Outage and upgrade

[jmb]

Yes, the forum upgrade actually happened in the end.

We had some trouble over the last week with every page showing an HTTP 500 error, which turned out to be down to a change of the PHP software default on the hosting provider. We could have forced it back to an old enough version to support our embarrassingly palaeolithic version of phpBB, but it seemed like the time to move up.

The process requires a fairly lengthy process of converting the previous database for the new software version; as far as I can tell, everything has come over from that, but please do follow up in this topic if you identify any discrepancies. There was one post which showed an error related to font size and I hacked it slightly for a clean update, and there are 9 fewer posts - but spelunking through the database it looks like they were all deleted posts where some sort of internal record of them still existed.

I've not tested the group management and moderation, so if you're a mod, please try out any frequently-used features.

jmb

[RevdTess]

Great stuff, thankyou! What version of phpBB are we on now?

[jmb]

Latest 3.3.2.

[jmb]

Has anyone had problems logging in with their existing password, or had to do a password reset?

I've had a couple of emails so far from members with such issues, but I see postings from others, so it's not clear where the problem lies.

As the forum has moved to a new URL, you may find that your browser doesn't auto-fill as you'd expect - and I've found that what gets auto-filled is often not the password I expect and thought I had used for yonks. Please check in your browser settings for its saved passwords just in case.

[jmb]

OK it looks like browser password memory or the URL change is not the problem.

The upgrade re-hashed the existing password hashes "for More Security" (they used MD5) and what's supposed to happen is that as people log in and their password gets validated it against the double-hashed password, it re-hashes it with another More Security method - supposed to be seamless, and it worked for my test accounts, so I'm flummoxed (and not a bit disgruntled) that it hasn't worked for everyone.

I'm going to have a look and see if I can run a re-hash process to fix it for anyone who hasn't yet returned, as the upgrade keeps a copy of all the original database entries.

[jmb]

OK, I think I might have a solution to the passwords problem - creating another copy of the forum and upgrading that, gives more sensible-looking hashes that I could copy back into the new database.

Can I have some volunteers to test this? Worst case, probably, is that you might have to do a password reset by email again.

[kenneal]

You can try mine if you want as I can't get in yet under kenneal - lagger, James.

Is there a "posts since last visit" function? That was very useful on the previous version that I used every time I logged on.

[kenneal]

I think that I've found what I was looking for. New posts in the Quick links tab.

[jmb]

OK, I've set your hashed password from the old database - try that now

[PowerSwitchJames]

Mine is working now.

[kenneal - lagger]

Two password changes and a dozen Captcha pages later I'm in, thanks James.

[UndercoverElephant]

jmb wrote:
> Has anyone had problems logging in with their existing password, or had to
> do a password reset?
>
> I've had a couple of emails so far from members with such issues, but I see
> postings from others, so it's not clear where the problem lies.
>
> As the forum has moved to a new URL, you may find that your browser doesn't
> auto-fill as you'd expect - and I've found that what gets auto-filled is
> often not the password I expect and [b]thought[/b] I had used for yonks.
> Please check in your browser settings for its saved passwords just in case.

I could not log in or reset until today. Working now.

[kenneal - lagger]

Welcome back, UE. I think that there might be a few others having the same problems as there is a dearth of posts and posters at the moment although plenty of guests.

If anyone can't get in you could let us know through the Powerswitch Facebook page: just log onto Facebook and search for Powerswitch. You get a couple of options but ours is fairly easy to distinguish.

If you are still having problems email me at ken at kenneal dot co dot uk and we'll see what we can do to help.

[vtsnowedin]

Well I finally got in after multiple attempts and three Emails. I find it very annoying to be chastised for my tone when answering a direction to email an administrator if I have a problem. You were expecting sweetness and light or merely expect groveling to your superiority as a form of pay?

[RevdTess]

Has the feature where you get an email when someone replies to a thread you've contributed to gone away? I don't seem to get any notification emails since the upgrade.