Connection to source server fails

[MorningFlight]

Hi,

I bought vBulletin yesterday, set up a web site, and had the forum up and running in the span of an afternoon. Amazing! Your documentation couldn't be more helpful and explicit.

Now comes the hard part - importing my old phpBB forum. I am reasonably sure all the info I entered in the impex config is correct but I get the message "Connection to source server failed. Check username and password."

Here is my question: Can Impex convert to vBulletin from a full phpBB backup file? The ISP that hosts my old phpBB forum upgraded their servers a few weeks ago, and ever since, access to the forum is slow as molasses. So slow, in fact, that the connection usually times out when I try try to export or backup the database. I do have one good backup that I uploaded to the vBulletin directory in my newly created web site.

Appreciate the help.

Hal

P.S. I just found Jerry's post "ImpEx can't read from a SQL backup file (for a database source system), it needs that restored to a database where it can connect and use SQL."

If I set up a new phpBB with the ISP (BlueHost) where vBulletin is located, then do a restore, I'm I on the right track?

[Steve Machol]

Yes, you will need to restore the phpBB database to the same server where you have vB installed.

[brad007]

hi, i have a similar problem.

i have vb 3.5.0 running on one server and the new vb 3.7.1 on a new server and i am trying to get just the users across and nothing else. i have tried with impex but i get the same message:
Connection to source server failed. Check username and password.

can you help?

[Steve Machol]

You will have to move the source db to the same server as the target db.

[brad007]

i tried that, saved it as a mysql but it's to big to import over coz it's over 51mb?

or can i just export the user tables as mysql??

[Steve Machol]

The only consistently reliable method of backing up and restoring a database is with shell access via telnet or ssh. This is because backing up with a PHP script like that in the Admin CP or phpMyAdmin can result in PHP timeout errors and an incomplete backup file.

Please see the instructions here:

Backup:
http://www.vbulletin.com/docs/html/maintenance_ssh_backup

Restore:
http://www.vbulletin.com/docs/html/maintenance_ssh_restore

If you don't have telnet or SSH access, some people have reported success with these scripts:

MySQLDumper:
http://www.mysqldumper.de/en/index.php

MySQLHotxcopy:
http://www.vbulletin.com/forum/showthread.php?t=134821&highlight=mysqlhotcopy

[brad007]

thanks for that. managed to finally get it across and upload it successful only when all the hacks were turned off.