XF 2.3 Installation Service — Existing MyBB Forum, PHP 7.4, Migration & Enhanced Search Questions

[lustbb]

Hello,

I have already purchased XenForo, some official add-ons (including Enhanced Search). My current site is an existing MyBB forum on a VPS server (nginx), and I plan to replace it with XenForo on the same domain.

I would like to clarify a few points before the installation begins.

Current server details:

• VPS with nginx
• Existing MyBB forum installed
• Same domain will be used (replace MyBB)
• PHP version: 7.4.33
• Database: MariaDB 10.11.14
• Enhanced Search purchased

---

Questions:​

1. Will XenForo be installed over my existing MyBB forum, or in a separate location (subdomain/subdirectory)?
2. Will my current MyBB forum and data remain intact during installation?
3. Does the Installation Service include MyBB → XenForo data migration, or is migration my responsibility?
4. Since my server is running PHP 7.4.33, do I need to upgrade PHP before installation?
5. If PHP is upgraded to 8.x, could that break my existing MyBB forum?
6. My database is MariaDB 10.11.14 — is this fully compatible with XenForo, or is MySQL specifically required?
7. I purchased Enhanced Search — will you also install and configure it?
8. Do you set up Elasticsearch on the VPS, or must I install it myself?
9. What access details or preparations do you need from me before starting the installation?

---

Thank you for your assistance.

 

[Rene_V]

Will XenForo be installed over my existing MyBB forum, or in a separate location (subdomain/subdirectory)?

XenForo must be installed on a separate folder/location. Then after the migration you can move it back to the same location that you have your source forum installed. Which will have to be removed. Or what you can do is move first your current MyBB forum to a different folder/location and install XenForo in the location where your MyBB was and perform the conversion. Doing this it will mean that you won't need to move the newly converted XenForo forum after the conversion.

Will my current MyBB forum and data remain intact during installation?

Yes. The converter doesn't alter the state of the source forum at all.

Since my server is running PHP 7.4.33, do I need to upgrade PHP before installation?

Yes, at the very least to php 8.3.

If PHP is upgraded to 8.x, could that break my existing MyBB forum?

I think that it would be better to ask at the MyBB forum about this.