How To: vBulletin Installation Guide

[jason]

Hello All, VBulletin is license version which one needs to purchase for their website. Before installing VBulletin one needs to install PHP and MySQL on the web server and have to create a database within the MySQL engine store the VBulletin's data. *_Step 1: Downloading vBulletin Package_* First one needs to download VBulletin package from the member’s area of their official website. Once logged in, one can see a list of *Current Licenses*. For each active license that one can own, there will be Download VBulletin links that need to click. When one has set the download options then click the download button to start the download. When the download prompt appears, one should choose the *save* option and choose a directory to save the package. *_Step 2: vBulletin Files need to upload on website_* First, open the folder on your computer where you saved the VBulletin package -> right-click on it -> choose Extract All. When the uncompress progress is complete, one will find that the process has created a new folder called upload and another called do_not_upload*.* *_Upload_* - This folder contains the VBulletin files that need to be uploaded to their web server. However, before you upload the files you must make some changes to the vBulletin configuration file. This file is located in includes folder within the upload folder and is called config.php.new. One must rename this file from config.php.newtoconfig.php*.* *_do_not_upload_* - This folder contains tools to perform various tasks on the board: • searchshell.php - This file will allow one to rebuild the search index. • vb_backup.sh - This file will allow one to run a database backup via SSH/Telnet or a scheduled backup through cron. • tools.php - This file must be uploaded to the admincp folder and allows you to perform certain tasks should one board go down or accidentally lock yourself out of the Admin Control Panel. This file must be deleted immediately after use or it will cause a SEVERE security problem. *_Step 3: Editing vBulletin Configuration File:_* Before uploading the vBulletin files to web server, one must edit the vBulletin configuration file (includes/config.php) which will use to communicate with the database. One can require few settings to be altered in order to create a working vBulletin configuration file. These settings are: $config['Database']['dbname'] $config['Database']['technicalemail'] $config['MasterServer']['servername'] $config['MasterServer']['username'] $config['MasterServer']['password'] Once one has finished editing with config.php file they should save it again and prepare to upload the file to web server. *_Step 4: Uploading vBulletin script to web server:_* One needs to upload the entire upload folder to the web publishing folder on the server. When all the files have been uploaded successfully one should rename the upload folder on the web server to the desired name which one want to use. We will call it forums. *_Step 5: Running vBulletin installation script:_* Once all the vBulletin files have been uploaded to the web server one will have to run the vBulletin Installation Script. The Installer runs as a PHP script using your web browser. To start the installation process, open your browser and type the HTTP address of your forums directory, followed by /install/install.php, The first thing one will see from the install script is a log in prompt, asking for customer number. This is done to prevent other users from accidentally stumbling across your install script and running it. When one has entered customer number, press Enter Installer button and one should be taken to the first step of the install script. The first page of the installer script will greet and give some basic instructions relating to what will happen during the rest of the install process. Read it and click on next step. Clicking the Next Step will take to the first installation step which tests config.php file exists and is readable by the system or not. A further click will bring you to step 2, in which the installer attempts to connect to the database. If the connection is made successfully, the installer will ask you if you want to empty the database. If you click this link your database will be totally emptied. All data stored in that database (including any data not related to vBulletin) will be irreversibly erased. The next few steps offer no choices during the installation process, other than to click Next Step button at the bottom of the page to proceed to the next step. After few steps, you will soon be present with a page entitled Obtain Some Default Settings which requires some information to fill k\like as under: - BB Title - Homepage Title - BB URL - Home URL - Cookie Path - Cookie Domain After filling in above mentioned information and clicking on the next few screens you will be asked for details as the forum administrator which one need to enter fill with desired one. After a few pages the installation process will complete and presented with a link to Admin Control Panel. Before clicking this link, one should open up your FTP client application and browse to the install folder inside your forums directory and delete the install.php and upgrade*.php files now as a security precaution. Once you have deleted these files you can return to the installer script and click the link to enter the Administrator Control Panel of your freshly installed vBulletin. One will not be able to enter the Admin Control Panel until deleted the install.php file. Thanks, Shane G. AccuWebHosting.Com


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