Best approach. VB to xenForo

klykken

New member
I have a an old vBulletin install
Stats say 'Threads: 17,185, Posts: 90,415, Members: 10,907, Active Members: 469'
Version is 3.6.5
It's installed on domain.com/forum/

What would my best approach be to switch? Do install in a new directory? I was hoping maybe someone had written a guide specifically on vb -> xenForo . There's so much info on these forums, I was hoping someone could direct me to the right place.
 
Almost. Not only the import part, but how to deal with existing directories etc. Should I create this locally, then push to server. Or install on another directory on the server and then rename it to /forum/ when going live.. do you understand what I'm poorly trying to get at? :)
 
I just didn't want to have to learn lessons already learnt by someone else. Blue, I didn't want to change the directory name, but I could always find a way to redirect requests.
 
If the vb forum is live now in a /forums/ folder and you want to keep it that way I'd go this route if downtime isn't an issue.

Change the vb path to /forums2/ and also change the url settings in your vboptions to the new path.
Then install xf in a /forums/ folder, follow the import instructions as well and add the redirect files.

remove the /forums2/ folder when your sure everything has been imported.
 
In my test conversion I had vB installed in /forum.

I then installed XF in /Xenforo and ensured it was using a brand new, empty database.

After backing up the vB forum and closing it to any new replies, I ran the XF conversion tool.

So that leaves a working vB forum in /forum and a working clone of that forum but running XenForo in /xenforo.

However as I wanted old vB posts to redirect to the new XenForo ones I kept the directories the same and instead used the XF redirect tools to switch people over to the new forum.

It's a lot easier than it sounds and also quite flexible because as people have said there are a few different ways you can do this depending on what you need. When I convert for real I will be moving to a whole new URL and converting from vBSEO links too!
 
If the vb forum is live now in a /forums/ folder and you want to keep it that way I'd go this route if downtime isn't an issue.

Change the vb path to /forums2/ and also change the url settings in your vboptions to the new path.
Then install xf in a /forums/ folder, follow the import instructions as well and add the redirect files.

remove the /forums2/ folder when your sure everything has been imported.
That is a great approach, the only downfall is all the links that are going to /forum/ will be broken during the conversion, however long it takes. But this might be the best option, thanks :)
 
In my test conversion I had vB installed in /forum.

I then installed XF in /Xenforo and ensured it was using a brand new, empty database.

After backing up the vB forum and closing it to any new replies, I ran the XF conversion tool.

So that leaves a working vB forum in /forum and a working clone of that forum but running XenForo in /xenforo.

However as I wanted old vB posts to redirect to the new XenForo ones I kept the directories the same and instead used the XF redirect tools to switch people over to the new forum.

It's a lot easier than it sounds and also quite flexible because as people have said there are a few different ways you can do this depending on what you need. When I convert for real I will be moving to a whole new URL and converting from vBSEO links too!

This is close to what I had in mind.
To make it perfect I would rename the vb forum to 'forumOld' and rename the /xenforo/ to /forum/ granted there's no broken links within xenForo I can't fix. IS the install directory defined in one place, or in every link in the db?
 
My understanding if you rename directories is that you'd need to put the XenForo redirect scripts into the new forum/ directory with XenForo, so that when people (or Google) try and access the vB pages (forum/showthread.php for example) they can be redirected to the new XenForo equivalent. After a while once all your Google links have updated you can then bin the /forumold directory where the old vB lives.

I would recommend doing a test install and test conversion first, once you've bought a licence, so you can iron out any issues without time pressure of moving the site.
 
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