Does VB have a global user db?

[Rebos]

Hope this is the place to post this. Anyhow I have been researching different forums for the fact that ezboard just don't cut it. On the other hand does any other forum offer global username db of some sort? The one major complaint I get is about the username issue and how vb or phpbb boards always make you have a new username which adds up to lots of different usernames if yours is taken else where.

If this was capable how much would it cost to keep up with still allowing vb admins installation rights ect...just have a username file that interacts with the main vb username db or something like that if possible.

[Floris]

When you purchase vBulletin you get a .zip file which you can install on your own web hosting account. vbulletin.com has no hosting options that come with a installed forum. They only sell the software.

Anyway, once installed there are 0 members and only 1 account; the admin account. This is setup during installation.

After installation users can register on your site. The first person to register 'John' will have the username John. (Until John gets deleted and then his posts show up as 'guest' user John, another person can then register as John again). I don't think it is possible to have 3x the user John on the same forum installation.

But no, there is no global database - so if a user on vBulletin.com has the name 'John' then someone on your site can still pick the username John. For your installation is hosted on your account, not on a global internet account.

I hope this explains it and otherwise just ask more

[Rebos]

Yes I understand the basic concept on all that. But wouldn't it be some sort of nice feature for a global aspect to come in with vbulletin or even phpbb boards? Just making your db communicate with the "global db" for usernames and profile options ect like ezboard. Trust me I am not saying ezboard is good by any means. Not sure if this would be something that would be a good ideal for a future release.

[ManagerJosh]

What are you trying to achieve using global usernames? Like being able to goto any vbulletin board and login?

[Floris]

Having a passport-like feature would be great, that way you don't have to fill in all your details at any registration anymore. Especially if it is independent of your username, so you can choose to change that.

[Rebos]

Ya basically your login feature would be serverside to vbulletin servers. That way if the vbulletin admin chooses to become part of the global community they can or stay a local/or if the user doesn't want to be a global member that would be their choice also. I mean it would seem that something like this would already be implemented with the cost of vbulletin.

[ManagerJosh]

Ya basically your login feature would be serverside to vbulletin servers. That way if the vbulletin admin chooses to become part of the global community they can or stay a local/or if the user doesn't want to be a global member that would be their choice also. I mean it would seem that something like this would already be implemented with the cost of vbulletin.

Ahh I see what you are trying to accomplish. Small flaw. vBulletin isn't forum hosting. Its software.

It isn't like anything over at ezBoard where you have a series of bulletin boards owned and operated, powered by ezBoard. ezBoard provides both hosting and the software (and they maintain it as well)

vBulletin is just purely software and hosting you have to provide for yourself.

So each vBulletin Forum site you goto, well its independently owned and operated.

[Christine]

vBulletin is a completely different concept than EzBoard.

With Ezboard, you borrow/rent space, change some colors around and let them manage member issues.

With vBulletin, you own the rights to modify the software, you manage your member issues and you own your own database.

:

[filburt1]

Having a passport-like feature would be great, that way you don't have to fill in all your details at any registration anymore. Especially if it is independent of your username, so you can choose to change that.

It would be filled with problems, though. The three main ones are:

1. Security. You can see the PHP code vB uses, and you could have direct access to this global user database. We all know not all forum sites are benign.
2. Central point of failure: if the global user authentication server goes down, so does every single installation of vBulletin.
3. Username choices: there could be millions of usernames chosen. You're very unlikely to get the one you want. Many administrators prefer having usernames of Administrator, for example, but that would not be possible.

[Rebos]

Some really good points made there. In time maybe there will be a way around these, plus with the username for your local board it would show as administrator for login user: Rlastname=show username on their specific board. No ideal really just trying to put in my two cents.

[ManagerJosh]

I think you have a great idea! However many webmasters like to maintain some administrative control over their users such as able to close their account, take them over, and such

Plus a lot more control over what happens rather than outsourcing, which gives you limited control.

[LancerForums]

I would like to see a global user db, but only for our own select group of sites. That way, when/if we create future sites we don't have to have new user registrations. They can just be additions to our current userbase.

A good example of this is the Off-Topic and other forums we wish to add. We're a car site and that content is basically useless except for entertainment, etc. If we could create a new site and use the old userbase, then we could expand on that feature for our members without damaging the flow of the current site.

I think Zeroforum offers something like this, but they are hosted solution as well. Still, I would imagine this is doable on a local level, no?

Mark

[ManagerJosh]

On a local level, it is quite possible. My systems share usernames and passwords across the board at my site and anything they do vBulletin affects the mainsite as well.

This requires codehacking though.

[LancerForums]

On a local level, it is quite possible. My systems share usernames and passwords across the board at my site and anything they do vBulletin affects the mainsite as well.

This requires codehacking though.

Could you elaborate on how you accomplished this, either here or on vb.org?

Thanks,

Mark

[feldon23]

Surprised nobody has mentioned that the Passport feature Rebos mentions was originally planned for vBulletin 3 and will probably appear in vBulletin 3.1.

Rebos,

I switched from EZBoard to vBulletin and never looked back. The difference in the amount of customizability is astounding. To my knowledge, EZBoard still doesn't have a useful search feature. I find that the EZBoard control panel is STILL full of bugs and VERY slow to go from page to page.

You could run all your different forum areas on 1 copy of vB. Each area of the forum could have a different appearance but you'd have 1 set of users.

Or you could get a hack from vbulletin.org to manage usernames across different copies of vBulletin.