XF 2.1 vBulletin 3.8 (1.5M posts) to Xenforo 2.1 importing

[Jon12345]

My good old trusty vBulletin software that served me well is coming to end of life. So I am imminently contemplating the switch to Xenforo 2.1. I already have another forum using Xenforo, and I am a big fan.

I've read here that the import functionality built into Xenforo can import any sized board. But I also see there are custom scripts for big boards that you can buy, and also import services from the likes of MySiteGuy and Slavik.

Any recommendations on doing the import? Should I use the built in Xenforo functionality or get a big board script? Should I use either MySiteGuy or Slavik rather than do it myself?

 

[Max Taxable]

I will use robots.txt to disallow spiders, since

It doesn't block or disallow anything. It's basically just a sticky note saying "please don't crawl here." The 'noble' crawlers mostly honor it, but 99 percent of crawlers aren't noble.

AND since it's publicly readable, its a handy list for any bad actor to see exactly what areas you consider sensitive or important.

 

[Jon12345]

I do have cpanel! Does that mean I have to enter the password every time I go to a different page on my old forum?

 

[Paul B]

No.

 

[Gio~Logist]

There is currently no way to run an delta import, to import content that has been created or updated since you started the import process, so you have to close your live forum for the duration of the import.

@Kier is there any add-on or guide for running delta imports? We have a community about twice as large. Unfortunately, for our users, going down isn't an option. With the attachments, etc. our test import was about 38hrs. ~20hrs of that was attachments. Currently checking for alternatives, before investing time into building a custom solution.

 

[ActorMike]

Any recommendations on doing the import? Should I use the built in Xenforo functionality or get a big board script? Should I use either MySiteGuy or Slavik rather than do it myself?

@Jon12345 Once you upgrade from VB you will regret something. Not doing it sooner! We upgraded our forum 5 years ago and it's much more successful now!