New to "this" AKA Forum Set-Up for Dummies

[gilmoregirls102]

Hi there,

Currently, I am working on starting my own forum for work. It will be specific to our company, and I am going to create sub-forums for the different projects that I am working on. (I am a projects manager, not an IT person). I did try out the demo here, and loved it!

Now the hard part is getting this forum up and running... especially since I have never done it before and know very little about starting a forum. So, this is very much... "Forum Set-Up for Dummies"

However, I went to our IT department, and they said that they didn't want to host this forum because it was MySQL, and they don't know enough about it. (I don't even know what MySQL is). I see that you offer installation: http://www.vbulletin.com/product_detail.php?full=1

If you come and install it, is there any maintenance required that we would need? (Because even if it gets installed properally, we still don't have anyone within our company that knows what MySQL is)

But I know there are "work-arounds", like having an outside company host this...

I asked my friends, and they gave me several suggestions on web-hosts:
www.hostdepartment.com
www.mediatemple.com

So- at this point here are my questions:

What do I need to do FIRST to get my forum up and running? (I assume it's getting the Web-Host first...)

Once we purchase vBulletin, we can edit it however we'd like- correct? (change the forum name, etc)

Once we purchase vBulletin software, it's ours for life, right? It's not like a subscription where we have to "renew" each year, is it?

What happens if we decide we don't want to web-host anymore? What happens to the forum? What if we decide to pick back up again?

What happens if we decide we *do* want to host it internally (like our IT department learns MySQL?)

Lots of questions, I know... sorry if they seem simple

[wii]

Well, since no one at work can help, I would suggest using a webhost, I always recommend www.hostgator.com - they are quite cheap and good at the same time.

To answer your questions:

1. You need to pay for the webhost and the domain.
2. Yes
3. Yes, it´s yours (owned license 160 dollars), but you must pay 30 dollars a year for updates.
4. Then you backup the files and database and move it.
5. They need to setup a webserver than can handle PHP and MySql.

[SNN]

What do I need to do FIRST to get my forum up and running? (I assume it's getting the Web-Host first...)
You must have a webhost running PHP 4.3.3 or greater and MySQL 4.0.16 or greater. I suggest HostGator.

Once we purchase vBulletin, we can edit it however we'd like- correct? (change the forum name, etc)
You can change everything but cannot remove the copyright at the bottom, unless you purchase the Branding Free option.

Once we purchase vBulletin software, it's ours for life, right? It's not like a subscription where we have to "renew" each year, is it?
Only if you purchase a Owned license, which is $160. A leased license is $85/yr.
To get updates on a owned license after a year, it's $30 for a year of updates.

What happens if we decide we don't want to web-host anymore? What happens to the forum? What if we decide to pick back up again?
The forum is deleted if you don't back it up. You would have to upload a SQL backup to your host or new host if you wish to pick it back up.

What happens if we decide we *do* want to host it internally (like our IT department learns MySQL?)
As long as the host has the minimum requirements, it will work.
Apache, IIS, lighttpd, it all doesn't matter, as long as it has PHP 4.3.3+ and MySQL 4.0.16+.

Hope this helps!
(Also, not 100% sure on the requirements but I think they're correct. May have changed but I doubt it. )

[Coreye]

Also for hosting:

You will also need webhosting and a domain name. vBulletin requires a web server that includes PHP (minimum version 4.3.3) and MySQL (minimum 4.0.16) installed. As long as you choose a host that meets these requirements you will be able to install and run our software.

You can purchase the domain name at the same time you contract hosting. Most credible hosts now support both PHP and MySQL, and can run our software. We do not make official recommendations, but we do have a hosting review forum here:

http://www.vbulletin.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=11

You can also look at http://www.webhostingtalk.com, an independent review site. Sometimes you will find hosting specials there that aren't available elsewhere on the web.