Transferring phpBB Forums

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  • Frank Hagan
    Senior Member
    • Mar 2004
    • 724

    Transferring phpBB Forums

    I have a client who wants me to host their forums, breaking them off of their current site hosted with someone else, and putting them on our server using a different domain name. I had hoped I could transfer the entire site using Cpanel's copying function, and then convert the forums, but you have to use the same domain name when you do that.

    I know you can move phpBB2 with phpMyAdmin and database backups, installing the software on the new site and restoring the backups. It looks like I'll have to do it that way. Does anyone have an easier way or tips on making the move?

    BTW - we will probably convert the forums to SMF so they can actually manage them without getting spammed all the time (they have an issue with spammers getting through the phpBB2 captcha).
  • Frank Hagan
    Senior Member
    • Mar 2004
    • 724

    #2
    Made the move, and it was easier than I thought.

    I found three virus infected files, two in the phpBB forums folders (they had an "old forum" and a "new forum") and one in the /public_html/ folder ... in all three cases it was Javascript added to the bottom of their "index" .html or .php files that was the PWS-FerTP trojan (steals passwords). I suspect it was done through an exploit of either PostNuke or phpBB, or both.

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    • Camo.Fish
      Member
      • Jul 2008
      • 42

      #3
      This personifies the reason I have not made my CMS source code public. At least to hack it they would have to go through a number of attempts that would leave a nice trail.. with public code you can programmaticly exploit away in the safety of your own home before automating and releasing into the wild. I'm all about open source and would release code for other types of programs, but I don't try my best not to use any OSS for web related activities. Although, I do have to say, I broke down and set up a wordpress the other day for the hell of it and, while not being comfortable about the security factors, it was nice and easy. And, remarkably, a lot like my CMS.. with pros and cons.

      Comment

      • Frank Hagan
        Senior Member
        • Mar 2004
        • 724

        #4
        The problem with some packages is that they get very hard to keep updated. phpBB2 is in that category, with various mods and different themes people use. When I was hosting a moderately busy phpBB2 forum, with a few mods added, updating would take from 2 - 3 hours. "Minor" updates just didn't happen. With SMF, the updates are a one-click affair that takes less than two minutes, and I understand that phpBB3 is that way also.

        Open source also has the problem of the absent contributors; while the source is open, and anyone can modify what has been contributed, most users are not programmers. As you add feature after feature to your CMS, some poorly written or not compatible with other features, the complexity increases. An update can then break several useful features, or expose other things if you create a hack to keep the feature in tact.

        Creating your own and using it gets around several of those issues, as does having a commercial software house that maintains the software with continuity between programmers. But that requires skill or funds most of our customers don't have.

        My recommendation is for the customer to pick the three or four applications that fit their needs, and maintain them separately. They don't like the idea of separate log ins for the forums, gallery, helpdesk, private content areas, etc. but it is easier in the long run.

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        • Pedja
          Senior Member
          • Mar 2004
          • 329

          #5
          Actually, it just looks like. SMF is no better than phpBB when upgrading is in question. I use them both for years.

          Comment

          • Frank Hagan
            Senior Member
            • Mar 2004
            • 724

            #6
            Pedja, I have to disagree, but that's just based on my experience with my customers. At least for the versions of phpBB I've used. It is much easier to task a customer with going into the Admin section of the forum and clicking the "Update now" link in SMF periodically than it is to have them visit phpBB, download the latest version (choosing the right one, of course), extracting it on their machine, using FTP to upload it, doing the upgrade and then manually changing the files that are modded.

            I have heard that phpBB 2.0 does have an automatic update method, but I haven't used it.

            phpBB is just so much more popular that I think it attracts more hackers and spammers. phpBB had quite a few more security issues and more frequent updates than SMF also (SecurityFocus.com lists 23 vulnerabilities for phpBB and 4 for SMF over the years ... the new version, phpBB2, has 9 listed already). So for me, it is simply easier to steer customers toward SMF as a free forum.

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