fear while upgrading from 1.4.1 to 1.5.4

[luiscamino]

YaBB SE Version: 1.4.0 or 1.4.1
PHP Version:
MySQL Version:
Server Platform:
Link to Forum:

Problem Description:
two weeks ago while i was restoring the database to my new server with dave smulders script the site crashed and the host got really really angry with me (see this topic http://www.yabbse.org/community/index.php?thread=25683).

now that i restored the database through the shell and managed to make the forum (1.4.1) work at last i am into upgrading it to 1.5.4.

but when i start the upgrade all packages are inserted correctly except this error:

Can't DROP 'membername'. Check that column/key exists

when i click on "continue with the upgrade" is when i start to fear. the thing gets slow and doesn't end although the browser is "thinking". this is: the same behavior as last week's problem. when i try to enter the forum i feel it takes too long too so i'm afraid the server is getting hot and i don't want the host to kick me away again.

what should i do?   can i do something about that error and then do the upgrade again or do i have to start over?

EDIT: i was quite impatient and decided to run upgrade.php again. now i got another error as well as the above mentioned:

Duplicate column name 'ID_LAST_TOPIC'

however now when i clicked on continue it worked well and finished "Fixing Settings.php... done."

now i enter the forum and appart from some design malfunctions (i guess it's template incompatibility, but nothing serious), everything seems fine until i try to enter any forum:

Table 'clubsony_foro.yabbse_log_topics' doesn't exist
: /home/clubsony/public_html/foro/Sources/MessageIndex.php
: 267

i have no idea of what to do     please help me!

[[Unknown]]

Restore the log_topics table from your backup...

-[Unknown]

[luiscamino]

sorry could you elaborate a bit more... i'm quite new to this. my backup is a 18mb sql file, should i notepad it and copy some part of the file then paste it in another sql notepad file?

once then, how do i restore it?

EDIT: through phpmyadmin i've seen that there actually is a yabbse_topics table. what if i rename it to 'yabbse_log_topics'? is it probable that the table has been converted to 1.5.3 or not? if this is a solution, how can i rename it? (i can't find the option there)

[Shadow's Pawn]

Those are different tables so you don't want to rename the topics table.

What I would do to restore your backup of the logs_topics table would be to just copy that portion from your text editor and then run it in phpmyadmin.

But.. have you tried running a repair on all your tables yet?

[luiscamino]

i ran "repair all forums and topics" from the forum control panel. do you mean repairing each tablet from phpmyadmin? there's no logs_topics there at all.

now for the restore. correct me if i'm wrong:

i go to the allforum.sql file, search for logs_topics, select all that portion, copy and paste it in a new .txt file and then from phpmyadmin go to sql, then "run sql query/queries on database", "location of the textfile" and select if directly from my hard disk (no need to upload it anywhere, right?).

that's what i shall do? (i want to be sure  )

[Shadow's Pawn]

I meant repair each table in phpmyadmin.  Repair All Forums and Topics doesn't repair tables..

but you have the right idea about the second part.  You can do that, or just paste it into the area for what sql query you want to run.  You don't really need the "drop table" part since you said no table exists, just the create table and then the stuff that needs to be inserted..

[luiscamino]

creating the table, it asks me for "number of fields". how many? the portion of log_topics in the backup says this:

CREATE TABLE yabbse_log_topics (
 memberName tinytext NOT NULL,
 ID_TOPIC int(11) NOT NULL default '0',
 logTime bigint(20) default NULL,
 notificationSent tinyint(4) NOT NULL default '0',
 KEY logTime (logTime),
 KEY ID_TOPIC (ID_TOPIC)
) TYPE=MyISAM;



(by the way, doesn't that "create table"... create the table itself? maybe i don't need to create it myself...)

and one more thing. log_topics is HUGE man, the txt file of it is 7mb, is it good to run all the "inserts" at the same time? isn't internet explorer going to exploDe?

thanks a lot!

EDIT: one last thing i just realised! the sql backup i'm taking the log_topics table from is the 1.4.1 database backup! doesn't the log_topics thing need a conversion to 1.5.3?  

[[Unknown]]

Yes, you'll have to recreate the log_topics, and hopefully reinsert data... and then run upgrade.php once more.

-[Unknown]

[luiscamino]

i've been restoring the log_topics table manually in packages of 400kb ALL THE DAY, then i have run upgrade.php and then, after the first step, i've came back to phpmyadmin to see what the upgrade has done and i still see my 7mb log_topics and a new empty log_topics2.

i thought "well, let's proceed with the next step of the upgrade script. this thing must know what's doing"

¡and guess what! after the upgrade i find BOTH log_topics and log_topics2 DELETED!!! and i find myself exactly in the same position as 24 hours ago!!!

what the hell does this script do??? can't someone just tell me which are the properties of this table in 1.5.3 so i change them in the table i am now going to restore again? i remember seeing that the only difference was that 1.5.3 used "ID_MEMBER" instead of 1.4.1 "memberName".

sorry if i sound harsh...  

EDIT: ¡one moment! i created the a new log_topics with "ID_MEMBER" instead of "memberName", and the forum works! the table is completely empty. what's up? perhaps that table is not neecessary for the forum to run?   what does exactly contain and what are it means?

can i reopen the forum and live with it without restoring this table?

EDIT: seems not. whenever i enter in a topic, edit a post, create a new one or reply to another. the "mother" topic is duplicated again and again. i guess log_topics is some sort of "organizer" of posts, putting each one in the appropiate topic and such stuff...

i will have to manually restore it again then...

[[Unknown]]

Use this create command:

CREATE TABLE yabbse_log_topics (
 ID_MEMBER mediumint( unsigned NOT NULL default '0',
 ID_TOPIC mediumint( unsigned NOT NULL default '0',
 logTime int(10) unsigned NOT NULL default '0',
 notificationSent tinyint(4) unsigned NOT NULL default '0',
 PRIMARY KEY (ID_TOPIC, ID_MEMBER)
) TYPE=MyISAM;

Be warned that ALL topics and posts will show up as unread.

-[Unknown]

[luiscamino]

it says log_topics already exists. how can i delete a table in phpmyadmin? i haven't found the option...

EDIT: i managed to rename it so i could create the new one. i'll see what happens now.