@Atasas Even if they lost the database they should have a backup. If not recent then they should at least have 1 backup from 2017.
I am confused by your comment since I assume you know you can redirect everything. -- I also assume, you should know you can import it all without losing everything too. YES, I mean both the forum and main site. You can import both the forum and the WordPress and keep the redirects for both, including the different sub-domains too. Your approach would not address the manual edits that were made within the database which has in the past brought up further issues. I would look to guarantee a fix with an import which would resolve that since you'd be moving all the importable data (username, password, post, etc... etc..) into a fresh install, completely avoiding any of the previous problems. You're also forgetting the comments in the past which suggest there may have been a security issue and they simply "patched", rather than resolve (not a smart move). -- The integrity of the data is in doubt (twice) and that needs to be resolved. WoltLab is a lot easier than you make it out to be, but it really comes down to personal preference. But I digress since they could keep IPS, and use WoltLab as only a "middle-man" to resolve some of the previously mentioned issues. You're forgetting there is a lot more to a bridge than just the post, but as well as all the database queries pulled when moving about (even logging in). There is so much more than I care to even explain when it comes to the complications of having a bridge between two software. -- But I digress, the whole point would be to set them up in a manner which would be low maintenance and allow for better stability, while keeping their staff independent from needing someone's help in the future. Again, so much more to a bridge than just PHP compatibility. You have to worry about what version of WordPress and IPB they are using and worry about every update too as every possible update is a possible break in the bridge. Really should not be dependent on a bridge. -- nsane has had more than enough downtime due to continuous issues. I'd think they would want to move away from the possibility of more downtime and I'm sure their users would be thankful of that as well.
This is why it is important to always make more than one backup. Not just a local copy for yourself, but also a remote copy on a secure location. You also do not just backup the database, but all the files and configuration as well. It is important to have everything for a point of reference, but also to make for a restore point should you ever need one in the future.
Thus, apart from other endless issues with some truly malicious stuff (every forum gets those) Backup's was the sticky situation for many years, as upgrades kept getting converted etc (personally couldn't follow such) ANW, thanks dude!
Last I checked you can't import Wordpress content into WoltLab. And the Wordpress content is categorized and styled as an article. I guess that you're assuming they've made manual edits, since it's not mentioned anywhere here and I've never heard about them making any manual edits? Of course I might be wrong, but I've never seen this mentioned anywhere else before now. That was prior to them updating to IPS 4.2.x recently. They'll no longer have any patches in place. Yes there are other factors, but look at how long their existing bridge worked for them. Besides, for all either of us know a little maintenance and an upgrade to PHP 7 might be enough to get everything working perfectly. In other words they might not need any changes to the existing forum software or the bridge. I'm sure we could go back and forth on this all day as we've got different ways of doing things, but what's the point? The admins haven't asked for help and neither of us know a lot about their server.
I suggest you read more up on WoltLab. -- You can import WordPress into WoltLab It was once mentioned on nsane once and there had been a few suggestions by the staff when they previously had an issue and needed it to be corrected. This included at one time, IPS Support needing to correct changes nsane staff made too. An importer would help a long way in both either overcoming redundant issues or quickly identifying where something may need correcting (as opposed to looking for a niddle in a haystack). -- Yes, I do worry about the state of their database. Again, I still worry about the data integrity and it is better safe than to be sorry. Define, worked? This whole thread alone, let alone the many other places nsane is being talked about, is more than enough proof of how unstable that environment has been. But I digress, my goal would be to give them a platform with a fresh start and opportunities without losing content or relying on outside dependencies. Thinking long term, I think they would really want to work with ease, self-sufficiency (independence), and stability.
Damn! I'm betting few $$$ you are (have been) one of the prominent members nSane ? Good night to everybody!
Isn't this WoltLab to Wordpress? Code: https://github.com/WoltLab/com.woltlab.wcf.exporter/blob/master/files/lib/system/exporter/WordPress3xExporter.class.php Their upgrade should of corrected or mentioned any issues. You'd probably break things even more by importing the database into something like WoltLab and then converting that back to IPS. The bridge has always worked fine. It's IPS 4.0.0 that brought them issues and then their server would eventually start to crash. Neither of us know what truly causes the crashes though as we don't have access to their logs. That's where we differ. I don't think you can do it without losing content or their custom styles. I also think their members wouldn't want the forums software to be changed. Long term is it better to have an all in one solution? Yes. But I personally wouldn't use WoltLab. I'd sooner fix any issues between IPS and Wordpress or I'd buy the extras for IPS. Like I said in my previous post, this is all a little pointless I've got nothing more to say. @Atasas I sometimes glance at their homepage to see if there's any new software updates, but I'm not a member of their forums.
They upgraded to 4.2, right? OK, well they altered stuff after that too (which is partly why it kept going down after the upgrade too). Do you know how a converter works? --- First, the source database is completely unaltered (no changes), which means success or fail, the source database is left "as is", which means you risk nothing in attempting to convert. Second, the new target database only converts the data it reads and "translates" the data into the targets desires format. It does not read every table or sub-table of the source since it does not need them all, only what is relevant (post, threads, users... etc.. etc...), which means it would skip irrelevant data including modifications. Third, I will remind you that should it fail, the source database, again, would be unharmed since it makes no changes to the source from start to finish (you risk nothing in trying). However, the converter would note where a fail took place and give you a clearer idea of what damages nsane staff made originally. This is useful information that could be used for recovery. Fourth, should it succeed in converting, you now have all your data securely converted into a fresh install without any of the previous issues. --- It really is a win, win either way. The bridge app on IPS, has to be continuously updated, since it must be kept compatible with every release of IPS and WordPress, at the same time. Now, you can avoid updating your software, but that particularly would be a bad idea given often WordPress updates particularly include security fixes. Both WoltLab and IPS offer their own CMS (content management system) (and blog software too) and no matter if nsane stuck with WoltLab or with IPS, they could easily migrate their data without losing anything, while also keeping their software unified, and improve both performance and data integrity. Both WoltLab and IPS can be styled to fix their needs. -- I have already contacted both developments since I am on good speaking terms with some of the developers (IPS and WoltLab) and gave them a basic idea of what could be done and both confirm no data would be lost. -- Where we differ is I'd want them to be able to stand on their own two feet without relying on someone else always holding their hand (or at the very least, be able to freely seek advice if needed). This is because I'd seek a means for them to have as few dependencies as possible. -- That would apply to either their choice to stick with WoltLab or go back to IPS, since my plan accounts for both possiblities.
@GOD666 Look, how many times have I said I'm done with the conversation? Twice. You're either deliberately ignoring key parts of what I'm saying or you're not good at following what I'm saying. Your argument was and still is that they've applied modifications (a claim that you can't currently prove). So you're hoping that importing the database into something else would go smoothly, even though you claim that they've manually modified the database. Well lets say it worked anyway, but they didn't want to use WoltLab - they only want to clean their database of any potential issues. One way to do that is to import from WoltLab or XenForo back into IPS, but that can introduce new issues. Post formatting errors are a guarantee and you'll almost certainly lose specific/custom profile settings, node settings and forum settings too. You nor I know how they've bridged it together. If it's a known public plugin or if someone coded something for ND a long time ago. Like I've said already, we know very little about their server and it's software. Yeah, well I don't believe that or what you're saying. I have good reason to believe that too You're assuming that the bridge is at fault when I know that it isn't. I only mentioned the bridge as a minor issue if they were to upgrade to PHP 7. And it would only be a minor issue if they've not updated the plugin in years and the plugin happens to use a deprecated function. So the reason the forum crashes is due to their server setup, which means that if that were fixed their WordPress website and the IPS website could run independently even if if the bridge wasn't working So your whole WoltLab detour is very unnecessary. I know that 1 of the moderators blames the current issue on IPS, but I'd bet that it's not strictly an IPS issue. We already know that they use an older version of PHP, so they probably also use an old version of Apache and MySQL too. Do not reply to me again. I'm sick and this is an utterly pointless conversation as we've not been asked for help and I do things totally differently to how you do things. You believe your way is better and I disagree. Deal with it.
When Norton, my first AV that came with the computer expired, I searched the dark corners of the web to find a new key. Fortunately, I failed so I found one for Kaspersky, which was better. When that also expired, so did my patience for seeking pirated keys all the time. So I got free AVIRA, which if not actually better, it does the job while sparing me the trouble of frequent seeking of risky keys.
Unfortunately with AVIRA does not come with a Firewall and its a pain to go through Windows Firewall to stop certain programs dialling home. Hence the ease of Norton's Firewall.
Actually, the W10 firewall is very good, doing its work without bothering the user with annoying cryptic messages. And its settings are conveniently accessible from the taskbar. But if you want a different firewall, there are several free ones. Only you don't need them.