a live site please take the proper precautions such as testing in advance as listed above in Section 1.
2. You are allowed to run a vbtest under your license I suggest you install or upgrade a backup of your live site first to make sure it goes smoothly IF you are going to in fact upgrade, disregarding our warnings of upgrading a live site. More information on that is here: http://www.vbulletin.com/forum/showt...-READ-ME-FIRST
3. IF YOUR FORUM IS HEAVILY MODIFIED/CUSTOMIZED EITHER IN TERMS OF CUSTOM MODIFICATIONS AND OR STYLES AND YOUR DISREGARDING THE RECOMMENDATION NOT TO UPGRADE A LIVE SITE - I DO NOT RECOMMEND YOU UPGRADE AT THIS TIME, THAT IS STRICTLY IMO BUT I FEEL INEXPERIENCED OWNERS SHOULD NOT ATTEMPT UPGRADING A LIVE SITE THAT HAS BEEN HEAVILY CUSTOMIZED.

Section 3 - Better Safe than Sorry.

1. Backup your Database and Files so you can restore to your current version on your live board now i.e. 3.5/3.6/3.7/3.8 etc if anything goes wrong or to use for making a test site.

How to do this Mike?

Database Backup - Cpanel? phpMyAdmin? Do you have any of these? If so let's review some options in each:

Cpanel:

There is an option to copy a database using Cpanel but I have not been successful on with it and found simply exporting using cPanel the using BigDump to import into a new databse saved me time trying to figure out other ways with each host being slightly different.To backup follow these steps:

1. Close your forum.
2. Use Cpanel to access your phpMyAdmin.
3. In phpMyAdmin, select the database you want to copy from the menu on the left.
4. Click export, then click choose "save as file" and save it you your computer along with your vbulletin files.

MySQLDumper:

Can be found here: http://www.mysqldumper.net/ & Special Thanks to FF|Skyrider for the reminder!! http://www.vbulletin.com/forum/showt...=1#post1840565)
1. Follow the information on installing it, run a backup and test a restore. Simple enough and secure using htaccess although I still find BigDump (listed below) to be easier.

BigDump:

Some host though have timeouts or limited sessions in place as mentioned above so you attempting to restore it will never work unless you use something like BIGDUMP. Here is some more info on automated backups (do this when you have time) which has links for BIGDUMP so you can upload a large Database.

1. See the info below, I like to give credit and that's where I found the reference on google.

http://www.xoops.org/modules/smartfaq/faq.php?faqid=214

From that page, credit to XOOPS see post for details on author:

Quote:

Restore Bigdump, The script Thanks Alexey Ozerov (alexey at ozerov.de) for this script that imports big SQL dump files on limited sessions servers. Script Valid with IE 6.0 SP1, mozilla 1.x and Netscape 4.8. Description: Staggered import of large MySQL Dumps (like phpMyAdmin 2.x dumps and even GZip compressed dumps). Do you want to restore a large backup of your mySQL database (or a part of it) into a new or the same mySQL database? Maybe you can't access the server shell and you can't import the dump using phpMyAdmin due to hard memory/runtime limit of the web-server. BigDump will achieve this even with webservers with hard runtime limit and those in safe mode in a couple of short sessions. Download: http://www.hotscripts.com/Detailed/20922.html Installation and configuration One unique script. Modify setup vars ( DB connection and gzip file URL) and upload it on your server. Use This is a manual operation (Databases are not usually restored daily) Post gziped sql Dump at devoted URL and run the script. Comment Simple, ths script is an excellent DB_Backup complement. No more sql files cut to fit phpMyAdmin sessions that a so boring (and dagerous) as your DBs bocomes too big.

When using phpMyAdmin here are the setting I normally check (within the yellow highlighted area in the image) that I normally check before exporting, otherwise some systems default options checked will not work properly if re-importing ;)

https://vborg.vbsupport.ru/external/2009/11/14.png

1a.Check out this information as well posted by Floris!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jhumon (Post 1841528) Hello users and team how do i restore my databases after upgrading to 4.0 ? can anyone help me in this ?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Floris (Post 1841534) http://vbulletin.com/go/restore

Section 4 - Practice Makes Perfect.

Now that you have made a test site (or if upgrading now on a live site) you need to do a few things first to make sure it all goes smoothly. You have backed up and either already rushed off and upgraded or you have restored a copy of your database and your ready to create a test environment for mods or to test an upgrade on! Let's see how to restore the files below:

1. If your making a backup of your site to test for mods or an upgrade copy the folder your forum is in and rename it then upload back to your server via FTP (i.e. Filezilla) or the Cpanel File Manager or Legacy File Manager (Retain a copy of the original files and do not alter them). Filezilla I find to be quicker than Cpanel file managers but long story short you want to make a backup all the files, every single folder and file. Why? Well if you have problems while upgrading to 4.0 you have already uploaded the new files so they will not work if you try to restore if the upgrade fails OR if making a test site you need ca copy of the original files to properly restore the site exactly as it is. Some FTP Clients do not automatically upload files in the correct mode, please read the install information provided by vBulletin to upload the correct files in the correct mode i.e. ASCII or Binary etc.

2. Download your current version (3.6 or 3.7/3.8 etc etc) and I mean the exact same version your forum is running now before the upgrade this will be needed to restore if required. Also retain an unaltered copy fo your entire forum folder on your computer as listed above in step 2.

3. Turn off ALL MODIFICATIONS. You can do this by disabling them all but the best and highly recommended way of doing this is by locating your config.php file and edit it (make a copy of it first and do not use notepad to edit use an external editor such as notepad ++ google it etc) and at the top below <php? add this:

Code:

---

define('DISABLE_HOOKS', true);

---

*YOU MUST DISABLE MODS BEFORE UPGRADING, not afterwards when it failed the first time, NOW.

3a. Revert back to your Default style, this is important and can be the difference between a viewable forum after your upgrade. If you do not have a default style or have modified it in some way please remember you can simply create a new fresh default style via the Style Manager.

** DELETE ALL OLD vBulletin 3.x Styles this can cause problems when upgrading if you do not! Only revert to default OR make a new Default for your 3.x before you upgrade!!

3b. While your in the config file of whatever site your upgrading be sure to change the database details to match the new database!!!

3c. In your browser navigate to your forums url i.e. http://www.yoursite.com/forum/install/upgrade.php provide your customer number and then follow the prompts on screen and upgrade!

Did it work? If yes then great! Enjoy :D

Quick Tips
* Don't forget to turn back on the mods so your CMS and Blog will work, you can now uninstall unwanted 3.x mods one at a time until they are removed if you did not uninstall them before upgrading and remember to delete the files associated with the modifications as well.

** If your experiencing some problems with links not working properly or something seems funky try:
(Thanks Birute for the Reminder!)
a) Clear your cookies, CLOSE your browser and then launch your browser again i.e. Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari, Opera etc etc.
b) If that does not remedy it try: AdminCP > Maintenance > Update Counters and start updating! READ them all carefully as some can reset statistics you wish to retain and they will not be recoverable once the counters are updated unless you fall back to the most recent backup and possibly redo the upgrade process so be very careful and if anything refer to the older vBulletin 3 Manual as much of it stil pertains to the 4.0 version it just needs a bit of updating but for reference it's perfect: http://www.vbulletin.com/docs/html/

===================================

If the backup worked and your forum is upgraded and running fine please stop reading this guide now and go have fun with vBulletin 4.0! If you have any Bugs please confirm they are not specific to only you for some reason i.e. MySQL or PHP versions (Although you should have confirmed the minimum requirements were met before upgrading regardless).

===================================

Section 5 - What a bloody mess...

Continuing with this Guide from here down means you had a failed upgrade and wish to restore!

Big forum or you just don't want your live site to stay down while you wait on a fix.. is there a fix? Frantic are you? Well simply restore back to your previous version if you saved a copy of your forum files and database as you were told to above!

Depending on where the install script failed, it might not have modified you current database so you see errors because it's new files for 4.0 not communicating properly w/ the 3.x database ;). Simply re-upload your previous versions files as if you were updating and then run the upgrade script, there is an option to run it anyways please click that and proceed.

If it did not alter the DB then you should see your live site back up! If it still shows errors then you might be in trouble and want to restore back to your previous version or if you did not make a backup now might be the time to submit a support ticket otherwise without a backup you will need to do a fresh install and have all your members re-register.

Section 6 - The mop bucket.

1. You can try restoring your database via phpMyAdmin but some host have file upload or session limits/timeouts in place. You can ask them to restore it for you which is the quickest way.

They won't restore or charge $$$.$$ ?

Now you must do the rest plain and simple, buck up and let's get this done Good Sir! (or Lady ;))

1a. Restore it yourself by using Cpanel, MySQLDumper, or BigDump as listed above in Section 3 - Better Safe than Sorry and remember when restoring to change the config file details to the new database and you might have to run the tools.php as listed above in Section 1 - Don't be stubborn, read the instructions a copy of it is located in your do_not_upload folder that came with your vBulletin forum or suite download. Again, in regards to restoring your Database, if your not having success and it's getting to you that bad simply contact your host and ask for their assistance.

1b. Your files... Upload all of them back to the same directory and all the files are as they were with the database now restored!

Now check and see if it's restored? I hope it goes well for many of you, I had to save a 3.8 forum a while back from an owner who jumped then gun and tried to install herself http://www.vbulletin.com/forum/showt...of-upgrade-php so I thought I would post this up since many will be here for 4.0 ?'s and support just like many will only be on vbulletin.com!
______________________________

Very sound advice.

Thanks Paul! I just felt the need to post something on this... I know years ago when I was inexperienced or like an owner I helped out last night... it seems your world can end when the forum you own is down for the count... sometimes it seems the referee simply quit counting at 4 or 5 lol!

No, get up ROCK!!!

:p

Mike

Moving to the Articles forum (I hope that's OK). Very, very good advice!!! I can't believe how many users are not making backups, or not disabling their plugins, or not checking the php/mysql requirements.

Thanks Lynne! I know, I was shocked myself... Hopefully this helps some if they read it before they start!

--------------- Added [DATE]1258247024[/DATE] at [TIME]1258247024[/TIME] ---------------

Updated w/ restore via BIGDUMP and other info ;).

http://www.vbulletin.com/forum/showt...g-to-4-0/page4

I successfully imported a 3.8 to 4.0 fubar'd upgrade to a fresh install of 4.0 via IMPEX and it's working!

:D

If you are using cPanel, you can "copy" your database to another - new one and then neednt make any backup . If there is error, then you can use the new database without restore :D

alot of people are making these mistakes because it doesn't specify in the readme when they download. maybe that should be included so the noobs don't forget to do this.

You are correct, thanks for the reminder I'm so used to doing it the long drawn out way due to host lol :D

I first thought that but sometimes LESS info is better because too much can be confusing, basically everyone needs to do their homework before purchasing and or admin'n their own forum (that sounded blunt, not intended that way but it's the truth honestly :() and remember they are not noobs... that's only for gaming imo where you have the right to be such, running a forum that you want to benefit you and the members takes time and a lot of "homework" being done before you even open it to the public ;)

Mike

Updated 12.23.09, removed Beta comments and updated for 3.x to 4.x Backups, Upgrades, and Recovery in General.

Mike

vBulletin.com version was updated yesterday and I updated this here vb.org version yesterday as well however I simply forgot to post.

Updated 1.6.09

Also found on vbulletin.com:

http://www.vbulletin.com/forum/showt...grading-to-4-0

&

http://www.vbulletin.com/forum/showt...nd-Recovery%21

Mike

brilliant advice!!!! we are upgrading today...very very useful advice..many thanks

It turns out I had to upgrade Col and his fellow admin Rammie's site due to some serious modifications they had installed but all went well ;). More info if anyone is interested in the thread for this tutorial at vBulletin.com i.e. http://www.vbulletin.com/forum/showthread.php?335689-[Suite-OR-Forum]-How-2-Guide-Backups-Upgrades-and-Recovery!

--------------- Added [DATE]1263143534[/DATE] at [TIME]1263143534[/TIME] ---------------

Updated 1.10.2010

*Added Quick Tips in Section 4 ;)

Mike

Updated 1.13.2010

1. Added in Screenshot/Image of default options when exporting via phpMyAdmin for use with BigDump ;).

--------------- Added [DATE]1263475199[/DATE] at [TIME]1263475199[/TIME] ---------------

Update 1.14.2010

1. Added in 1b to Section 1, reworded 1a to include information on Trevor Hannant's nice CMS Tutorial on how to upgrade to 4.0!

Update 1.15.2010

1. Added the statement below to Section 4, step 3a.

PLEASE delete all old vBulletin 3.x styles and revert to default or create a new default style if yours has ever been modified. I had an upgrade to perform last night that had CMS errors and with the old styles where as the forums and blog did not so it is known to cause issues if you do not delete your old 3.x styles and use default before you upgrade.

Mike

great guide, thank you, rated 5

In the structure, don't you have to tick:
Add DROP TABLE (as with vB3 backups!) ?

Glad it was helpful ;)

I have a screenshot provided, I do not check that with 90% of them that I do but on some I have to or it will not upload properly and it is noted to do so here: http://www.vbulletin.com/docs/html/m...myadmin_backup so try it either way first if it does not restore properly try leaving it unchecked and then give it a go.

Brilliant. This thread hasn't received the accolades it deserves. Rated 5.

I'll be upgrading shortly and really anxious but this thread will be my bible.

Thanks very much!

Your welcome, when I launch my new vB3 and vB4 sites I will be making this into a video tutorial including how to use BigDump and install mysqldumper ;).

I don't suppose you have any indication when you'll be doing that?

I may hold off until you have you see.

At the earliest this weekend otherwise first of next week.

Top man!

Will wait. Cheers.

Of course, feel free to use my vBulletin website if you need an example for the demo! :D

Great tut TLSman ;)
Fallowed everything down to the letter and kind a worked ok until i removed the "define('DISABLE_HOOKS', true);" from the config! lol ended up with CALL errors :(
Here's where i'm a bit confused, in the 3.8, i have like 28 plugins installed, now the proper way is to shut them off from whit in the options and then uninstalled them all one at a time and search from the FTP for the "uploaded files" of the plugins in question and delete them ! Yes?

Once all plugins are removed, then upload the copy of the test V4 and overwrite every files in the root. Yes?
OK, now in the ACP from the V4, we have the possibility to download from the "Plugins&Products" option at the bottom of it with the download/upload Plugins the plugins Hook location , ex: Hook Location : cache_templates , Hook Location : admindata_start etc etc.
Do we have to download these also and reinstall them after or simply reinstall every plugins used from the test V4 without reuploading "vbulletin-plugins.xml" that we can download???

I think that this part of the TUTS should be a bit more defined, for the newbies like me ;)

Also, when making backup of the different styles that we have, normally every mods that we made in them for what ever reasons will be included in them , right? Do when making the backup in question, should both of these: Get customizations made only in this style /Get customizations made in this style and all parent styles be "on" when doing so?

I have made lots of mods in the CSS for certain plugins and styles to be adapted to the board and don't want to start all over again ;)

Tks for the great help !

I am currently using Cpanel to backup my home directory but this can be clunky as it can only backup the entire directory and not just parts of it.

Can anyone recommend me an alternative backup script that can backup specific directories (with permissions intact?)?

I'm now looking for an alternative to cpanel's scripts which tend to be slow and timeout often (like I've now switched to mysqldumper instead of cpanel's sql backup).

If there is something similar for files backup, that would be great!

Ok, i redid the whole test site starting from the 3.8 with latest database, then removed every plugins (FTP and all) overwrite it with my V4 test, upgraded, reinstalled every thing, plugins,styles, updates counters and repair fix tables ;)
All seemed to be ok except none of the modifications that were made in the templates were back.
So if i understood, i have to copy then paste in every CSS changes i made in the V4test to the new upgraded one, YES?

Now , i imported the vbulletin-plugins XML that i backed up from the V4 test and got into a nice fatal error!
lollll i guess we learn with our mistakes!
Anyway to fix this one or i should restart from beginning again?
Also, there is no other way to save every mods i made in the template managers as i have 3 skins already and every one have modifcations for the smilies, shoutbox etc etc etc :( Lots of stuff to find back!!

Tks again

No

Here's the steps:

1) Review your mods on 3.8, in the Plugin & Products area of the admincp you can review the mods installed, that is those who had actual product files. If you had simple little template edits for a custom script etc it will be lost and or you will need to add it back in 4.0.
2) Most of the mods are clickable (or should be) click their links and see if the author OR site it linked to has released an update for 4.0.
3) If they have released an update then simply disable the mod because many will simply update the old mod data in your database however it can't if you uninstall it can it? :D
4) If there is not an update, uninstall the mod (bare in mind some authors may not have it completely 100% uninstalling so watch for the tables in the database and also remove any of the old files associated with that mod.)
5) After review of the mods and the ones you want to keep are disabled then disable them via the config file as well before the upgrade.
6) Backup your style too while your at it :P

Now do all that other stuff but your issue was with old 3.8 mods coming back into play when you removed the disable hooks from the config plain and simple. You can't use many of the 3.x mods on 4.x it depends on how in-depth they were basically.

Remember to install the new mod versions, read all their notes correctly before doing so and sometimes a review of the thread to see if other 4.x owners had an issue will help if one comes up for you.

See above but Yes once you have reviewed and prepared by downloading the new version if any for 4.0 then upload the new 4.x files over the 3.x files in your testvb folder etc.

No, see above as most 3.x mods will not work on 4.x so you need to do a review of your mods as I described above before attempting to upgrade, make sure upgrading will not leave you without a function that you depend on heavily from a current 3.x mod ;).

Hey hey now I try and can't anticipate everyone's level of expertise, one of those Catch-22 situations where you can;t make it too easy as explaining too much would confuse you worse but at the same time giving "enough" is also hard to get right :p.

Styles in 4.0 have changed dramatically especially with the introduction of the StyleVars system or the change I should say. Therefor based on that you should be aware that you;ll need to create a new style or download a free one from the Styles section, I recommend only using a style released in the same version as yours.

That's going to require some updating then, be sure to check and see if many of your mods made the jump to 4.0 by doing a review like I mentioned above otherwise you'll need to go about it much like the rest of us and simply get it done :D.



Filezilla is quick and easy for folders and files, permissions are safe at CHMOD 644 some things will say change them to 77 but most times 755 is sufficient, not everything will work as intended if the folder is 644 it depend son what it is and also putting every folder chmod 77 is a huge security risk :P.

Hmm if you did in fact do this as a test site then your live site should still be up for comparison correct? If so please go back and read above, you basically need to review your mods and make a well informed decision on what to keep and well more but take your time. Style, if you had a custom one you will need to re-customize if it was a free style form here check and see if they released a 4.x version, if a paid style check with the respective site you purchased from to see etc.



*Also if your reading the posts from here on out and you plan to reply, noticing I have not posted in a few days or a while then simply PM and say, "Can you take a look at your article?" and upon next login I'll be here.

a thousand tks my friend for the feed back ;)

This is what you can call, major good support!

I'll keep on working on those steps as it seems to me it's the most important part of upgrading from a live 3.8 to 4.xx .
Still, i am a bit disappointed regarding the whole process that vbulletin put us threw with this upgraded version in relation with the transferring process!
Maybe Impex should be revised and adjusted, therefor making the upgrade smoother between versions?!?!
To be consider ;)

Merci mon ami!

4.1 is said to have a new "Refined" upgrade script: http://www.vbulletin.com/forum/entry...roved-Upgrader

hi TLSman, it looks like phpmyadmin had a little update and changed the template for the export function!!
Now, i tried to download and upload in my test a db but always end up with #1062 - Duplicate entry '1' for key 1 !!!

I filled the info from your tut asper what i think should be right but seems like i'm missing something....or, i have a wrong configuration in my WHM?!?

Tks
Woody

I've noticed the difference while working on different clients sites, take a screenshot of yours and post (use MS Paint or similar to remove URL's or pertinent info before posting) and I'll look it over and let you know what to tick ;).

Ok! Sorry for the waiting, got really busy over here ;)

So, has i was saying, can't import anything even if phpmyadmin is set to the max for size and time!
here's the images in the attachment

Tks TLSman ;)

Well, i'm bumping the thread because it is still problematic with the import function!
I'm loosing every accent from my french section when importing in test site :(

Charset are all set to UTF-8 and collation to Latin_general_1

But nothing works well :(

Hmm some hosts limit the filesize your allowed to upload, you can try importing using MySQLDumper to see if that bypasses it.

As I said above try MySQLDumper... if that's not it post back because I've ran into this before it's been ages though but something to do w/ the characterset.

Yep! I kind a ound the problem! Was uploading in UTF-8 and writing was all screwed up and switch to ISO-8859-1 and problem got solved!
Tho i'm not making any backup directly from PHP but use Paul M.'s hack to do it.
Works like a charm now.

Tks anyway TLSman, tho , you should remake a tut with images for the new PHP interface ;)

Cheers