I don't know if you guys are already aware of this, but this should be addressed, maybe in IPB 4.0:

 

WARNING: key 'sql_attr_str2ordinal' is deprecated in *****/sphinx.conf line 110; use 'sql_attr_string for sorting' instead.

WARNING: key 'sql_attr_str2ordinal' is deprecated in *****/sphinx.conf line 190; use 'sql_attr_string for sorting' instead.

WARNING: key 'port' is deprecated in *****/sphinx.conf line 256; use 'listen' instead.

I did the sphinx search engine with the recommendation of IPB and dumped it, members were complaining of errors everywhere while using it for search.

I get similar deprecated warnings when installing (see it in ssh screen) the latest sphinx even before its pointed to ipb conf file, you positive its related ONLY to ipb?

going to try older version, that worked well for me with no issues, just have not had chance.

These messages are shown whenever updates are run (via crontab), and clearly shows that the name of a few options available at sphinx.conf have now a new name. No big deal.

Neil2: So far, no errors found with Sphinx, and it is way faster than MySQL search. Maybe you didn't install it properly?

They're just deprecation messages - they're not a cause for concern (until the actual definitions are removed from sphinx entirely).

Got the error below (when running it) on Sphinx 2.0.9, the version IPB supports up to per the tutorial at https://www.invisionpower.com/support/guides/_/maintenance-and-server-configurations/searching-r21

WARNING: compat_sphinxql_magics=1 is deprecated; please update your application and config

Can I simply ignore it? There's also a bug that shows "page not found" if you navigate to the results page using the "page dropdown" or the "last page.

Ok, that isn't a bug after all. I forgot to set maxmatches in the sphinxapi.php file. All is good now.