Joomla/phpBB3 bridging and datbase help [SOLVED]

nakirush

Hey all,

I'm not entirely sure how to phrase this question, but I'll do my best so bear with me.

My guild is trying to get its own website up and running, for some reason I was chosen as the webmaster. I have some experience with simple websites, but nothing really involving databases, forums, and CMS's.

Another guild member is providing the hosting (he gets it free with his internet service, or some such). The free hosting only comes with one (1) MySQL database.

I am trying to run Joomla for the front end management. I'm very pleased with the system so far, but it doesn't have a forum with it so I'm planning on using phpBB3. I do not want users to have to register on both Joomla and the forum, so I'm bridging them.

Now for the dilemma: I have no database for phpBB3 because I already used the one allotted database for Joomla. Are we going to have to pay for a second database (most likely scenario, I'm thinking) or is there a way to host the forum on a separate host (possibly my personal host) and bridge between? Is there another solution I am over looking?

Thanks,

Naki

Summary: I'm trying to bridge Joomla and phpBB3 on two different hosts. Possible? How? Other solutions?

FightTest

If Joomla is a CMS then why are you worried about average users having access to it? Only administrators would need accounts. Although it may be a hassle having two accounts hassle is just something admins suck up at times.

As for needing another database, no. Last I knew PHPBB just loaded its tables into whatever database you specified.

What you're talking about overall is just having one integrated user system, but I'm not sure you're going to make that happen without knowing PHP/MySQL fairly well. I've never used Joomla but the last time I played with PHPBB it was a pretty solitary system.

(Note that I haven't touched phpbb in years. I don't know what they've changed in the meantime.)

edit.. btw typing "joomla phpbb" into google gives about 38025029385725029357 results that you should probably go look at.

Lewisham

IIRC, phpBB has an option for adding a prefix to all tables, so you can just put phpBB in the existing DB with a prefix like "forums_" or "phpbb_"

GothicLargo

Bridging two different authentication repositories together is one of the hardest problems in commercial computing and most companies address it by adding in a completely neutral third party authentication repository and forcing both to use it.

I do this sort of stuff at work. It is neither fun nor easy and much less easy if you don't have access to the machine to run something like Microsoft Active Directory or OpenLDAP.

In your case I think the best option would be to go get a Joomla forum extension. It's an extra add on for joomla that makes a forum that relies on joomla's auth system. But it won't be as nice as phpbb.

If you want to use phpbb, you're going to have to come to terms with the fact that they are different programs with separate authentication/authorization systems and there is no easy way to make them play together on a machine you don't have full control over (unless you feel like rewriting one to use data from the other). Even when you do have full control, the solution would be to make them both use something else entirely (ldap).


You can generally force most software to use OpenLDAP or AD just because most development teams acknowledge the need for SOME kind of standard for shared auth and add code to support it.

Infidel

There is no problem using the same database for Joomla and phpBB3 both, they have table prefixes for a reason and a common database makes bridging easier. You won't have to do anything to work around the one database, just use the one.

If you actually want to do bridging, that at least takes some setup, but as mentioned you probably don't care all that much because the number of users that need Joomla access is likely small?

rfalias

Why so set on joomla or phpbb?

Stuff like tinyportal and SMF are all good and you won't have to go through hell to set it up.

FyreWulff

SMF is a nice CMS/forum software and has an awesome API.. but it has big bugs in it, and Simple Machines takes forever to push out fixes.

Caelum Militis

You only need one database, you can put all the tables (joomla and phpbb3) in the same database.

And here is a bridge that seems to have decent reviews. Takes a bit of setup, but seems to integrate nicely. RokBridge also has good reviews, though folks say it doesn't integrate quite as nicely.

They both have demos you can look at to determine which one you like better.

nakirush

Thanks much guys! I have it up and running now!