Important: Read Before Purchasing.

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  • Wayne Luke
    vBulletin Technical Support Lead
    • Aug 2000
    • 73979

    Important: Read Before Purchasing.

    Here is some basic information and links that will help you determine if vBulletin is the right solution for you and if it will work on your server.

    Minimum System Requirements
    (For vB 3.8 and earlier) A webserver with PHP 4.3.3 and MySQL 4.0.16 installed
    (For vB4) A webserver with PHP 5.2 and MySQL 4.1.0 installed
    (For vB5) A webserver with PHP 5.3, MySQL 5.1.5 and mod_rewrite, URL Rewrite or equivalent.

    Recommended System Requirements
    For vB4:
    PHP 5.2.6 or later
    MySQL 5.0.19 or later
    For vB5:
    PHP 5.4 or later
    MySQL 5.5 or later

    Space required
    With vBulletin there are 2 different types of disk space usage:
    • Web space - For the PHP scripts and images of vBulletin.
    • MySQL database space - Which is separate from Web space, and you need to make sure your host gives you enough space in that department.
    When you use vBulletin, you have to take into account both web space and MySQL database space. vBulletin 3.x consists of:
    • PHP scripts and image files in the zip file you download = 7.0mb in size once zip file is extracted and uploaded to your Web site account.
    • MySQL database space which holds the actual vBulletin data:
    1. On initial install the MySQL database space used is approximately 3.6mb, and that is mainly the database table structure and initial data in the database tables.
    2. Once you start posting, adding threads, members, polls, private messages, attachments, avatars etc, your MySQL database space is the one that grows and should be your main concern - MySQL disk space.
    How much MySQL disk space is used is highly dependent on the type of forum you run, and factors such as:
    • Your average allowed attachment and avatar size
    • How many attachments and avatars you have stored in your vBulletin database
    • How many private messages you have stored in your vBulletin database from members
    • How many posts and threads you have and the size and variables you have set for your searchindex
    • How many members you have
    • How many forums you have
    • And so on and so forth
    Links
    vBulletin Demo
    Tryout the vBulletin forum software with a temporary demo (lasting 24 hours). Review features, capabilities and get a look at the control panel as a full administrator.

    Frequently Asked Questions - Presales
    The answers to the most commonly asked questions about purchasing vBulletin.

    vBulletin.org
    A member-helping-member community that helps you to add customizations to vBulletin to fit your community. Please note, these customizations are not supported by Jelsoft staff and you must obtain support at vBulletin.org.

    Test Your Server
    The vBulletin Server Test Script will tell you if your current webserver is capable of running vBulletin. You can download it by clicking here.

    Running the test script
    This script is designed to run on a webserver. It will not run on your local machine unless you have the minimum requirements above installed on it as well. To run this script connect to your webserver and use an FTP/SCP client to copy the file to your web root directory.

    Once the file is uploaded then load it like a standard web page in your browser, e.g. http://www.yourdomain.com/vb_test.php.

    The page should have a blue background and ask for your MySQL information. If you do not know your MySQL Connection information, you can get this from your hosting provider.

    After entering this information and pressing "Run Test", the script will show information from each test and an overall pass/fail grade at the bottom. If you get an overall grade of pass then vBulletin will work on your server.


    --------------------
    If you have any further questions please post them in this forum or contact sales directly.
    Last edited by Wayne Luke; Thu 31 Oct '13, 11:39am.
    Translations provided by Google.

    Wayne Luke
    The Rabid Badger - a vBulletin Cloud demonstration site.
    vBulletin 5 API
  • Steve Machol
    Former Customer Support Manager
    • Jul 2000
    • 154488

    #2
    Read This Before Purchasing a Second-Hand License

    The urge to look for deals is ubiquitous and there is nothing wrong with that. We all want to be able to buy something for less. However such sales can be fraught with risks, particularly in regards to software licensing and dealing with persons unknown to us personally.

    Therefore before purchasing a second-hand vBulletin license, you should be aware that making such a purchase means taking a risk that you will be scammed and the license will either be invalid or subject to revocation after the sale and transfer. Furthermore, vBulletin Solutions cannot be a party to any disputes involving license transfers. Here are some of the possible pitfalls when purchasing a license from an unofficial source and some things you should know:

    1. First, please read the license agreement, located here: http://www.vbulletin.com/order/license_agreement.php

    It outlines our license transfer restrictions, including a limit of one transfer per license. Once a license is transferred to you, you will not be able to transfer this license in the future.

    2. Be aware that even after the transfer it is possible that the original purchase of the license could be charged back. This can, and does happen. If that is done, then the license will be revoked and you will no longer have a legal license to run vBulletin. [Note: Chargebacks can occur at almost any time so time does not equal security.]

    3. If the old owner continues to use this copy of vBulletin and this license is being used on more than one site, this may result in the license being revoked.

    4. Finally, in some cases the owner may dispute that this was a valid transfer. Whole we do everything we can to ensure the transfer request is valid, we cannot guarantee that it won't be disputed. If this happens the transfer will be considered fraudulent and the license will revert back to the original owner.

    How to purchase vB safely?

    1. The only safe way to purchase a license for vBulletin is directly from us. You can do that here: http://www.vbulletin.com/order/

    2. If you are willing to accept the risks involved with purchasing a second-hand license, then you should get the following info from the seller:

    - License number
    - Name and email address on that account


    Once you have this info, you can use the online form at http://www.vbulletin.com/en/contacts/ to ask us to verify that info and whether the license is eligible for transfer. We will let you know if the info is valid and the license is available for transfer. We cannot, of course, guarantee such third-party transactions, so the previously discussed risks still apply.
    Last edited by BirdOPrey5; Sat 1 Aug '15, 2:33am. Reason: Updated with link to online form
    Steve Machol, former vBulletin Customer Support Manager (and NOT retired!)
    Change CKEditor Colors to Match Style (for 4.1.4 and above)

    Steve Machol Photography


    Mankind is the only creature smart enough to know its own history, and dumb enough to ignore it.


    Comment

    • Wayne Luke
      vBulletin Technical Support Lead
      • Aug 2000
      • 73979

      #3
      Per the license agreement, you are only allowed one instance of vBulletin on one domain per vBulletin license - http://www.vbulletin.com/order/license_agreement.php

      vBulletin licence grants you the right to run one instance (a single installation) of the Software on one web server and one web site for each licence purchased. Each licence may power one instance of the Software on one domain. For each installed instance of the Software, a separate licence is required.Modifications to the software or database to circumvent the one-license-one-board rule are prohibited.
      There are many questions that come up regarding running multiple forums on multiple domains using the same installation. The part of the license agreement in question here is - Each licence may power one instance of the Software on one domain. One instance means one forum, one installation, and one set of content. One domain means exactly that - however, there are exceptions to the one domain rule.

      Specific cases:
      1. Your forum is accessable from multiple domains but the content is the same for each link. This is OK and does not require multiple licenses.
      2. Your forum is accessible from multiple domains but each domain shows a different forum style. This is OK and does not require multiple licenses.
      3. Your forum is accessible from multiple domains and your forums are configured to show/hide certain forums based on the domain. This is not OK and requires an active vBulletin license for each domain. In this situation the forums appear to have separate content thereby making them separate forums in the eyes of the license agreement. Your forum content needs to be the same for each domain in order to qualify as a single forum.
      The underlying question here is, do the different links appear as separate forums? If so then multiple licenses are required.

      Separating content and forum styles by using subforums and forumdisplay links within a single domain is allowed because that functionality is built-in to vBulletin.
      Last edited by Wayne Luke; Thu 2 Jan '14, 11:59am.
      Translations provided by Google.

      Wayne Luke
      The Rabid Badger - a vBulletin Cloud demonstration site.
      vBulletin 5 API

      Comment

      • Wayne Luke
        vBulletin Technical Support Lead
        • Aug 2000
        • 73979

        #4
        vBulletin ImpEx Software is the Import / Export system that we offer at no cost to our licensed customers who want to import from (one or more) third party forum software such as into vBulletin version 3.6. It comes with free support and an indepth manual may you require help.

        We currently support the importing of data from a number of different forum and information systems. You can find a list of all systems involved by visiting our online manual at:



        In the future additional systems will be supported based on developer availablity and customer demand.
        Translations provided by Google.

        Wayne Luke
        The Rabid Badger - a vBulletin Cloud demonstration site.
        vBulletin 5 API

        Comment

        • Wayne Luke
          vBulletin Technical Support Lead
          • Aug 2000
          • 73979

          #5
          Currently we provide vBulletin with English, Arabic and French language packs. The download package includes English and you can download Arabic and French from https://members.vbulletin.com/language_packs.php. vBulletin is available in German at http://www.vbulletin-germany.com.

          vBulletin also includes a Language Manager in the admin control panel. This allows you to translate the vBulletin interface into your own language or several languages, as well as being able to import language packs created others. Your users can then select the language they prefer to view the board in.

          We do have a Languages & Phrases forum where you can find packs donated by our customers and also receive help for creating your own:

          The place to ask questions and get help with creating and sharing language packs for vBulletin.


          Also, here's the forum containing downloads of the current Language Packs made available by our customers:

          This forum contains free vB language packs available for downloading by licensed customers. These packs are submitted by customers and are not 'official' language packs.


          Please note, the Language Management System only covers the board text and not individual posts. The posts themselves will be displayed in the original language they were written in.
          Translations provided by Google.

          Wayne Luke
          The Rabid Badger - a vBulletin Cloud demonstration site.
          vBulletin 5 API

          Comment

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