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diff --git a/debian/README.multiboard b/debian/README.multiboard new file mode 100644 index 0000000..e0f5048 --- /dev/null +++ b/debian/README.multiboard @@ -0,0 +1,245 @@ +Setting up multiple boards on one server +======================================== +[for issues with multiboard see "Multiboard Issues" below] + +The phpbb3 package allows for easily setting up different boards on +the same host (we also call that "multisite"). The advantage is that +the boards share the same code base and upgrades of the package are +instantly available to all boards. + +In this file we assume you're using the Apache web server, although +this feature does not depend on the webserver used. + +Using multiple boards is not compatible with Debian's dbconfig-common, +i.e. you will have to cope yourself with upgrading the databases of +the additional boards that you create. To that end we provide +upstream's install folder with a random suffix in +/usr/share/phpbb3/www/, e.g. /usr/share/phpbb3/www/install-xi8hgDjmRX. + +You can use this installer to populate alternative databases. Just +configure the board(s) as shown below and go to their install-XXX +folder. The installer will complain that it cannot write to +config.php, which is not important, since you need to have it +configured beforehand anyway to get here. + +To add a second (or third, ...) board to your install, you need to take the +following steps: +- Create a new database and a new database user for your new board. +- Copy /usr/share/doc/phpbb3/examples/config.php to a new file in /etc/phpbb3/ + (e.g. /etc/phpbb3/board2.inc.php) and put the the new database credentials + in it. +- Eventually configure $url_forum in each configuration file, in order to + distinguish the different boards. By default, the database name will be used. +- Edit /etc/phpbb3/apache2.conf and add: + + Alias /board2 /usr/share/phpbb3/www + <Location /board2> + php_value auto_prepend_file /etc/phpbb3/board2.inc.php + </Location> + +- Restart Apache. +- Populate the database for the new board by browsing to the install folder + mentioned above, i.e. http://yourhostname.example.org/board2/install-XXX. + +Your second board is now reachable at http://yourhostname.example.org/board2 + +If you do not want to create a separate database for each board but +rather want to concentrate them all in one, you only need to give each +board a distinct $table_prefix; they can easily share a single +database. +Note that in this case, usually everyone will then however have access +to all the forums' databases, unless you set table-specific privileges +in your database server. + +Multiple boards across virtual hosts is also possible; continue reading. + +--------------------------------------------------------------------------- + +We've had reports that the above doesn't work reliably in some situations. The +forums will then just sometimes have the wrong settings. We believe that +this is not phpBB at fault (esp. because of the "sometimes"), but we did +receive this workaround from Rob Bos: + + I've worked around this bug as follows, at Ian Pushee's advice, and + having a single config.php file that is called from all the forum + virtualhost blocks via auto_prepend_file: + + <?php + $dbhost = 'localhost'; + $dbname = 'example'; + $dbuser = 'example'; + $dbpasswd = '3x@mpl3'; + + if ($_SERVER["HTTP_HOST"] == "forum.example.com") { + $table_prefix = 'excom_'; + } else if ($_SERVER["HTTP_HOST"] == "forum.example.net") { + $table_prefix = 'exnet_'; + } else if ($_SERVER["HTTP_HOST"] == "forum.example.org") { + $table_prefix = 'exorg_'; + } else { + $table_prefix = 'ERR_NOT_EXIST_'; + } + + define('PHPBB_INSTALLED', true); + ?> + +--------------------------------------------------------------------------- + +If you want to have multiple boards using virtual hosts, and have each board +use a separate database, then instead of the above, do the following: + +1. Edit /etc/phpbb3/virtualhost_config.php as follows: + +<?php +if ($_SERVER["HTTP_HOST"] == "forum.example.com") +{ + $dbms = 'mysql'; + + $dbhost = 'mysql.example.com'; + $dbname = 'phpbb_sites'; + $dbuser = 'mylogin'; + $dbpasswd = 'mypassword'; + + $table_prefix = 'phpbb_'; +} +else if ($_SERVER["HTTP_HOST"] == "forum.example.net") +{ + $dbms = 'postgres'; + + $dbhost = 'postgres.example.net'; + $dbname = 'phpbb_sites'; + $dbuser = 'mylogin'; + $dbpasswd = 'mypassword'; + + $table_prefix = 'phpbb_'; +} +else if ($_SERVER["HTTP_HOST"] == "forum.example.org") +{ + $dbms = 'mysql'; + + $dbhost = 'mysql.example.org'; + $dbname = 'phpbb_sites'; + $dbuser = 'mylogin'; + $dbpasswd = 'mypassword'; + + $table_prefix = 'phpbb_'; +} +else { + $table_prefix = 'ERR_NOT_EXIST_'; +} + +define('PHPBB_INSTALLED', true); +?> + +2. Uncomment the <VirtualHost *:80> section found in +/etc/phpbb3/apache2.conf and make an appropriate change to ServerName +-- i.e. forum.example.com. Make sure the line: + + php_value auto_prepend_file /etc/phpbb3/virtualhost_config.php + +points towards the file which you just edited above in step #1. Each +VirtualHost section should include this same line and all should point +to the same config file. + +3. Add additional <VirtualHost *:80> sections to apache2.conf as necessary +for each of your intended phpbb3 boards. Each VirtualHost section +must have a different ServerName that obviously corresponds to each +individual board -- i.e. forum.example.com, forum.example.net, +forum.example.org, etc. + +4. Make sure you have proper DNS resolution on your DNS server for +each of the different boards of your set up in each of the VirtualHost +sections. + +5. After making all changes, reload apache - service apache2 force-reload. + +--------------------------------------------------------------------------- +Multiboard Issues +--------------------------------------------------------------------------- + +Preliminary Notes +================= +First, multiboard support itself is not an official feature from upstream. + +The source has been modified in this package such that caching will +not break when running multiple boards from the same codebase. The +"store" directory (database backups) will also contain subdirectories +for the individual boards that you configure; creation of those +directories happens when needed - there is nothing you have to do. + +This is what the store directory will look like for a forum at the URL +http://10.8.0.1:8800/phpbb/: + +# ls -al /var/lib/phpbb3/store +drwx-wx-wt 3 root www-data 4096 Mar 10 18:23 . +drwxr-xr-x 5 root root 4096 Mar 10 16:06 .. +drwxr-x--- 2 www-data www-data 4096 Mar 10 18:23 10.8.0.1.8800.phpbb + +For the rest, we provide some workarounds for other features where +patching the source is too intrusive. We leave that to upstream, if +those features are desired. Ask them. + +Avatar Upload +============= + +Avatar uploads go to the /var/lib/phpbb3/images/avatars/upload/ +folder. Since this folder is common to all boards, there would be +conflicts as the uploads are stored by userid, which can be the same +in different forum instances. + +You may of course simply create another avatar uploads folder and +use that one in ACP -> Avatar settings. + +However, you can also change the avatar_salt value in the config table +of the respective boards' databases and make sure it is unique for +each board. phpBB uses this value to prepend the avatar's name in the +filesystem. No conflicts will then occur. Unfortunately this value +cannot be set in the ACP. + +Make sure to empty the caches of the respective board after the +change. + +Furthermore, the upload directory has permissions 1733, i.e. avatars +cannot be listed either, except by the superuser, so this is secure. + +Note that if several forum instances run under the same (unix) userid +and the avatar_salt is not changed, avatars might get overwritten. + +Avatar Galleries +================ + +You can make avatar galleries available to specific forums only when +running each forum under a different user ID (e.g. using suexec). You +can leave avatar galleries that should be available to every forum +simply with permissions 0755. Avatar galleries that should only be +available to specific forums should belong to the user running the +forum and have no permissions for other users; phpbb will silently +ignore those galleries if it cannot access them. + +In the following example, the 'avatars' gallery is available to +everyone, the 'avatars2' gallery is however only available to the +forum run by user "web15_admin" and/or group "web15". + +/var/lib/phpbb3/images/avatars/gallery# ls -l +drwxr-xr-x 2 root root 4096 Mar 10 16:06 avatars +drwxr-x--- 2 web15_admin web15 4096 Mar 10 16:17 avatars2 + +Again: in this case, accessing the forum via a different DNS name or +such does not change anything. Which galleries are visible solely +depends on the server-side instance of phpBB you are accessing. + +Attachments +=========== +Attachments to posts are stored in /var/lib/phpbb3/files/. + +Since these filenames are generated by md5() and microtime(), there is +not much need to worry about collisions. + +As far as security is concerned, the files have permissions -rw-rw-rw- +but the directory has only drwx-wx-wt, so noone can list them. The +forum a specific file belongs to knows its exact name (in the +'attachments' table), and thus can access it. + +Styles +====== +All styles (from /etc/phpbb3/styles) are available for every board. |