XF 1.4 Question about install directory

[Mindzipper]

We just purchased XF. I will be migrating a matured vb installation (it has been running for 7 years and although we do prune from time to time, there's still well over a million posts).

When i first picked up the xf I just thought I'd see a raw installation, so I created a subdirectory and installed there.

I have two questions.

1. should I change the way i set this up? i can create a different domain to install this to, so when i migrate the paths wouldn't change (as long as they're relative), or is it simple to change paths and move the forum from a sub folder to the root after I'm done?
2. doing an import. this is where I'm concerned. The best way to do this would be to shut off my current forum, then begin the migration, because I'd not lose any data from the live board. But our db server is not on the same box, we have several machines co-located, and our DB server is actually residing on Ec2 right now as an instance.

my concern is this is going to9 take a very long time. Now, to prepare, I changed the current forum to move off attachments to the filesystem and not store them in the DB. the same for ALL images. I also do not allow uploads to the current install, though that will change. Even though I've done this, the existing db is still just over 1gb.

Now I know much of this is dependant on resources, but i would like to know it a.) the default vb4 import is the right tool, i saw someone created an add-on for migrating big boards, but frankly $150 seems exorbitant for a on time use tool. However, it raises questions, that if someone went to the trouble, does that mean the default importer is not a solid tool? and b.) is this likely going to take a day or more to import?

if anyone could help here, it might make my transition much smoother, and I'd really appreciate it.

Thanks!

 

[Paul B]

You can install XenForo in a temporary location and move it easily later.
This is what most people do when they are doing a migration as it avoids disrupting the existing installation.

Note that to do an import, XenForo and the source database need to be on the same server.

The default importer works fine but for very large forums it will take a while.
Some people prefer to use the add-on, which is a lot quicker.

I would suggest doing a test import with the default importer to see how you get on.

There's a general guide here: https://xenforo.com/community/threads/importing-guidelines.25325/

 

[Mindzipper]

ugh, that's not possible. there is no database server running on the front end machine. but why can't it do an import form the same db server the forum is running on? in the configs it's asking for a server location, so shouldn't it be able to pull data from that same server?

EDIT: wait, nevermind, i misread, yes the db to import is on the same db server as the current XF forum, that's what i expected. ok

FYI thanks for the link to the guide, i'll follow that.