Question about VB3 Features + Security-Updates
 

Hello,

I have to set up a discussion / download forum for the information management chair of the local university, which requested some rather special features. These features are:

• Attachment function with the capability to log each download of a attachment for statistical purposes (name of the user/IP, date, file)
• Ability to log the user-IPs in case of misuses of the forum

Can VB3 provide these features, or are there hacks that could provide them ?

A question about the attachment-function of VB3: How secure are the attachments against external linking ? (in one forum there will be files, that should only be available to the forum users, not to people outside of it).

Another question is about the availability of security bugfixes: If I understand the sales-page correctly, I get one year of free updates if I buy the "full-version", and after one year I have to pay again. Is this so correct, and does this include security bugfixes ?

Thank you very much in advance.

With best regards.
Patrique Wolfrum

vB3 allows you to log I.P addresses of users in the forum. As for the attachment log, I don' think it's a vB3 feature so it will have to be made.

As for external linking, you can't link external attachments, and unregistered users cannot view them (by default)

You only have to pay $30 to get renewal to the members area where you download the latest vBulletin. In between that you can download vB as many times as needed.

Not sure if you can view the thread as you dont have a vb liscence yet but ....

Who Downloaded Hack - Records the names of the users that downloaded an attachment but not the IP.

You can also setup an .htta access file at the server level to prevent people from linking to your attachments but as assasingod said, i think by default, non-registered users arent able to.

Hello,

thank you very much for your fast replies.

@assassingod:
Thank you for the information.
The professor I work for feared, that the files, which can be downloaded via the forum, could be accessed from the outside, without logging in. That shouldn't be a problem with VB3.

@Reeve of shinra:
Thank you for the mod-hint. It looks quite interesting.
Since I am, as a not-yet-customer, unable to post in the mod-area, I have to ask you this question: Do you know, whether this mod can also log the date of the file-access ? (We would need this function, in order to see, if for example the files are more downloaded in front of an exam, or when there are certain request-peaks)

Thank you very much in advance.

With best regards.
Patrique Wolfrum

I dont have the hack installed so I cant say for sure but I dont think it logs the date the file was downloaded at present, though it would seem to be a good feature to have.

Hello,

thank you for your quick reply.

I now have the following problem:

My professor wants to know, whether the functionality, he wanted, will be available through the "Who Downloaded" modification, before he gives the permission for buying vB. But I can't t answer this question completely, because I have no real way to contact the mod author in order to ask him, because I am not yet a customer. I tried it via email (since PM wasn't available), but until now, I don't know, if my message has even reached him, because I received no answer.

Do you know a way to get the needed information ?

Thank you very much in advance.

With best regards.
Patrique Wolfrum