Installing and Configuring vBulletin

The script will then run automatically, and all you need to do is run each module by clicking on the appropriate button. Make sure that you work through each module in turn and don't be tempted to skip steps or rush things—the ImpEx script can take a lot of time.

If you receive an error message, make a note of it and carry out a search for it on the vBulletin forum. If you cannot find a resolution, contact support—importing data is a complex procedure, but the vBulletin support team is likely to be able to help you with any problems that you might have.

Check usergroups

After each import, check all options for every usergroup that was imported into vBulletin using the ImpEx script, and make sure that all the usergroup permissions are set correctly.

We will be covering usergroup management in Chapter 5.

Default Usergroups

Every member on a vBulletin discussion board must belong to at least one usergroup. These usergroups allow you to control who has access to what and later on (Chapter 5) we will be taking a closer look at the usergroups. However, vBulletin comes pre-installed with default usergroups, which can be used to get the forum up and running quickly.

There are eight default usergroups:

Default usergroups

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Chapter 2

For the moment you only need to be concerned with three of the usergroups:

•Administrators—These are the users with the most power, and membership should usually be restricted to forum owners. Administrators have control over almost all features of the discussion board.

•Moderators—These are members with more powers than regular members but less than administrators. These are normally the people who look after the forum— moving posts that are in the wrong place, deleting inappropriate posts. Choose trusted people for this role.

•Registered Users—Almost everyone else! These are the people who sign up to participate on the forum.

Banned users!

Handling banned users is something that we will come to in Chapter 5.

These are the main vBulletin usergroups, and most members will belong to these (unless you have made some significant changes to the way your forum works).

Securing vBulletin

vBulletin is a very robust and secure application, but it still needs you to take care of some things for it to remain totally secure.

•It is passwords that secure vBulletin—make sure that all your passwords are good passwords (eight characters or greater, containing upperand lowercase characters and numbers). Change your passwords every so often (at least 4 times a year).

•Remember too that it's not just forum access that you need to be mindful of—anyone who has access to the web server or MySQL also has access to the data the forum contains. Make sure that the passwords protecting these are robust, and if you need to give someone access (such as support personnel), change them afterwards.

•Make regular backups of your forum data (files and database), and keep these safe just in case of a future problem.

•Carry out software upgrades regularly.

Help & Support

The installation and initial setup of vBulletin is quite simple and straightforward, thanks mainly to the thought put into the software and also the easy–to-follow wizard-style setup interface.

If, however, you run into serious problems, then your first port of call should be the vBulletin community forum—here you will find years of vBulletin information in one place. Chances are that a few searches will turn up a solution to your problems.

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Installing and Configuring vBulletin

If that's not enough, then you can fall back on vBulletin support for help—you will need to fill in a trouble ticket and then wait for a response. This is usually fast and you should get an initial response in a few hours.

In order that you receive the best support, make sure you pass on the following information:

•vBulletin version

•PHP and MySQL version (Ask your host if unsure.)

•Exact error message

•Description of what causes the error

•Is the error repeatable?

The more information you provide, the easier it is for the vBulletin support team to be able to quickly and accurately deal with your problems.

Summary

We've looked at a lot in this chapter and covered everything you need to know to install and carry out the initial configuration of the vBulletin software.

If you are installing the vBulletin software for the first time, then take your time, especially when editing the configuration files. (Keep a backup in case you make a mistake!) It can be annoying to get to the installation wizard stage only to find that you made some simple mistakes early on.

If you are upgrading from another discussion board, then be extra careful and take extra precautions—you want to make sure that everything goes back properly and that members can't do or see more than they should!

Also, once you have vBulletin up and running, take time to familiarize yourself with the software. A book like this is very useful, but it can only go so far. Work your way through the menus and options. Don't feel that you need to make changes—just seeing what's available and getting to grips with the defaults can be educational.

Finally, if things do go wrong, then remember that along with purchasing software you also bought support that you can always fall back on if you get stuck or if the worst happens.

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