I have a phpbb3 board and I am planning to create a test forum having the URL , say abc.mydomain.com . I have phpbb3 installed in mydomain.com . I want to know if I plan to use a sub-domain as my test forum , do I have to install phpbb3 exclusively in that forum again . And for that do I need a seperate MySQL database ?
Making a test forum
- Thread starter Raptor
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CyberFreak
Legendary Typer
Well the point of a test forum is usually to test out things before putting them on your live forum. If the test forum runs on the same set of files and the same database, any changes you make on your test forum so to speak will appear on your main forum.
It is best to make a copy of all the files and backup and restore the db into a new database. Make a new directory like test, copy all your phpBB3 files there, make a new db and restore the db into it and then change config.php to connect to the new test database. Now if you do something on your test board and it messes up the database or you get fatal errors all over the forum then it will not take down your main forum.
It is best to make a copy of all the files and backup and restore the db into a new database. Make a new directory like test, copy all your phpBB3 files there, make a new db and restore the db into it and then change config.php to connect to the new test database. Now if you do something on your test board and it messes up the database or you get fatal errors all over the forum then it will not take down your main forum.
Everything went tangentially to my head ! :lol:
Can you please tell me step by step , I am a noob .
First I create a subdomain , say test.mydomain.com
Next I create a new database
Thrird , I install a fresh copy of phpbb3 i public_html/test directory normally as I did with my main board . And I link my test forum with the new database .
Is this how I need to proceed ?
Can you please tell me step by step , I am a noob .
First I create a subdomain , say test.mydomain.com
Next I create a new database
Thrird , I install a fresh copy of phpbb3 i public_html/test directory normally as I did with my main board . And I link my test forum with the new database .
Is this how I need to proceed ?
CyberFreak
Legendary Typer
:lol: Sorry i will explain it a bit clearer. This is how i would do it. People would probably do the same but in a different order.
1) Download a copy of all your phpBB files
2) Create a new directory in the public_html directory for example test so the access url would be mydomain.com/test
3) Upload all the phpBB files you downloaded into the new test directory.
4) In phpmyadmin, export the database which is used for your main forum and it will download to your PC
5) In cPanel, make a new database and assign a user to it (or make a new one)
6) In phpmyadmin, view this new database you just created. It will say that no tables exist. At the top, this time select "Import". Select the mysql backup you made in step 4 and click go.
7) It will the restore but when it has restored your test forum will still be connecting to the old db. To make it connect to the new db which you just restored the database into do the following
- Edit the config.php file in the new test directory (or whatever you called the directory)
- Change the database name, database user and password to the new information for the database you set up in step 5
- Submit the changes and now when you view mydomain.com/test, you should see your forum and when you make a post on it, it should not show on mydomain.com and vice versa. This shows that they are now running on the separate databases so what you do to one doesn't alter the other
8) Now if you want you can set up a subdomain in cpanel (under subdomain if you want to be able to access the test board through test.domain.com or whatever.
You now should have 2 completely independent boards that look identical. That should work and if you need me to explain it more then feel free to ask. I would rather explain it more then have you struggle and mess it up :yes:
PS. Don't upload a fresh set of phpBB files and install it. You will lose any customizations you have done. You don't need to use the phpBB installer at all. All the installer does is write the config files which you can do manually in step 7 and it also populates the database which isn't needed as you are using a database already with all the information in already so it is pointless and just makes the whole situation alot more complicated.
1) Download a copy of all your phpBB files
2) Create a new directory in the public_html directory for example test so the access url would be mydomain.com/test
3) Upload all the phpBB files you downloaded into the new test directory.
4) In phpmyadmin, export the database which is used for your main forum and it will download to your PC
5) In cPanel, make a new database and assign a user to it (or make a new one)
6) In phpmyadmin, view this new database you just created. It will say that no tables exist. At the top, this time select "Import". Select the mysql backup you made in step 4 and click go.
7) It will the restore but when it has restored your test forum will still be connecting to the old db. To make it connect to the new db which you just restored the database into do the following
- Edit the config.php file in the new test directory (or whatever you called the directory)
- Change the database name, database user and password to the new information for the database you set up in step 5
- Submit the changes and now when you view mydomain.com/test, you should see your forum and when you make a post on it, it should not show on mydomain.com and vice versa. This shows that they are now running on the separate databases so what you do to one doesn't alter the other
8) Now if you want you can set up a subdomain in cpanel (under subdomain if you want to be able to access the test board through test.domain.com or whatever.
You now should have 2 completely independent boards that look identical. That should work and if you need me to explain it more then feel free to ask. I would rather explain it more then have you struggle and mess it up :yes:
PS. Don't upload a fresh set of phpBB files and install it. You will lose any customizations you have done. You don't need to use the phpBB installer at all. All the installer does is write the config files which you can do manually in step 7 and it also populates the database which isn't needed as you are using a database already with all the information in already so it is pointless and just makes the whole situation alot more complicated.
CyberFreak
Legendary Typer
Basically all the files that phpBB needs to work. Transferring all the files in public_html will do no harm though.
CyberFreak
Legendary Typer
Doing that will mean that the test forum wouldn't have a copy of the main db which causes issues when using a clone of the files from your main installation (if you have mods installed). Also by doing that, you also don't carry over users, posts, forums, permissions and settings which can be annoying if you want to try something out and you have no forums to try it out on or no groups to test things out on.
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