Nothing stays the same. Life is a constantly moving forward, and software moves forward faster than most things. vBulletin is constantly changing as new versions are released. Sometimes these are big changes (such as from version 2 to version 3), and other times they are just bug fixes and security updates (such as 3.5.2 to 3.5.4).
The updates to vBulletin generally contain security fixes rather than cosmetic tweaks, so it is important to install them in a timely fashion so as to eliminate security vulnerabilities in your discussion board.
License issues
Purchasing a license for vBulletin (either leased or owned) entitles you to a year's worth of updates. After this, you will need either to renew your license (if you leased the license) or to pay a nominal fee for updates (if you bought an owned license).
In this article, we're going to look at how to upgrade a vBulletin discussion board from version 3.5.2 to 3.5.5. In particular, we will look at:
• How vBulletin automatically tells you when to upgrade
• What preparations are necessary before you upgrade
• Migrating the changes that you have made to your bulletin board
• How to upload the files to your server
• Testing the upgraded version of your board
• Getting the upgraded version up and running
When to Upgrade
vBulletin will tell you when it needs upgrading. When you access the AdminCP, you will see messages telling you whether a new version is available. This happens automatically and requires no input on the part of the administrator.

This has two advantages:
• It spreads the word about updates quickly and easily.
• It encourages people to upgrade licenses!
Clicking on the link takes you to the members' download area. (You will need your customer number and password to access this area.) From there, you'll be able to download the latest vBulletin installation package (in the form of a compressed Zip file about 1.5Mb in size).
Preparing for Upgrade
Before you upgrade anything, you need to backup your database with the data for the forum. We saw how to do this in Article 5.
As well as a database backup, make an up-to-date copy of the files on the server preferably a full server backup of all files and folders, just in case something goes wrong or you upload the files to the wrong location and overwrite non-vBulletin files.
Backup motto
It's better to have made a backup and not need it than not to have made one and find that you do!
The next stage is to extract the files from the compressed archive that you downloaded. Extract them to a separate folder on your system.
Once you have done this, locate the folder called upload, and rename it to match the name of the existing vBulletin folder on your server (in our case vb).
Migrating Changes
Before you upload the files to the server, stop and think for a moment. Have you carried out any changes to the core PHP files of vBulletin? (We saw how to customize a bulletin board in Article 4.) If you have made any changes, uploading the new files will obliterate these changes. Most

people want to keep any changes they made to their vBulletin installation, and this often keeps them from carrying out upgrades.
If there is only one change, then it may be easier just to make the same change again after the upgrade. However, if there are many changes, repeating them will be much more complicated and will need a lot more time and effort, and of course, there will always be scope to get things wrong. What you want is a file compare utility that highlights the differences between two files.
In Article 4, we saw how to modify the PHP code so that PayPal treats a subscription as a goods transaction. We will use this example to show how a file compare utility can be used to easily migrate changes to a new version of your bulletin board.
File Compare Utilities
There are a variety of such file compare utilities available. Two of the best are UltraCompare by the makers of UltraEdit (http://www.ultracompare.com) and DiffDog by Altova (http://www.altova.com). These are both commercial applications, and they do an excellent job of comparing files and highlighting the differences.
Another option is taking the free route an application called WinMerge is available for free from http://winmerge.sourceforge.net.

We can now run WinMerge on both versions of the file that was hacked (includes/ functions_subscriptions.php). This will highlight the differences between the two files. Some differences are to be expected while others are hacks.

In WinMerge open the two files (the new version and the old version that we hacked).

When you open the two files, the lines that contain differences are highlighted. Also, on the left-hand side, there is a location pane that shows a schematic of the documents and places lines in them to show where there are differences.
When a new version of vBulletin is released, not all the files will have been changed. In fact, only a few of the files will contain actual code changes. However, there will be changes in the headers and footers of all the files. In the header, the version number will have been changed, in this case from version 3.5.2 to 3.5.4. In the footer, the changes will be to the date that the package was downloaded and, if the file has been updated, to the version number.

The only other change to the code represents that hack that we installed earlier. Migrating this hack is simply a case of using the buttons on the menu to copy the change from the left-hand window (the original file) to the right-hand window (containing the new file).

To make this hack easier to spot in the future, you can add a comment to the code, explaining what the hack does.

Save the file with the changes, and repeat the file compare process for any other files that have been changed.
If your forum has a lot of hacked files, you might need to go through each file and compare it with the file on the server. However, to make life easier, the vBulletin development team releases a change list detailing the files that have been changed this makes the job of finding updated files easier.
We're now ready to move on to the next phase of the update process.
Uploading the Files
The next stage of the upgrade is to upload the files. There are two options open to you:
• Overwriting all the files that were previously uploaded to the web server
• Deleting all the old files and folders, and then uploading the new files
It's easier to overwrite the old files, so that's what we'll do here.
Before you do this though, one thing close the forum! This prevents users from logging in and allows you to work in peace. It also means that you and only you see the errors if things go wrong.
Log into the AdminCP, expand vBulletin Optionsin the left-hand menu, and click on vBulletin Options.
In the right-hand pane, double-click on Turn YourvBulletin On andOff. Change Forum Active to No, and click on Save. Now only Administrators can access the forum.

Once that is done, take your FTP program and upload the new files over the old files. When asked if you want to overwrite, remember to choose Yes (or whatever option your FTP application gives you).
Remember that the same rules apply here as when installing the forum (see Article 2):
• Transfer all text files in ASCII mode.
• Transfer all non-text files in Binary mode.

Consult your FTP program for details of how to do this. Usually, transferring the files in auto mode will work fine.
It is important that you upload all the files from the latest vBulletin package to the web server. This includes the entire contents of the install folder. Failure to do this can result in the upgrade script being unable to complete the upgrade process.
When all the files have been uploaded, you are ready to move on to the next phase of the upgrade.
Running the Upgrade Script
With the newest vBulletin files uploaded to your web server, you are now ready to run the upgrade script.
This is the simple part of the upgrade, so it's all plain sailing from here.
To run the script point your web browser at http://www.example.com/vb/install/upgrade.php, remembering to replace www.example.com/vb with the correct path to your own vBulletin installation.
To proceed with the upgrade, you'll need your vBulletin Customer Number.
The installation wizard will then begin.
This screen confirms that the files have been properly uploaded, and we are ready to begin, so click on the NextStep button to continue.

Step 1 imports the latest vBulletin options into the database.

In step 2, the updated help files are loaded.

The next step updates the master language files.

Next the updated vBulletin styles are loaded.

Finally, the vBulletin version number is updated. Click on the Proceed button to finish.

The final page is an important one there is a reminder to delete the install/install.php file. This prevents others from running the install script, which may damage your forum.

Delete the install.php file via FTP, click on Go Back, and then click on Proceed once again. You will then be taken to the log-on screen for the AdminCP, where the change of version numbers along with the absence of a screen telling you to upgrade are sure signs that things have worked out fine.
Testing the Upgrade
Once the upgrade is done, test the forum. Nothing elaborate. Just see if things are working. If you have a lot of hacks installed, then it might be a good idea to see whether they all work. This is a lot easier to do if you have more than one administrator on the site!
You can spend as much (or as little) time as you want doing this. As a bare minimum, check that you can still log in, post messages, and read messages. If you have a busy forum rest assured that the members will soon let you know if other things aren't working!
Unveiling the Upgrade
The final step is to unveil the upgrade to the members. Access the vBulletin Options page, and switch the forum back on. This will allow your members to log in again, to post and read messages, and to interact normally.
Be on the lookout for things that don't work, and take all reports of problems seriously. If you think that there are problems, follow these simple steps:
• Shut the forum down.
• Test to see whether you can recreate the problem. (Remember to test the forum using a registered user's account as well as an administrator's account, as some problems may only show up to members.)

• Carry out the upgrade again. This time pay special attention to migrating the hacks and uploading the files properly.
• Test again.
If problems persist, then it could be that one of your hacks is incompatible with the new version. If you think that this is the case, then install a hack-free version and add the hacks manually to find out which one is causing the problem. If you are making use of a popular hack, then it is likely that others will also have the problem and will be talking about it on the vBulletin forums over on http://www.vbulletin.com or http://www.vbulletin.org check these out for information!
Summary
This article has dealt exclusively with upgrading a vBulletin discussion board. This is a process that you will probably need to carry out a few times a year to keep up to date with the latest releases.
On paper, this looks like a long process, but in reality it's quite easy upgrading a basic board with just a few hacks (or no hacks at all) takes only minutes. With practice, it is possible to upgrade an extensively hacked board in less than an hour. After one or two upgrades, you will start to get a feel for how it works and where things are (for example, which files you've hacked and what other changes you've made). You'll then find that it is a lot faster and a lot easier.