Linux-Is-Best

I must apologize for being short-worded with my answers. I fear in my attempt to be short and direct, I have left the wrong impression. I understood that is how it works now, and that is how it has worked. My initial comment was for @breatheheavy as I was confused and puzzled on how he had managed to unite the e-mail in such a fashion. SendGrid (https://sendgrid.com) as I understood it was a mailing service, and I was puzzled how that server was somehow undermining the internal e-mail system. I admit to ignorance (not knowing better in this instance on how that can happen). I made my reply before I knew you had replied. Once you read my comment, I appreciate you took the time to clarify that the two (newsletters -vs.- general e-mails) should operate independently. While I already knew this, I was appreciative that you took the time to address me anyways (thanks). I quickly said that it was good to know in my short-sightedness and that I am looking forward to 4.6. Which I am looking forward to since it will support PHP 8. But there was no way for you to know why I am waiting for 4.6, and my pleasantry comment, with my effort to be short-worded, seems to have given the wrong impression. I apologize for my miscommunication.

That's good to know. Looking forward to 4.6 👍

I think you have just highlighted an important reason why the two should be separate. Some people do not want to receive newsletters, which is perfectly fine (I don't use them myself). But they should receive system e-mail upon request, such as resetting their password. I am confused to hear that somehow the two have been linked together.

FYI: Are you aware CentOS is being discontinued? CentOS 8 support is reaching its end-of-life phase this year (December 2021). While I believe they have extended support for CentOS 7 into 2024 because it was already widely adopted. It is true they may be offering a CentOS Stream, which is a rolling release, but the days of a solid release, I fear, are over (in my opinion). I have found SUSE to be an acceptable replacement. There has been nothing I could not do in SUSE that I was not already doing in CentOS. My personal preference for OSs (operating systems) for server use is Ubuntu, OpenSUSE, and Arch Linux. Many providers do not typically offer Arch Linux, but converting a Debian install into an Arch Linux install is relatively straightforward. If you mind me asking, what is your OS of choice for your hosting needs?

If you seek a provider for your VPS (virtual private server) needs, please allow me to make the following suggestions. These are providers I am currently actively using for my own VPS needs. https://us.ovhcloud.com https://www.ionos.com

✅ Do ✅ you ✅ mean ❌ like this? ✅ Because this works for me.

Ask yourself, how will you be managing your VPS (virtual private server)? Will it be exclusively through a terminal using SSH? Or will you be opting to use a control panel such as Plesk, Cpanel, or Direct Admin, to name a few? What other products or services will you be installing on your VPS? How many members and active visitors (guests too) do you anticipate online, not throughout the day, but at a single point? You generally want enough to run everything you're planing, plus room to grow, plus the unexpected. If you plan on managing your VPS with only the terminal using SSH and you have experienced optimizing your configuration. Plus, your site is relatively new; I would suggest at a minimum 1 core with 2GB of ram. If you do not have any experience optimizing your configuration, 2 cores with 3 GB of ram If you're using a control panel, 4 cores with 8+ GB ram.

I humbly and respectfully would like to pardon my request that the Invision Development Team please give significant consideration in possibly developing a command-line upgrade and import option. It could be most beneficial for large communities whose content ranges in the millions or billions. Thank you for your time and consideration.

Patience is a virtue, or so I am told. I can wait. I rather we all experience a complete product that is as stable and as secure as possible. I understand no release from any software development is ever perfect. But I admire the attempt to strive for perfection when able. If this release can include the new achievement feature in the process, all the better. Thank you for the continuous updates. It is good to see we are all being kept within 'the know.'

~ snip ~ wrong thread. lol

Continuously optimizing your database could be resource-intensive. The general clean-up task should naturally run itself after the preset time. I question if your shared host was somehow preventing this from happening since the limited plan may have had a cap on how much computing power you were allowed. As a result, it was not completed as necessary, and once you were moved to a container with the required resources, it was finally completed.

I am sincerely sorry to hear you are experiencing some traumatic and alarming issues with your community. Not being able to log into your online community is very upsetting and worrying—Especially for your members who no doubt have no clue what is going on. I honestly hope you can resolve that issue ASAP. I want to first agree with you that it is indeed a concerning issue and should be addressed with some sense of urgency over, for example, someone asking how to change their site's logo. But where I'm afraid I have to disagree with your feedback is the knowledge that when consumers are allowed to self-rank their level for needed support, they often incorrectly label themselves as a high priority. It is not necessarily done out of malice but instead based upon the personal perspective of how important something is to themself. As a result, important issues, such as the one you are currently experiencing, end up hidden (buried) among other self-proclaimed essential matters. Thus, the ranking system loses all meaning. I am speaking as someone who has worked within customer service and human resource management for over twenty-five years. The reality is, when the consumer is allowed to decide their own priority level, it starts as a useful tool but quickly degrades and loses all meaning.

Once more, @Miss_B, thank you kindly for your follow-up. I have left a comment for @DawPi in his thread. However, I do wish to note that I was aware of his development before making my post. Another member inquired about such a feature, and from his reply, assuming I understood correctly, he seemed uninterested in such a feature in his current development. I am looking for a long-term solution well beyond 4.6, so I am also interested in making such a development non-exclusive to offset the future cost.

Greetings @DawPi I am currently seeking out such a modification. Still, I would require complete transparency for the user assigned to reading the personal message, including the message's full-body, the listing of everyone involved in the message, and attachments. If I understand correctly, your plugin missing an attachment review?

Thank you kindly @Miss_B for your consideration and follow-up. Unfortunately, that particular development is limited as it does not support attachment review.

Greetings and salutations. It gives me great pleasure to offer the following contract work to any developer currently seeking employment. I am seeking a compatible plugin for Invision Community Suite 4.6 (yet to be released). The purpose of this plugin will be to provide an authorized user the capacity to read personal messages throughout the site to fulfill a legal requirement obligation. The plugin should also have the ability to tap into the built-in language support system already found in Invision. The development of this plugin shall be non-exclusive, and the developer will be welcome to publish the finished product to be sold to other interested clients if they so desire. However, the initial startup cost will be covered by myself (naturally). Interest parties are welcome to reply here or send me a personal message at your discretion. 🙂 None interest parties. Beyond the software, many will always see things differently. You live, or where your site is hosted, you are perhaps lucky to have such privacy laws. The people of your nation naturally will find it hard to live any other way. It is rooted in your culture, legal system, and society. I think you are very fortunate. There is something to admire how others have so many protective rights concerning privacy. My site is located in China. It is very different there. But we can sit here all day talking about the philosophy and the difference of legality throughout the world. But I rather not (please). I much instead would prefer to focus on the software. I am not here to debate personal beliefs or the differences between nations. My only goal is to keep my site running smoothly and legally. For that, I need such a modification. I do not particularly like it. It is not the highlight of my day when I am required to do so. But we all do what we must. I ask you kindly to please respect these facts. Thank you for your time and consideration. 🙂

I am sorry you feel that way, although I think you are fighting against the inevitable. As forums grow, so does their database and file size, and that remains proportional to their storage, ram, and CPU usage. You can prune your post, threads, attachments, and even members if you are willing to make those sacrifices; you should be fine staying with shared hosting. If not, you must learn to accept the reality of how a dynamic website changes and grows over time. Fear not, though. A simple VPS (virtual private server), when well optimized, can be very affordable. DigitalOcean, for example, can start as low as €5. That is only one example of one possible provider. My point is that VPS does not need to cost more than shared hosting when you start.

Hello @FrançoisJ I would suggest you open ticket support with Invision on this matter. It seems you are missing a table in your database. It may be as simple as creating it to proceed, but the correct settings and structure is something Invision staff would know best. In your client area, you can also provide the login details required so they may look at this. https://www.invisioncommunity.com/clientarea/

Please respectfully understand there will always be a limitation when using shared web hosting, even when not correctly specified. It is the business model of most shared web hosting providers to oversell their resources under the assumption that most people will never use what was advertised. You are now experiencing the early signs of having outgrown shared hosting. It would help if you started taking measures now to secure your site's future. The last thing you will want to experience is your host surprising you with notice, informing you they believe you are overusing their allowed resources. That can often end poorly to various degrees. I would suggest you look into a VPS (virtual private server). Please understand that a "reseller" is not a VPS and is a shared hosting account with extra features. Only a VPS will provide you with the dedicated resource will require.

The yearly renewal fee to a single license of Invision is the affordable price of $50. At the time of this post, that is more affordable (cheaper) than most anti-virus programs' subscription costs. That said @WonderingX, I would echo @Paul E.'s advice. A pirated copy can have many hidden, unwanted gremlins. It would be best for you to install a fresh copy and import your old site into the new one instead of upgrading your current. Although, after doing so, double-check to make sure only your approved admins and moderators are the only admins and moderators on your site.

Thank you @Paul E. Just proves to show there is always something new still to learn, always. 😎

Reading your replies, I wonder if you are also asking about coupons? A coupon is a "code" you could give to a select few to save a percentage off. Allowing you to have a sale price but only to those who know the coupon code. Those too are also not serials. I do not think the system supports coupons (unless I missed something).

🤣 You cannot hide. 😂

Hello again @borangeatx I should add, to be mindful, that when performing a database backup and restore, using the terminal will always be your best option. While you can technically perform a small backup and restore through a web interface control panel, such as Cpanel, Plesk, or DirectAdmin, to name a few. It will always be safer and more secure to do so via your terminal controls. mysqldump --default-character-set=utf8mb4 -h [host] -u [username] -p [database_name] --set-gtid-purged=OFF --port=3306 --protocol=tcp --skip-triggers -r dump.sql Since you are at the stage where you are now importing multiple sites into your target community, it is safe to assume you are well beyond the scope of using your web browser to perform this action. Time out is something you do not wish to experience. If you do not have access to your terminal, you should contact your web hosting service provider for assistance. If you continue to need help, I would suggest you inquire with Community Support. There a seasoned system administrator may be able to further assist you. https://invisioncommunity.com/forums/forum/406-community-support/

First, I hope you have a backup of both databases—Especially your target database. I have seen this before. It was a good indication my database was corrupt. Since the import did not complete, that is likely what caused the corruption. If your importing fails, you cannot and should not proceed as if all is well. I would suggest you restore your target database before you attempted the import. I would then make sure to rule out the source is not corrupted and attempt a basic import on a test site. One that you have not already tried to port into previously (a clean install). If that fails, we know the issue is the source database (your WordPress). If it completes, you could attempt to try to re-import.