Admin Control Panel showing incorrect vBulletin version

[Trevor Hannant]

What happens when you run through the upgrade again now?

[SCH]

There's no change.

I've just run through the update and all went fine (all the files listed in the top right-hand-corner of the update screens showed v3.8.6), and when I logged into the Admin CP immediately following the update, it showed the correct version of vBulletin (3.8.6 PL1) and the suspect files diagnostic listed no suspect files (exactly what I'd want to see, correct?)

Yet once I logout and log back into the Admin CP again I get the same behaviour: incorrect vBulletin version (3.7.2 PL1) and all the same files listed in the suspect files diagnostic list.

I find it odd that the Admin CP would be "fine" upon initial forum update, then shows these problems when I log out and log back in again. I thought maybe it was a browser cache issue, but I've cleared the browser's cache several times already and that doesn't seem to help.

Any other thoughts?

[JamesC70]

I had this problem with one of the 3.7's.... forget which one.... changing the cookie prefix solved it. (Changing the cookie prefix changes your session id, I believe, which fools the server's cache into re-reading everything it's previously cached.)

[SCH]

Hi JamesC70, thanks for the response.

Forgive the newbie question, but how do I go about changing the cookie prefix? Is this something I do through the vBulletin Admin CP or is this a change in my browser?

[JamesC70]

It's in your includes/config.php, which resides on the server. FTP it down to your local machine, change the cookie prefix (default is either blank or "bb", I forget which), and then FTP it back.

On my forums, I use an abbreviation of the forum name for the cookie prefix.

[SCH]

It's in your includes/config.php, which resides on the server. FTP it down to your local machine, change the cookie prefix (default is either blank or "bb", I forget which), and then FTP it back.

On my forums, I use an abbreviation of the forum name for the cookie prefix.

So I can make this prefix anything I want?

This raises an interesting question. I modified the config.php file that came with the original download of vBulletin 3.8.6 PL1 (as per the installation instructions). I've read later, after uploading and running the update, that it isn't necessary to modify the config.php file if updating from a version of vBulletin 3.6.x or higher. If this is true, do you think this is what may be causing these issues?

[JamesC70]

You can make the prefix any alphanumeric combination you like, though traditionally it's two to three letters followed by an underscore.

The only way config.php would make a difference is if your 3.7.2 defined one cache (known to work) and 3.8.6 defines a different one (possibly buggy or outdated) that just happened to be on the server. Do you still have a copy of the 3.7.2 config to verify against?

[SCH]

Unfortunately I don't have the old config.php file anymore. I did up until last night before performing the update, but I emptied my trash folder before going to bed.

I do have the directory and databases backed up just prior to performing the update... maybe I can get it from those archives? Let me see what I can do.

[JamesC70]

Pop into AdminCP -> Maintenance -> View PHP Info, and see what caches are installed on your server. The most commonly found ones are APC, Memcache, and XCache, but your host might have something else on there too. Be sure that they're turned "on" (see circle near top of screenshot).


On my server, I only have APC, so that's the one I specified in config.php.

If you have more than one cache available, try specifying a different one in config.sys and see what happens. Worst thing is that you'll get white screen errors on the forum -- if so, try another cache, or go back to whatever's specified in config.sys right now.

Nab the version number and build date off the PHP Info screen (just below the red circle in the screenshot above), Google the cache name to find the support site, and see if there's a substantially newer one available. If so, ask your host to upgrade it for you.

Having said all this: have you tried changing the cookie prefix yet? If that solves the problem, then don't worry about the cache program right now.

[SCH]

I haven't tried the cookie prefix fix yet. I just performed a rather DEEP cache file cleaning (required a shutdown and restart in "single-user" mode) just to rule out the potential that this is simply a cached file issue with my browser. Turns out it's not.

I did, however pop into the AdminCP and checked out the PHP Info as you'd suggested, and what comes up for me looks NOTHING like what you're showing. I get a SLEW of stuff which I've never seen before (nor do I know what they are)!

Interestingly, I did manage to retrieve my old config.php file from the archives and I compared it to the current config.php file on the server. Both have the cookie prefix set to 'bb', however - and this is the truly strange part - both state at the top of each file they are vBulletin version 3.5.2!!! WTF?!? And what's stranger still, I found a config.php.new file on the server and in the archive that are both for vBulletin version 3.7.2 Patch Level 1. This is leading me to believe that even when the site was running in 3.7.2 PL1, vBulletin was using the config.php file from 3.5.2. Is that possible?

Now I know I am new to all this stuff, but all these different file versions floating around seems very very weird to me.

I should also mention, I purchased this site a couple of years ago from someone who, for all intents and purposes, wants nothing to do with the site anymore (so turning to him for help in deciphering any of this is of no use). This is the first time I have ever conducted an update to the vBulletin software so all of this is truly, very new to me. The only relief I have right now is that the front end of the site seems to be working fine, and the site members aren't experiencing any issues or problems (at least, none that I'm aware of). However, I have to wonder if these differing file versions aren't posing a security risk to the site as a whole...?

[JamesC70]

Way back when, when 3.5 was brand new, there WAS a config file difference between it and previous versions. The version number in config.php told vB Support if someone didn't copy the new config file over during an upgrade.

All versions of 3.5 and later (through 3.8.6 PL1 definately, and I don't remember needing to change it for 4.0) use the 3.5 config file, so don't worry about the version number there.

Do the old config.php from backup and the current one both show the same cache setting? That was the point of my posting PHP Info, as a workaround to determine what's on your server should the 3.7.2 config.php not be available in backups.

The PHP Info screen shows everything available to PHP, not just cache programs. You should see basic PHP configuration first, then add-on modules. My screenshot may have been a bit misleading on this point. I apologize for that.

I'm starting to wonder ... with the mismatched files you listed above for Trevor (some are vB files, some are for mods) AND the incorrect version_vbulletin.php (which should read 3.8.6, not 3.7.2, by now) .... does your FTP program have a limit as to how much it'll transfer in a session? Is it possible that you started an upload, went to grab a sandwich, and came back, missing a transfer error in the FTP log? (I'm on Windows so I'm not familiar with your FTP program.)

I used to have an FTP program that was trialware.... it'd work for 10 minutes then stop with a "upgrade to bypass the time limit" notice....

Next suggestion is to re-upload only these files to the server:

./clientscript
vbulletin_editor.js
vbulletin_moziwyg.js
vbulletin_quickreply.js
vbulletin_stdedit.js
vbulletin_stdedit_lang.js
vbulletin_wysiwyg.js

./includes
adminfunctions_importexport.php
adminfunctions_ranks.php
datastore_cache.php
db_mysql.php
functions_bbcodeparse.php
functions_image.php
functions_regimage.php
functions_register.php
functions_showthread.php
functions_subscriptions.php
functions_upload.php
functions_xml.php
mail.php
sessions.php
version_vbulletin.php

Once you've done this, re-run finalupgrade.php, then go into AdminCP and see if the problem's fixed. If not, re-run Suspect File Check to see if these files are still unrecognized.

I'm in and out the rest of the afternoon, so if Trevor or Lynne wants to jump in here before I return, they're more than welcome to.

[SCH]

Hi again JamesC70. Thanks again for all the help - I really do appreciate all the information. I may be new to this stuff, but I'm not a complete moron, so believe it or not much of this is sinking in.

Unfortunately, like yourself I'm going to be out for the rest of the afternoon/evening as well. However, I will attempt to answer your questions and try to implement your latest suggestion once I get back later this evening.

I will keep you posted on what happens.

Thanks again for the help, and if you think of anything else that I could try or check, please feel free to post it.

[Joe D.]

If the version_vbulletin.php file continues to say:

<?php
define('FILE_VERSION_VBULLETIN', '3.7.2 Patch Level 1');
?>

Than either your FTP did not complete correctly or something on your server is restoring the old files overwriting your new ones. Until this file reads the correct/new version number playing with the cache or config.php isn't going to help.

[SCH]

Next suggestion is to re-upload only these files to the server:

./clientscript
vbulletin_editor.js
vbulletin_moziwyg.js
vbulletin_quickreply.js
vbulletin_stdedit.js
vbulletin_stdedit_lang.js
vbulletin_wysiwyg.js

./includes
adminfunctions_importexport.php
adminfunctions_ranks.php
datastore_cache.php
db_mysql.php
functions_bbcodeparse.php
functions_image.php
functions_regimage.php
functions_register.php
functions_showthread.php
functions_subscriptions.php
functions_upload.php
functions_xml.php
mail.php
sessions.php
version_vbulletin.php

I'd like to try the suggestion of re-FTPing the above listed files to the server and running finalupgrade.php again, but I can't seem to find any of these files in the vBulletin 3.8.6.PL1 ZIP file download. Am I looking in the wrong place for these?!?

[JamesC70]

If your 3.8.6PL1 file is *just* the patch file, not the entire install download, then yeah, you'll be missing some files. Pop back over to the members area and download from the link on the right side of the screen. See red circle in screenshot.


Once you have that file, unpack it on your local machine, rename the "upload" directory to whatever folder you keep your forum in (on my site, it's renamed "forums"), then FTP that directory to the same location on your server.

Then, initiate the upgrade process by going to www.yoursite.com/forum-path/install/upgrade.php

Watch the version numbers during the upgrade, as Trevor or Steve said before... PL's don't always display as such, but you should see the progression from 3.7.2 to 3.8.6 as the files are installed.