Beginners guide

how to create a phpbb forum

[LeadX]

Hi,

I want to create a forum and have heard that phpbb is good, but I am a beginner and I'm not sure how to set up a database - something the phpbb help guide tells you to do as one of the first steps.

My hosting package is 1&1 home - will phpbb run with this package?

The most complicated thing I have done so far online is to create a form script for an application form using formstogo, so I don't know anyting about mySQL, databases etc or how to go about setting them up.

Is there a beginners guide out there that I am missing? Everything I've seen seems to explain things for an intermediate rather than beginner.

Thanks.

[Oldiesmann]

Check out the FAQs at 1and1.com for information on how to set up a database on their server. From the main page, click on "FAQs", then "Applications" and finally "MySQL Administration".

phpBB should run on their servers, although if your forum gets busy, you might run into problems. I know someone who used to be hosted with 1and1 and was running an SMF board, and when it got busy, we'd run into "CGI-limits reached. Please try again later" errors. The company said something about it being related to the size of the files and how much data CGI could access at once. Eventually we got tired of the errors and moved to a different host.

[Lynn_Terry]

I use PHPBB and found it was relatively easy to install - the manual walks you through everything step by step. You might want to contact your support tech at the hosting company and run the installation by them to make sure everything is a go.

If you have Cpanel, though, you should have a one-click install for PHPBB through the Fantastico icon...

Good luck!

[gazraa]

phpbb is an easy forum to get up and running and is very capable. I used it for a forum I run which has close to 300 members.

My only issue with it is the amount of patches and updates that come out for it and the frequency of them. Several 'major bug fixes' in the space of a week or two was just too much.

I have recently moved over to SMF and wish I did it sooner so it's well worth a look at some of the other free solutions. phpbb is good, but be prepared to do a lot of updating.

That's just my experience though, I know it's used successfully by a lot of people.

[PeteM]

I have three instances of phpBB (plus 1 Joomla and 10 domains) running on my 1and1 account. Never had any problems with phpBB and have only take 3 upgrades in as many years.

Pete

[rogerd]

>>have only take 3 upgrades in as many years.

There have been a lot more version changes for security upgrades than that. Were you able to patch in between major upgrades? Running without patching can be dangerous, as some of our members found a few months ago.

[PeteM]

Nope, didn't bother with the patches either. Just because there's a vulnerability doesn't mean somebody is going to exploit it on my fairly modest board.

What's the worst that can happen? Somebody will hack my board, I'll close it apply the fix and restore if necessary.

Might be a bit cowboyish but as I say, this strategy has worked OK for me. I wouldn't necessarily recommend it for others.

Pete