Site Maintenance and security updates discussion

[yogisumo]

Questions:
   1) How large is the database?
   2) Is is possible to "export" in a reduced/changed format?
   3) Would it be possible to allow access to it in "archived" format?
   
   This would allow you to move to different software and still allow access to "archived" versions of the old database.

Just a thought...

[Damion]

If it's causing problems I say dump it and start over...change is good, no reason to stall the inevitable. Maybe the old site could be archived in a "read only" state for those who feel it's necessary, or better yet just a certain few threads that cover common issues.

Good luck

:pint:

[Argo]

1) It's Big.

2) Changed/reduced how? Exporting is easy. If your talking about the planned pruning, it'll be the site database providing site content. It'll get exported for backup as usual. Not really sure what you are getting at.

3) The pruned DB? Why? The only way the information in the database would make sence is if it is presented by Xoops. Raw SQL Exports are pretty incoherent to read.

[Argo]

by dammy on 2005/2/23 16:00:03    Wouldn't it be more prudent to drop xoop and go with something that is proven, like slashcode?

yeah, but it would still look like Slashdot. Might work for ANN though.

[nex4060]

I haven't been here for that long, however i feel that it would be a darn shame to pruge all posts more than one year old. We/you would loose alot of historical data plus I find the search function EVERY usefull indeed, and those posts are typicaly more than a year old.

Whatever you want to do with the non-amiga related forums is your own business :-)

[yogisumo]

Argo wrote:
1) It's Big.

   Big is a relative term.  How big?  1 gigabyte. 2. .5? .25?

2) Changed/reduced how? Exporting is easy. If your talking about the planned pruning, it'll be the site database providing site content. It'll get exported for backup as usual. Not really sure what you are getting at.

   If you can generate html to send to a user, then is it possible to generate/export an html representation of the forums?  I know nothing about Xoops or site databases.  This is just a shot in the dark...

I would have taken this site as we know it and moved it to "classicamiga.org" which I owned a couple of years ago then built a new, better-focused Amiga.org from scratch.  Alas, since I let it go, someone else has registered it.

Wayne

[weirdami]

2) If someone doesn't get his new password (say he doesn't check his E-mail for a month) couldn't he log on as a new user and make a new account?

If he wanted the same user name he'd need to have not logged on for a year, right?

@Wayne

How long after the change will accounts that have not been "reactivated", because they didn't request a new password, be deleted? When they are deleted, won't we have loads of "anonymous" posts?

If you haven't logged on in a year, your account, any comments, posts, and any other content attributed to you will be deleted, so yes, the forums will be in effect, self-pruning.

The reason for this need is that the forums now cover almost 300 megabytes worth of database space.  As you might imagine, throwing 300 megabytes worth of data around can get to be a nightmare.

As I said earlier though, if I had a suitable domain (such as classicamiga.org), I would have simply moved the current incarnation of AO to it and built a new, more focused and relevant site using AO.

Wayne

[seer]

@Wayne,

Well, if you remember, I did bother you with some PM's with different CMS and Forum software.. IIRC Invision was/is available as a module for Xoops, but it could also be another CMS. (Not saying you didn't reply, you did ;-))

At work we dropped the idea of using a CMS, as we only "need" a forum, we decided to get a forum based on SQL, not MySql, and also dropping PHP (.net / ASP). Not sure about the name of the (free) package we are using now, but is it a consideration to drop MySQL ? Sure, nothing wrong with MySQL.


Also to consider, Xoops is free, MySQL is free. SQL and Invision are not.

[seer]

Questions:
1) How large is the database?
2) Is is possible to "export" in a reduced/changed format?
3) Would it be possible to allow access to it in "archived" format?


Hm.. Should be doable I guess. Xoops can run different Forum modules, tho AFAIK not the same module more then 1.

[seer]

I would have taken this site as we know it and moved it to "classicamiga.org" which I owned a couple of years ago then built a new, better-focused Amiga.org from scratch. Alas, since I let it go, someone else has registered it.

Hm.. How about grandpa.amiga.org ?  :-) (Or better grandma.amiga.org ?)

[x56h34]

How about moving onto a better forum software, but still keeping everything from the old one as well, however totally independent from the new? You could call it Amiga.org archive and it would look exactly the same as it does now, however without any posting permissions, and the only purpose of it would be to keep historically important posts, or perhaps more, if space permits. You could just enable the use of search function on the old system and nothing else. Simply transfer usernames and their post counts (if this is a must) to the new software, and that's it.

[Trooper]

x56h34 wrote:
and that's it.

No sweat.  :-D

Trooper

[weirdami]

How about grandpa.amiga.org ...

Or, thisoldforum.amiga.org or fogeyposts.amiga.org or largetextfileofoldpostsnobodydownloads.amiga.org. :-P

There is no inclination, desire, or need to drop MySQL, PHP, or anything outside of the poorly designed Xoops 2.x engine.

Wayne