PHPBB

phpBB is a popular open source forum package. It is written in PHP, and uses MySQL for storing the forum data. It is quite simple to install and configure. There are two current versions of phpBB - version 2 (which was retired in October 2008) and version 3. Details on installing either one are listed below.

To install it on your Bravenet account, you need to have a Professional hosting package.

Installing phpBB3 on Your Bravenet Account

First, make sure that you are prepared:

1. Download the latest version of phpBB3 (See our PHP package links for download links)
2. Unzip the phpBB file. It should unzip into a phpBB3 directory.
3. Make sure you have an FTP account set up with Bravenet.
4. Optional: If you would like to register a domain for your forum, you would do this now.
5. Build a website to put your install of phpBB on:
   1. Log into your Bravenet account and click the websites tab.
   2. Select the "Build a new website" option.
   3. A common choice is to "Use a subdomain" for your forum. For example, forum.example.com.

Next, set up a database for use with phpBB3.

1. Log into your Bravenet account and click on the databases tab.
2. Select "New MySQL Database"
3. Enter a relevant name, and chose a unique username and password.
4. Click "Create Database". If you get any errors, resolve them, and try again.
5. Write down the username, the password, the server (for example sqlx.bravehost.com), and the database name (don't forget the number at the end of the database name!). You will need all this information when installing phpBB. If you forget it, you can access the Databases tab of your account at any time. You do need to memorize your password though - it will not be displayed anywhere.

Now, upload phpBB to your Bravenet website:

1. Log into your FTP account, or use our FTP applet.
2. Navigate in your FTP program to the website you just created.
3. Upload your phpBB3 directory from your computer to your selected directory.

Next step is to configure phpBB to work with your database:

1. In your web browser, visit the website that you just uploaded the software to. For example, http://forum.example.com/phpBB3 or http://example.com/phpBB3
2. You should see the introduction page of phpBB. If not, double-check the address you typed in, and use your FTP program to double-check where you put the software.
3. Press the "Install" button when ready to go on.
4. At the next page, chose "Start Install"
5. The next page asks about database settings. Use the following options:
   1. Database Type: MySQL with MySQLi Extensions
   2. Database server hostname: enter the database server you wrote down earlier, for example sqlx.bravehost.com
   3. Database server port: leave empty
   4. Database name: Enter the name you chose for your database, including the numbers after it. For example, phpbb3-468748
   5. Database username: Enter the username you chose. For example, exampleforums
   6. Database password: Enter the password you chose for your database.
   7. Prefix for tables in database: Leave this as default unless you have reason to change it.
6. When done entering database information, chose "Proceed to next step"
7. It will test the database connection - if you see "Successful Connection" you can continue to the next step. If not, double check all the information. Be careful to get the database server correct, and be careful about usernames and passwords - they are case sensitive.
8. Next, you will be asked to create an administrator user. This user will have FULL access to your forum - chose a secure password!
9. Next, phpBB will save your configuration files.
10. The last step is to change any advanced settings you might want. These are optional - you can change them later. Once you finish that, proceed to the final step to finish the installation.
11. You should now be able to login with the administrator user you created. Congratulations! phpBB is installed!

Next, you should configure your forum to your tastes. Instructions for that can be found in the phpBB manual, available online (see our PHP package links for the appropriate links)