Introduction: The Most Professional Web Forum Script
This Tutorial will show how to install the vBulletin Connect 5 forum software script using cPanel to create a MySQL database & upload the files to a CentOS web server.
vBulletin is one of the most popular web forum scripts for community discussion, technical support, information exchange, social networking, SEO, & internet marketing.
The vBulletin Connect 5 forum script is not free. The license costs $249 for use on one domain, including upgrades. The script must be purchased in order to be downloaded & installed. There are no “one click” Softaculous installation facilities for vBulletin.
Step One: Download vBulletin Connect 5 from the Website
After purchasing vBulletin, navigate to the Members Area & download the script from the links provided. You will have the option to download older versions of the platform.
Select the latest stable version (5.4.5+) & note that this will support PHP 7.2, where earlier versions do not. If you are forced to run PHP 5.6, choose the latest version.
REQUIRED FILES – DOWNLOAD:
- vBulletin Connect 5: (Download Files)
After the download is complete, extract the archive on the desktop. The folder includes two files: one that contains the upload requirements & one with development tools.
UPLOAD FOLDER – DESKTOP EDITS REQUIRED:
- In the “upload” folder, locate the file from config.php.bkp and change the name to config.php by removing the temporary .bkp extension.
- In the core/includes folder, locate the file config.php.new and rename it to config.php by removing the temporary .new extension.
Next, use a FTP program such as Filezilla, FTPRush, or FlashFXP to upload all of the files to the web server for the registered domain to be used for vBulletin.
Alternatively, use cPanel’s File Manager. Upload all of the contents of the vBulletin“upload” folder to the root of the domain or use File Manager to extract a .zip archive.
To complete, locate the htaccess.txt file in the root of the domain & change the name of this file to .htaccess for Apache. The vBulletin script will now be ready to install.
Step Two: Create the MySQL Database in cPanel
To install vBulletin, it is required to create a new MySQL database. Using cPanel on CentOS, CloudLinux, & RHEL servers, use the “MySQL Database Wizard”.
Create the new database with a unique name & add a user. Grant “all permissions” to the user for the database. Write down the settings with password for the installation.
After you have successfully set up a MySQL database, proceed to the next step to run the vBulletin installation script in a web browser like Chrome, Firefox, Safari, or IE.
Step Three: Edit the vBulletin Configuration Files
Navigate to /core/includes/config.php & open the config.php file in a text editor. Have the information for the MySQL database available to enter in the following areas:
// ****** DATABASE TYPE ****** // This is the type of the database server on which your vBulletin database // will be located. Currently the only option is mysqli. MariaDB uses the same // libraries as Mysql and should use mysqli as the dbtype. For slave support add // _slave to the end of the database class. $config['Database']['dbtype'] = 'mysqli'; // ****** DATABASE NAME ****** // This is the name of the database where your vBulletin will be located. // This must be created by your webhost. $config['Database']['dbname'] = 'forum'; // ****** TABLE PREFIX ****** // Prefix that your vBulletin tables have in the database. $config['Database']['tableprefix'] = ''; // ****** TECHNICAL EMAIL ADDRESS ****** // If any database errors occur, they will be emailed to the address specified here. // Leave this blank to not send any emails when there is a database error. $config['Database']['technicalemail'] = 'dbmaster@example.com'; // ****** MASTER DATABASE SERVER NAME AND PORT ****** // This is the hostname or IP address and port of the database server. // If you are unsure of what to put here, leave the default values. // // Note: If you are using IIS 7+ and MySQL is on the same machine, you // need to use 127.0.0.1 instead of localhost $config['MasterServer']['servername'] = 'localhost'; $config['MasterServer']['port'] = 3306; // ****** MASTER DATABASE USERNAME & PASSWORD ****** // This is the username and password you use to access MySQL. // These must be obtained through your webhost. $config['MasterServer']['username'] = 'root'; $config['MasterServer']['password'] = '';
Update the values for MySQL database name, password, user, & email. Review the additional vBulletin configuration settings. Save the file & upload it to the web server.
Step Four: Run the vBulletin Installation Script
The vBulletin Connect 5 installation script requires the Customer Number to create a new web forum. To run the vBulletin Connect 5 installation script, navigate to:
- http://www.example.com/install/install.php
In order to proceed with the installation, you will need to first enter the Customer Number for the vBulletin software license:
It is also required to register your domain with vBulletin for the install at:
- Edit the vBulletin Connect 5 License for Domain: (vB)
Enter your domain name with a site description and category. Save the settings and enter the vBulletin customer number in the domain to run the installation script.
If the config.php file is correctly configured, the MySQL database will connect. Click the “Begin Install” button to continue:
- Enter the name of the forum
- Create a name & password for the admin user
- Set an admin password
Follow the prompts in the installation process to enter the information listed above. The vBulletin Connect 5 installer has 22 total steps which must finish before completion.
Step Five: Delete Unrequired Files After the Installation
To finish, the entire /core/install directory needs to be deleted. Otherwise, new users will be unable to login and access the administration section of vBulletin Connect 5.
In File Manager, navigate to the listed directory & delete the /core/install folder.
Navigate to example.com/admincp/ & load your new vBulletin Connect 5 website:
Use the administration tools in vBulletin Connect 5 to build the forum sections & set up user registration for new accounts. There are also options for blog pages & profiles.
To force an HTTPS connection on all pages, open the .htaccess file:
#To redirect users to the secure version of your site, uncomment the lines below
RewriteCond %{HTTPS} !=on
RewriteRule .* https://%{SERVER_NAME}%{REQUEST_URI} [R=301,L]Uncomment the last two lines, save, & replace the .htaccess file on the web server. Use a free SSL/TLS Certificate from Let’s Encrypt which installs easily on cPanel.
Conclusion: Popular Web Forum for Community Discussion
vBulletin Connect 5 is the latest version of one of the most popular web forum scripts in the world. Make sure to keep the website updated with new security releases.
vBulletin is used by both Fortune 500 companies and niche web publishers for community building & discussion. The forum is easy to use on mobile & desktop.
vBulletin Connect 5 has a market leading position in the web forum software sector which is challenged by free PHP scripts & open source CMS platforms on a cost basis.
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