For that reason we exported the database as a flat sql file, deleted the old database, recreated that database and imported the sql file to the new empty version of the old database without using AUTO_INCREMENT for zero values. That reduced the database to about 6 Mb's and now the upgrade from phpBB 2.0.22 to 3.02 was OK. As explained here
http://www.phpbb.com/community/viewtopi ... 6&t=582677
we had to install a fresh version of phpBB 3.02. Now we have an old phpBB 2.0.22 board with a recreated database "without holes" and a fresh 3.02 phpBB board. The root of the old forum is ../ so we had to use that folder during the conversion and synchronization to a new 3.02 forum in a phpBB3 subfolder.You have to install a fresh phpBB3 board onto the same server as the phpBB2 board. You need to have original phpBB2 board running and working correctly. Then on the phpBB3 board browse in the web browser to the phpBB3/install/ location where you should see a convert tab. Click this and you will then be guided through the conversion process. The converter will ask for information regarding your phpBB2 install so it can convert the data over. Once the conversion is done you will have 2 independent boards, one phpBB2 and the other phpBB3
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Basically you have to install phpBB3 and then run the built in converter. It will copy/convert the information from the 2x database to the 3x one.
See also:
http://www.phpbb.com/community/docs/INS ... ml#convert
When the new forum with the new 3.02 database was tested and found OK, we deleted the old forum on the root and installed phpBB 3.08 on the root as explained in this http://www.oopschool.com/phpBB3/viewtop ... f=40&t=200 thread. We choose that (full install) option of 3.08, since we had just had success with it upgrading this forum from 3.05 to 3.08.
To sum up:
- We deleted about 220 000 members from the old forums database using a modified Starfoxtj were we first removed 5000 members at a time. We were able to delete 10 000 at a time for the last 100 000. That is a realtively fast operation. This deleteion results in empty rows in the old database.
- The old database is deleted and recreated by importing the flat SQL file without using AUTO_INCREMENT for zero values.
- We restore the old forum with this recreated and stripped down database.
- A new version of the forum upgraded to phpBB 3.02 is created in a subfolder with a new empty database.
- When both the old and the new forum is running, we convert and synchronize the two forums.
- That gives us an phpBB 3.02 version of the old database.
- Then it is fairly easy to install 3.08 on the root by creating the new 3.08 version of the database from the 3.02 version.