do_not_upload/
folder (This folder contains administration files. Only use these when you're
told to upload it by a support staff, or if you know what you're doing)
`- file: tools.php (a script to help you fix (login) problems and rebuild
caches for usergroups, bitfields,
etc.)
`- file: searchshell.php (a php shell script to
rebuild search index from console)
`- file: vb_backup.sh (a bash shell script to backup the database, especially
handy for nightly backups)
license_agreement.html file (All customers must agree to
this license agreement prior to downloading and using the vBulletin software, read it)
vb4_readme.html (HTML version of this installation, upgrade,
information file)
vb4_readme.txt (TEXT version of this installation, upgrade,
information file)
upload/
folder (This folder contains all the files from the vBulletin forum software
that you need to upload when installing or upgrading)
`- All the files inside this folder are required to run vBulletin, see the
below installation and/or upgrade instructions on which files to modify and/or
to delete after an installation or upgrade.
First,
unzip the vBulletin zip file you downloaded from the members' area to your hard disk and
then open the 'upload/includes/' folder. In this you will find config.php.new. You should rename this to config.php
and then open it in a text editor.
The
config.php file is commented throughout, so you should be able to work out what
values to enter for the variables yourself.
The values for the config.php file are described in detail here.
When
you have finished, save the file and then upload the entire contents of the 'upload/'
folder to your web server.
When
this is done, point your browser at http://www.example.com/forums/install/install.php
(where www.example.com/forums/ is the URL of
your vBulletin)
The
install will ask for your Customer Number to login.
Once
you are logged in you can proceed to follow the instructions on the screen.
When ready click the Next Step buttons until the script asks to
fill in some addresses and names for your board.
After
you have done this, the installer will ask you for some details to set you up
as the administrator of the new vBulletin. A few more clicks and the script
will be finished.
Before
proceeding to the Admin Control Panel, you must delete the 'install/install.php'
file from your webserver. You may then enter the
control panel and start working on your new vBulletin!
The
entire installation process should take no more than five minutes.
For
a complete description of how to install vBulletin 4, see the installation section of
the vBulletin Manual.
Before
starting any upgrade to a new version of vBulletin the first step that should
be done is to take a backup.
You
can find more information about backing up here: Database
Backup
After
backing up it may be a good idea to also disable your plugins,
especially between major versions of vBulletin. You can do this a few ways:
Close
your board via the Admin Control Panel.
Open
your browser and point the URL to http://www.example.com/forum/install/upgrade.php
(where www.example.com/forums/ is the URL of
your vBulletin). You should now be automatically forwarded to the appropriate
upgrade script and step.
If any errors occur, copy the error and please contact support. DO
NOT continue with the upgrade. Doing so may cause irreversible damage to the
database.
Follow
the instructions on the screen. Make sure you click next step or proceed until
you are redirected to your Admin Control Panel. Here, you can reopen your
board.
Note: vBulletin 4.x.x uses a new Template and Stylevar
engine. This means your previous styles are not compatible with vBulletin 4.x.x.
When you upgrade, they will be disabled and a new style will be created and set
as the default style.
Close
your board via the Admin Control Panel.
Upload
all files from the 'upload/' folder in the zip, with the
exception of 'install/install.php'. Then open the 'upload/includes/'
folder.
Open
your browser and point the URL to http://www.example.com/forum/install/upgrade.php
(where www.example.com/forums/ is the URL of
your vBulletin). You should now be automatically forwarded to the appropriate
upgrade script and step.
If any errors occur, copy the error and please contact support. DO
NOT continue with the upgrade. Doing so may cause irreversible damage to the
database.
Follow
the instructions on the screen. Make sure you click next
step or proceed
until you are redirected to your Admin Control Panel. Here, you can reopen your
board.
For
a complete description of how to upgrade from a previous version of vBulletin
to the latest version, see the upgrade section of the vBulletin Manual.
You
can upgrade to vBulletin 4.x.x from vBulletin version 3.5.4, however we
STRONGLY RECOMMEND upgrading to vBulletin 3.8.x first. To do this, you will
need to download the files to upgrade to vBulletin 3.8.x. Once your community is
running on vBulletin 3.8.x, then you can upload the vBulletin 4.x.x files and
perform the upgrade to this version. If you need assistance
with this, contact vBulletin Support.
Note: vBulletin 4.x.x uses a new Template
and Stylevar engine. This means your previous styles
are not compatible with vBulletin 4.x.x. When you upgrade, they will be
disabled and a new style will be created and set as the default style.
Note: There are several upgrade scripts
that need to be run. You do not need to determine which you need to run; they
will be determined automatically. Simply click "next step" or
"proceed" until you are redirected to your admin control panel.
When
the scripts are complete, it will tell you to delete some files, and then
redirect you to the Admin Control Panel. You should log in to this and proceed
to the Maintenance section of the control panel, where you should run
the Update Counters tools. The Rebuild Search Index and Rebuild
Statistics will take a quite a long time to run on larger boards.
Here
are some important links with more information:
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