Wasting Time
Ale, music and enjoying life.
phpBB Forums – Upgrade pain from 3.0.14 to 3.20 and moving host!
I hope the following bits and pieces may help someone else out in a similar situation
My hand was forced really by my current web host’s (this site has a different host) inability to make sense of their overzealous anti-malware scripts. So on and off in pockets of spare time for the last week I took on the mammoth task of moving a massive phpBB forums across to a new host and upgraded to the latest version of php and phpBB. No easy task especially considering that the site’s database backup weighed in at 1.3gb! (There are posts dating back to 2001)
I realised the transition to a new web host wouldn’t be plain sailing and that I’d have to go off-piste with phpBB’s directions which assume your db size is around 2 meg 🙂
https://www.phpbb.com/support/docs/en/3.1/kb/article/transferring-your-board-to-a-new-host-or-domain/
The following describes the areas of pain experienced:
Back the hell up
First steps were backing up all phpbb files on my existing server along with exporting the forums MySQL database (I did this through phpmyadmin.
Place forums files on new host
Went down a bit of a blind alley first in attempting to install the latest phpBB software through my new hosts control panel. It just didn’t want to play with the DB and I was seeing all sorts of weird config issues. So I placed the existing forums files from my old host onto the new one.
Database size is too big to import
Once I had the forum files on the new host I needed to bring the database over. Having backed up the forums database weighing in at 1.3gig it’s not exactly the 2meg file that phpBB seems to think is standard. Therefore, I had to use “BigDump” :). Although Bigdump is a god send I did struggle initially with it. I was seeing timeout issues and it would bail half way which meant I’d have to go back into phpmyadmin – drop all tables it had brought in and restart the process.
Just when I thought I was getting somewhere with it it had processed 54% in about 3 hours then seemed to slow massively. I started to time things and it took another 3 hours to hit 64%. At this rate I’ll have to leave it going for days!.
I jumped back into phpmyadmin and had a nosey at what table it was bringing in and why it was taking so long. Turns out it was taking it’s sweet time with phpbb_search_wordlist and similar tables which relate to the forums search index. I’m no DBA but I’m guessing that as the data was being imported the process was taking exponentially slower as it went on. After a bit of digging I realised I could empty these tables and rebuild the index once the board is up and running.
Soooooo, back to the old forums, empty the offending tables (I could’ve just not backed up the data). Then back up the db again – This time it’s a much more manageable 350Mb. Onwards!
Time for another BigDump
So we now have a much more smaller DB backup file which I placed on the new host and showed it BigDump. After about an hour the restore was successful.
Forums up!
Following a successful DB restore I headed over to a browser and hit the forums url on the new board. Success! Well almost there’s a few errors appearing in different parts of the forums. After a bit more digging turns out the old phpBB software I’m running is clashing with the version of PHP on the host. Certain functions are now obsolete or replaced. So there’s only one thing for it…
Upgrade the old forums from phpBB 3.0.14 to 3.2
Ok over to the phpbb downloads for the update package https://www.phpbb.com/downloads/ . Hang on they don’t have a route from 3.0.14 to 3.2 only 3.1 and 3.2 are supported. On the footer of the site I noticed “Older Versions” which lead me to https://download.phpbb.com/pub/release/3.2/3.2.0/ . I downloaded the phpBB-3.0.14_to_3.2.0.zip and then copied the install folder across to my new forums and hit the install url.
Hmmm things didn’t look too great. Firstly, there were 100s of files flagged which are no longer supported and I would have to delete and about the same amount of files for ones that would need manually merging due to 10+ years of mods and so on. This is not an option. There’s only one thing for it…
Install of new phpBB 3.2 files
I had no other option that to bite the bullet and install the latest phpBB 3.2 files. I deleted every file on the forums apart from config.php and the following folders; \Store , \etc, \Files . I uploaded the full 3.2 set of files and folders then hit the install url. It all went through without issue.
Forums Up! (again)
I checked the forums and they were up and running. I carried out some quick checks (new post, reply, PMs etc) then got a couple of others to help me out. It all checks out fine and all posts are there dating right back to 2001. Sure, I’ve lost some mods and some styles but these can come back with time.
Octopus Deploy – Nuget Feed – 401 Unauthorized Pain
Experienced an issue with Octopus Deploy this week refusing to pull down in-house Nuget packages. Connecting to the Octopus server and checking the error logs gave a 401 Unauthorized error. First thing I did was to hit the endpoint in a browser and it worked fine. Strange. Checked the Octopus deploy Nuget Feed connection ensuring user and password details were correct and same error. What???!
Some sort of Octopus caching issue clearly. Ok I’ll create a new Nuget Feed using the same details and that should shift it? Nope. Guess again!
Still convinced it’s a caching issue I decided to restart the Octopus Deploy service on the Octopus server and that shifted it.
Powerline Adaptors – Review – TP-LINK TL-PA4010KIT V1.20 AV600 600 Mbps
Powerline adaptors are pretty cheap these days. They used to be pretty expensive and the results were hit and miss but at around £30 I thought I’d give them a go. I was surprised with the results didn’t think I’d notice to much of an improvement but I was wrong.
Before
After
Quit Facebook
Over Xmas 2016 (27th December to be precise) I decided to deactivate my Facebook account. Been thinking about it for a while and having a bit of time off work meant I could take a step back and re-evaluate what value it adds to my life, and it’s very little if I’m honest. I’d kinda fallen out of love with it a long time ago and most of my posts only comprise of images linked from when I post images on Instagram or Youtube links of stuff I’m listening to which of course lead to about 90% of my Friends bored shitless 🙂 . I was planning on reactivating my account after the Xmas festivities but having spent the last week off Facebook and not missing it I doubt I’ll bother.
Anyway some of the reasons and pros and cons as to why I quit are below.
Time Killer
Facebook kills so much time and it’s scary to see how much time you spend wading through stuff (mainly ads and clickbait – see below) and not really getting anything of interest back. Sure it’s great to see what friends are up to but it’s very likely they’re also on Twitter, Instagram etc which are 2 platforms that are suited better for that sort of thing.
Even now I’m procrastinating writing about feckin Facebook! That said it feels like I’ve gained about 20% of my life back. Time that I can spend on other things like reading, learning, meditation, going out, seeing friends just enjoying life really.
Facebook “Features” – Events
I focus on gigs and music here (as that’s what interests me) but you can easily apply this to Sports Events, Local Community Events whatever floats your boat really.
It just feels like Facebook isn’t the right platform for organising/attending events etc. It’s trying to do too much and failing badly. All the content you put on Facebook generates more revenue for them then it will for you. If you organise an event and post a Facebook event page to promote it immediately Facebook are benefiting from your efforts. They can direct advertising at people who click through and profile them further for future advertising and clickbait bullshit. It’s also easy to click “Yes” I’m attending but much more of an effort to get off your backside and actually attend so that feature offers little benefit.
It’s another page that the venue/organiser has to update and will probably fail to do so when there’s a last minute change or cancellation. Much easier to tweet or for the venue to update their website.
Bands websites and mail outs are the best way of finding out about events. I’m much more likely to read an email mailout from a band and make a note of the tour dates rather than stumble over a Facebook event. British Sea Power and The Wedding Present are 2 bands that spring to mind that do great email mailouts. Ents24 is also worth a mention here for gig alerts as a much better alternative to Facebook events.
Clickbait / Ads
One of the things that has really pissed me off with Facebook recently is the amount of adverts and clickbait bullshit. It’s getting real nasty as well. Some of the clickbait now is showing nudity or violence. One I saw fairly recently was some gruesome scene with “You’ll never guess what happened next!!”. I know it’s bullshit but why do I have to wade through all this shit. There’s better revenue models out there. Oh yeah, and they’re making money through all of your content and likes etc.
Innovation
Facebook’s algorithms seem absolutely batshit crazy at the moment. Why when I refresh my “news feed” do I get a different ordered set of posts each time? Just post them in decesnding time order like any normal person would do. And that’s another thing why do I have to refresh my feed? Another click, just stream it like Twitter does.
Facebook feels very clunky these days with all it’s features and bloatware. Catching up on social media should be a pretty slick user experience.
Twitter isn’t without similar issues here but it keeps things simplistic. I honestly think Twitter has a very interesting future. It’s very easy to find a company and tweet them and get a response. With bots and AI technology this will get even easier and Twitter lends itself well to slot right in here.
Friends
Facebook is great in this respect. In the last few years I’ve got in touch with friends from schooldays and met them for drinks etc for the first time in decades! and it’s been great. However, all of my friends on Facebook are genuine friends that can phone me or contact me through other means. I follow them on Twitter and I can pick up the phone at any point. And even go outside! and meet them for drinks/food etc.
I know a few friends that have quit Facebook and they’ve said they don’t miss it at all.
But you’re still on Twitter right?!
Sure, and Instagram and other sites which could be classed as social media but none of them come close to the bloatware/clickbait world of pain that Facebook currently offers.
You logged into Facebook – I saw you!
I’m the only admin for a group with over 3k members. After 6 days of being offline I logged in to approve/moderate and there were around 30 new members needing approval. I’m currently looking to hand this over to someone.
The future for Facebook looks bleak
For many of the reasons above I can’t see Facebook improving. They seem to remove or destroy any decent features / content and mess about with things that aren’t broken. IF Facebook ever sorts itself out and gets rid of the crap and starts to become innovative I may one day return but right now it looks unlikely.
Kenickie – Leeds Cockpit 7th October 1998
Kenickie and Lauren Laverne before she was famous…..I think this was 1998? Could’ve been the year before when they played here in May. My memory is hazy here. I first saw Kenickie at Reading Festival 1997 and was going to see them at Breeze Festival in Leeds in 1998 but we left before they came on as the festival was a shambles.
Anyway….. me and a group of friends (all obsessive Kenickie fans) definitely saw them at Leeds Cockpit. I was pretty familiar with the Cockpit spending many a Friday night at “Brighton Beach” or the occasional Saturday at “The Garage” club night.
Some of my mates bought Jelly Babies for Johnny X and handed them to him before the gig. I don’t remember much about the gig itself but I do recall hanging around afterwards trying to meet Lauren Laverne. She eventually came and talked to us. We all had a chat with her, she gave me a kiss on the cheek and I took the photo below.
One of us (not me) made a lasting impression on Lauren which formed the headline in an NME article a few weeks later. I remember the surprise of opening that NME and seeing that on the bus home from college one day. But that’s another story.
Some of my treasured Kenickie stuff…
