vBulletin 3.x to Discourse Migration Checklist

1. 01 Discovery

   • vBulletin version recorded (3.x confirmed, not 4.x or 5.x)
   • Database server, version and database name recorded
   • Table prefix identified (for example vb3_ or vb_)
   • Attachment storage mode identified: database, filesystem or mixed
   • Custom avatar and profile picture storage identified
   • Plugins, products and custom tables listed
   • Legacy URL formats in use noted (showthread.php, vBSEO-style rewrites, subfolder path)
   • Owner sign-off on what must migrate and what may be dropped

2. 02 Backups

   • Full mysqldump taken with a binary-safe character set
   • MyISAM tables accounted for (forum frozen, or a consistent snapshot method used)
   • Attachments, avatars, profile pictures and uploads directories archived
   • sha256sum recorded for every archive
   • Copy stored off the source server
   • Test restore performed; the original dump is never edited

3. 03 Database audit

   • Dump restored to a separate staging database
   • Core tables present: setting, user, forum, thread, post, pm, pmtext, attachment
   • Baseline counts recorded: users, forums, threads, posts, PMs, PM texts, attachments, polls
   • Database size and largest tables recorded
   • Storage engines recorded (MyISAM, InnoDB)

4. 04 Encoding validation

   • Database, table and column character sets listed from information_schema
   • Old and recent rows sampled from every text field that matters
   • Non-ASCII samples inspected with HEX()
   • Actual byte encoding proven per column, not assumed from the label
   • Candidate repair tested with SELECT only, before any UPDATE or ALTER
   • Every repair written down as a script that runs against a fresh restore
   • Plugin and custom tables checked too

5. 05 Discourse preparation

   • Clean Discourse installed with the official Docker setup
   • Hostname, DNS, HTTPS and SMTP working before any import
   • Administrator account created and login tested
   • Disk sized for uploads plus the PostgreSQL database plus backups
   • Import container defined separately from the production app container

6. 06 Import configuration

   • Current vbulletin3.rb read; environment variables it reads written down
   • Dedicated read-only MySQL user created for the import
   • MySQL reachable from the import container, not from the internet
   • Connection tested from inside the import container before running the importer
   • TABLE_PREFIX matches the real tables
   • Attachment and avatar paths mounted where the importer expects them
   • FORUM_URL set if internal links should be rewritten
   • Importer gems installed in the container build, not hand-patched in a running shell

7. 07 Test import

   • Run inside tmux or screen
   • Full output captured to a log file
   • Duration recorded for planning the production window
   • Every warning and error in the log reviewed, not only the last line

8. 08 User validation

   • Imported user count compared with source; differences explained
   • Admin, moderator, ordinary, banned, old and recent accounts spot-checked
   • At least one non-ASCII username checked
   • Emails, join dates, groups, avatars and post ownership correct
   • Password and login plan decided and tested

9. 09 Forum and permission validation

   • Category tree matches the forum tree, including nesting
   • Public, registered-only, private, moderator and admin forums tested
   • Read-only forums tested
   • Permissions tested as anonymous, as a regular member and as a moderator, not only as admin

10. 10 Post validation

    • Thread and post counts compared with source
    • First, middle and last records in the post table checked
    • Titles, authors, timestamps and ordering correct
    • Sticky, closed and soft-deleted state correct
    • BBCode, quotes, code blocks, links and smilies render
    • Polls present and results correct

11. 11 PM validation

    • PM text count compared with source
    • Sender, recipients, subject, body and date correct on sampled messages
    • Non-ASCII PM subjects and bodies render correctly
    • Real PM content kept out of public issue trackers and chat

12. 12 Attachment validation

    • Uploaded file count compared with the source attachment count
    • Images, PDFs, archives, large files and the oldest attachments opened
    • Inline attachments render inside their posts
    • Missing-file warnings in the log investigated

13. 13 Legacy URL validation

    • Sample of showthread.php, showpost.php and forumdisplay.php URLs tested with curl -I
    • Old URLs answer with one 301 to the matching topic, post or category
    • Old URLs with no equivalent return 404, not a redirect to the homepage
    • Top legacy URLs from web logs and search console tested

14. 14 Final rehearsal

    • Entire process run end to end from a fresh restore using scripts only
    • No manual step left undocumented
    • Rehearsal timings used to set the maintenance window

15. 15 Production freeze

    • Maintenance window announced to members
    • DNS TTL lowered at least a day ahead, if DNS changes
    • Registrations closed and posting disabled
    • vBulletin switched to read-only or maintenance mode
    • Final database dump and filesystem sync taken after the freeze
    • Checksums and final source counts recorded

16. 16 Production import

    • Clean staging database restored from the final dump
    • Documented encoding repairs applied by script
    • Importer run with the rehearsed configuration
    • Post-import jobs (rebakes, reindexing, counters) completed

17. 17 Go / no-go checks

    • Users, admins and moderators verified
    • Categories and private forums verified
    • Threads, posts and encoding verified
    • Private messages, attachments and polls verified
    • Legacy URL redirects verified
    • SMTP, HTTPS, search and background jobs verified
    • Decision recorded: launch, or delay with a list of blockers

18. 18 DNS and cutover

    • DNS switched and propagation checked
    • HTTPS certificate valid on the final hostname
    • Anonymous browsing, login and password reset tested
    • New topic, reply and upload tested
    • Outgoing mail delivered to an external mailbox
    • Legacy URLs re-tested against the live hostname

19. 19 Post-launch monitoring

    • 404 and 500 rates watched daily
    • Sidekiq queues and failed jobs watched
    • SMTP bounces and errors watched
    • CPU, RAM, disk, PostgreSQL and Redis watched
    • Login failures and password-reset volume watched
    • Legacy URL traffic reviewed; missing redirects added

20. 20 Decommissioning and archival

    • Acceptance period agreed with the owner
    • vBulletin kept offline but intact until acceptance
    • Final archive of database and files stored with checksums
    • Import database user and firewall rules removed
    • Staging databases deleted once no longer needed
    • Old server retired only after sign-off

Source: gozenhost.com/resources/vbulletin-to-discourse-migration-checklist