Support Knowledge Base » Scripting & Databases

How can I upgrade my phpBB 2.x.x forum?

It is very important to keep your forum software up to date and secure. Please regularly check the script developers sites for security updates. In some cases, you may be able to subscribe to a mail list that announces security updates.

This tutorial will show you how to upgrade phpBB2. These instructions should be suitable for any phpBB2 forum which hasn't had any code modifications made to it. Please note that these instructions are for upgrades between minor releases, for example 2.0.19 to 2.0.21.

It's best to disable your forums whilst doing this kind of work. Once disabled, visitors to your site will be presented with a message advising them to try again later. To disable your forums, you need to login to the phpBB administration section and select the 'configuration' option from the side menu. Then set the 'disable board' option to 'yes' and click on 'submit' at the bottom of the page. Your forums will then be disabled.

Whilst in the administration section, you can make a backup of the database, in case something goes wrong during the upgrade. Select the 'backup database' option from the side menu. Choose the 'full backup' option and set the 'gzip compress file' to 'yes'. When you click 'start backup' the backup is downloaded to your computer.

You now need to visit the phpBB website to download the required upgrade file. Go to the download section that can be found at http://www.phpbb.com/downloads.php. You need to download, then unzip the 'changed files only' package. It's recommended that you sign up to the phpBB updates mailing list at the same time, so that notifications of new versions are emailed to you when they are released.

Within the zip archive, there will be a number of files, with names like '2.0.19_to_2.0.21.zip'. Find the file where the name begins with the version you currently have installed. Unzip the file relating to your current version.

All the files and directories within this version specific archive, need to be uploaded to your account. Connect to your site using FTP and browse to the directory that contains your forum and proceed with uploading the files and directories.

Now all the files have been updated, you need to update the database. If your forum is at 'http://example.com/forums/', then you would visit 'http://example.com/forums/install/update_to_latest.php' to update the database. This script should confirm that the database has been updated.

You now need to connect using FTP and remove the install directory that you had previously uploaded.

All the upgrade work is now complete. Login to the phpBB administration section and select the 'configuration' option from the side menu. Then set the 'disable board' option to 'no'. Once the form is submitted, your visitors will be able to use your forums again.

For further information, please visit the phpBB website at http://phpbb.com/ or check out the community support forums at http://phpbb.com/phpBB/.

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