[deanhills]

Thanks @fitkoh  You're so right about how complicated it is.  The first time round everything worked out without needing the installer, just the database needed to be updated.  There is a database only upgrade tool that came up during the install phase (no install function was available, just upgrade or convert), but it didn't work for my database, and by the look of support requests in the Forrum, plenty of others had the same issue.  So I thought to go back to zero, and follow those complicated steps exactly as they were.  And that came out much worse.  When I activated the installer, it came up with a huge error message.  Previously, my own way with using a mixture of new version download and my own backup files, I was able to get the Forum up and it was working with some errors in the ACP. I then completely removed everything (DNS, everything) and thought I could fix the errors by following the phpBB recommended complicated steps perfectly from scratch, and that didn't work at all. What a disappointment that was.

So I'm back where I started. I've now deleted the Forum and removed the domain until I've got a new plan. 

Another possibility may be to create a brand-new installation, and then start everything fresh.  And once when it is working.  Try to see whether I can dump the database contents - empty it - and import the old database.  Not sure how flawed this would be. I'll have to research this first. 

[Mashiro]

You could obtain all previous versions of phpBB and do a version to version upgrade maybe? That would reduce the huge amount of different code and changes going from 3.0 flat to 3.3. Just an idea. I know it involves a lot of work.

Try to see whether I can dump the database contents - empty it - and import the old database. Not sure how flawed this would be.

I can't recommend this unless you are a pro in database technology. Old data might? no will not play nice with a new database. There are references, primary keys and foreign keys and etc. Dumping old database content into a new one needs a lot of planning and can still go wrong.

[deanhills]

You could obtain all previous versions of phpBB and do a version to version upgrade maybe? That would reduce the huge amount of different code and changes going from 3.0 flat to 3.3. Just an idea. I know it involves a lot of work.


I can't recommend this unless you are a pro in database technology. Old data might? no will not play nice with a new database. There are references, primary keys and foreign keys and etc. Dumping old database content into a new one needs a lot of planning and can still go wrong.

Right again thx @Mashiro. I figured it out, so my new strategy was to upload the backup exactly as it was with the previous version of phpBB - not an upgrade but a copy of the backup, and to install a new database, importing the old database. And to edit the config file with the new info. Everything looked fine. Except I had created the Forum with php 5.4 and my VPS is on php 7.3. The first error that came up was that mysql extension was not loaded. I then found that it got deprecated with php 7.0.

I really feel sorry for serious phpBB Forum Admin. I read through some of the support responses, and what Forum owners have to go through with the php upgrade even before they get to battle with the phpBB upgrade.

So what I basically need to do is downgrade my php, which I really don't want to do, as I have other Websites that were created with php 7.3. And I'm happy, as I think it is the php version to be on.

I need to figure out another way to do this without needing to tinker with my php version. In the meanwhile I removed the whole installation again. Back to the drawing board.

[fitkoh]

Right again thx @Mashiro.  I figured it out, so my new strategy was to upload the backup exactly as it was with the previous version of phpBB - not an upgrade but a copy of the backup, and to install a new database, importing the old database. And to edit the config file with the new info. Everything looked fine.  Except I had created the Forum with php 5.4  and my VPS is on php 7.3.  The first error that came up was that mysql extension was not loaded.  I then found that it got deprecated with php 7.0.  

I really feel sorry for serious phpBB Forum Admin. I read through some of the support responses, and what Forum owners have to go through with the php upgrade even before they get to battle with the phpBB upgrade.

So what I basically need to do is downgrade my php, which I really don't want to do, as I have other Websites that were created with php 7.3.  And I'm happy, as I think it is the php version to be on.

I need to figure out another way to do this without needing to tinker with my php version.  In the meanwhile I removed the whole installation again.  Back to the drawing board.

The shared hosting seems to really limit the type of solutions you can try to fix this problem... I wonder how your provider would feel about doing the configs for you, or granting you a temporary shell acct so you can do them yourself.

I wonder, how stuck are you on phpbb?  myBB, for instance, has a merge system which allegedly transforms your phpbb3.0 into mybb1.8

[deanhills]

The shared hosting seems to really limit the type of solutions you can try to fix this problem... I wonder how your provider would feel about doing the configs for you, or granting you a temporary shell acct so you can do them yourself.

I wonder, how stuck are you on phpbb?  myBB, for instance, has a merge system which allegedly transforms your phpbb3.0 into mybb1.8

@fitkoh All of the work I did for the last discussions has been with my post4vps.com VPS.  

So yesterday I thought to do things differently by focusing on a lower php version.  I.e. the version that the original forum was created in 5.4.

So I thought to focus on hosting where I would be able to get php Version 5.4 without a major upheaval.  I have a shared hosting account at Limitless Hosting with genuine cpanel.  It has a php version change tool in the panel, so I was able to change the php version from 7.2 to 5.4 very easily.  I had a WordPress site on Version 7.2 but so far seems to be OK with the lowering of the version.  I'll check in more detail after I've completed my phpBB project first.

First I did was to change the name servers of the domain at Namecheap to the shared host's name servers.  That usually propagates fast, but yesterday was a little slower.  I then used the Add on Domain tool to add the domain in my shared host's cpanel.  I then created a database and imported the database I had backed up previously, just with the first line of the sql database referring to pass and password deleted.  The import was 100% successful. Following this I updated my backed up config.php with the new database details. I did this in NotePad ++ but I could have done it in cPanel's File Manager too.  Next I zipped up my December 2019 backup files (as part of making the backups I also copied all of the folders from the previous cpanel hosting File Manager).  I then uploaded the zipped package with my cpanel File Manager - very easy - like seconds.  Then extracted the files.  All of the above must have taken about 5 minutes or a little more.  Like super fast as the hosting is very fast. Uploading files with my VPS with FileZilla sftp was super slow in comparison.

The DNS didn't propagate immediately, but within a few hours I was able to get the Forum up perfectly.  Not a single thing out of place.

So bottom line.  In the life of phpBB Forum the php version is important.  And can literally mean life or death when one moves a Forum to a new host.

Now my next project will be to see whether I can upgrade the Forum to the current phpBB version.  There are two methods.  The Install or Automatic Update.

Think I'll make a thorough backup of everything first.  Then try the automatic update first.

Once I've been able to master the above or should I rather say "if" I'm able to do it, next step will be to see whether I can upgrade the php version.  One thing I love about my shared host's cpanel is that it has a php changer.  So I'd like to see what happens when I change the php version back to 7.2.

[deanhills]

This wasn't easy and I never thought it would happen. But I made it in the end.  PhpBB is already difficult to upgrade, but the challenge was that it was simultaneously an upgrade from php 5.4 to 7.3.  Plenty of 500 errors.  Blank pages.




Important Notes:

1. phpBB Version 3 requires a minimum of php 7.3 upwards. With no compromise. It makes it into a challenge for updating the database that was created in an php 5.4 environment.  Also the config.php was created in a php 5.4 environment.

2. There were two secret tools that helped to bale me out of blank pages and 500 errors.  The Purge Cache in the ACP (General Tab), and deleting the Production Folder in the Cache Folder repeatedly in between steps.  

3. The updates are very sensitive about extensions.  I went with the suggestion to just disable them, but that was not enough.  It's better to completely remove them from the ACP Customization Tab before the upgrade is started.  This was my greatest stumbling block during the upgrade.  In the end after the upgrade and plenty of 500 errors I had to go into the Database and empty the phpbb_ext table - truncate it (praying while I was doing that) and remove all of the extensions in the Extension folder.  Then repeatedly emptied the Cache Folder.  It finally worked out.  

4. I Googled a config.php format for the upgraded 3.3 version, with the important extension mysqli (instead of just mysql).  Before I started the upgrade.

The upgrade from 3.2 to 3.3 gives a choice of an Automatic Update Package or a Full Install package.  I tried the automatic update package first because it looked the easier of the 2 and that didn't work.  I then went for the Full Install which basically involved deleting all of the files and folders except for extension/images/files and config.php. Then downloading the latest script, unpacking it and deleting the extension/images/files and config.php files.  Then uploading it to the root of the Forum.

There were plenty of errors that came up that I sorted out one by one.  One was the mysqli extension and with the cpanel it was awesome to get those sorted out straight away.  Then finally I arrived at being able to update the database only, and got happy until one of the tables didn't make it and I had to Google that again, and massage it into place.  So in the process learned to work with tables in the database.

Anyway, if one is patient and determined as I was, there are plenty of support requests that helped me. And what really helped was cpanel and how it set up up for my hosting account.  It's an amazing tool. 

Forum is now on the up to date version.  Up to date php.  In case I should ever refer back to this post, the following is a summary of the upgrade steps for phpBB:

1. Make a thorough backup of the Forum and Database

2. ACP: disable and remove extensions, reset default style to prosilver, ensure language is UK English. Purge cache.

3. Delete all folders with the exception of Extensions/Images/Files and config.php

4. Download up to date script - extract files and delete extensions, images, files folders and config.php.  Upload to root of Forum.  

5. Visit domain.com/install

6. Then follow prompts - hopefully this time without any errors to work through

7. Don't forget to delete install folder and if any issues with 500 error or blank page go into Cache folder and delete production and install folders inside the cache folder.

[Sn1F3rt]

Right again thx @Mashiro.  I figured it out, so my new strategy was to upload the backup exactly as it was with the previous version of phpBB - not an upgrade but a copy of the backup, and to install a new database, importing the old database. And to edit the config file with the new info. Everything looked fine.  Except I had created the Forum with php 5.4  and my VPS is on php 7.3.  The first error that came up was that mysql extension was not loaded.  I then found that it got deprecated with php 7.0.  

I really feel sorry for serious phpBB Forum Admin. I read through some of the support responses, and what Forum owners have to go through with the php upgrade even before they get to battle with the phpBB upgrade.

So what I basically need to do is downgrade my php, which I really don't want to do, as I have other Websites that were created with php 7.3.  And I'm happy, as I think it is the php version to be on.

I need to figure out another way to do this without needing to tinker with my php version.  In the meanwhile I removed the whole installation again.  Back to the drawing board.

You might wanna try this - https://www.phpbb.com/community/viewtopi...#p14729581 - which is basically after you manage to import your backup on an installation using PHP 5.x first, then switch and follow their steps.

[deanhills]

You might wanna try this - https://www.phpbb.com/community/viewtopi...#p14729581 - which is basically after you manage to import your backup on an installation using PHP 5.x first, then switch and follow their steps.

Thx for the info @sohamb03  It was a bit more challenging than that.  My backup was old backup from a different server.  So my initial challenge was to get the forum up and running first.  I did all of that on my VPS 9, and then when I realized the issue with php version (my VPS 9 is on php 7.3), I didn't want to change it to php 5.4.  Up to that point I had still been unable to get my Forum up and running again.

Everything changed when I moved to my Limitless Shared Hosting Account with cPanel.  Moving the folders and files with File Manager was like a breeze.  And changing php 7.3 to php 5.4 dead easy.  At the time I only had one WordPress blog on the shared hosting account, so didn't have to worry about many other Websites, like I had on my VPS.  Once I had my shared hosting account on php 5.4 I was able to get the Forum up and running again.  

Then the huge challenge came with upgrading the Forum which for phpBB is never easy, but in my case there was also the issue with php.  Which with the shared hosting account and the magic of cpanel I managed to overcome hurdle by hurdle.  The real challenge with the upgrade was to update the database that had been created in an php 5.4 environment.  And there were also issues with the phpBB extensions.  I discovered that before doing the upgrade one should not only disable all of the extensions, but remove them too.  So since I had not, it took plenty of massaging of the database and truncating the extensions table in the database to finally get the phpBB upgrade process to allow me to update the database.  I finally after going through many loops got a link for updating the database, it came up with more popups for needing this or the other php extension.  Such as mysqli etc.  But fortunately with every stumbling block there was another phpBB support request where some or other solution had been presented, and did or did not work.  

I've got a soft spot for phpBB as it was the very first Forum I had posted in, with Frihost.com.  Frihost came to an end towards end of 2018, regrettably. So in a moment of being sentimental I tried to get the Forum backup up and running again. In the end it became a challenge and a phpBB upgrade project. Now I'm having fun with adding more extensions.