Icy Phoenix :: Readme
Icy Phoenix 2.0
Table Of Contents
Overview

  • What is Icy Phoenix?
  • Icy Phoenix is a CMS based on phpBB (a fully scalable and highly customisable open-source Bulletin Board package PHP based) plus many modifications and code integrations which add flexibility to the whole package. The official home page for phpBB is www.phpbb.com. Icy Phoenix has some features originally developed for phpBB XS Project which has been founded by Bicet and then developed by both Bicet and Mighty Gorgon. Icy Phoenix has been created by Luca Libralato after he left the phpBB XS Project.

  • What are the main features of Icy Phoenix?
  • Icy Phoenix has many features, most of them are listed in the Features Page and in the Credits Page. The main ones are:
    • phpBB bulletin board and permission system
    • CMS features allowing the creation of new pages and blocks
    • Overall template integration among all site sections
    • Many ready to use features: Photo Gallery, Downloads, Knowledge Base, Links, Chat...
    • Multi-language and multi-template ready
    • Almost 100% XHTML and CSS W3C compliant
    • ...and many others...

  • Is Icy Phoenix supported for bugs, security issues, improvements?
  • Icy Phoenix is an open source project. As like many open source projects it is developed by people using their free time. At the moment there are several persons in the staff willing to help and to contribute to this project. We hope the community will continue to grow and be able to provide all the necessary support to all the users who may need help.

  • Is Icy Phoenix easy to install and upgrade from other platforms?
  • Icy Phoenix has its own setup procedure which guides the user through the steps of the setup process. An upgrading file is provided to upgrade the package from standard phpBB and phpBB XS. Hopefully an upgrade procedure from any other platform will be written in the future: at the moment the only way to upgrade from another platform is by downgrading to phpBB and then run the provided upgrade procedure.

  • Does Icy Phoenix have many templates?
  • Yes, at the moment there are some free templates (some of them with multicolour variations) and we are working to create new ones. If you are interested in new templates you should regularly check the support forum and Styles Section.

  • Is Icy Phoenix multi-language?
  • English is the main language of Icy Phoenix, but it has been translated into other languages (alphabetical order): Arabic, Catalan, Dutch, German, Italian, Spanish... and more to come! If you don't find your language listed here, please ask at the support forum, maybe someone else is working on the translation you need and you would be welcome to join the translation team to give your contribution.

  • Will Icy Phoenix be upgraded to phpBB 3?
  • The matter is quite complex. Even if the starting core was phpBB 2, many phpBB 3 features and core functions have been ported to Icy Phoenix: this means that currently Icy Phoenix is based on a version of phpBB which is an hybrid between phpBB 2 and phpBB 3. The code is highly optimized, it uses cache extensively, you shouldn't miss phpBB 3.

  • May I join the Icy Phoenix Project?
  • Of course. Icy Phoenix is an open source project, and anyone who is willing to give his own contribution on a stable basis may then apply to join the Team.
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License

Icy Phoenix, which has been created by Mighty Gorgon, is a CMS based on pre-modded version of phpBB plus several phpBB MODs, plus many features coded by Mighty Gorgon and Icy Phoenix Staff. Since phpBB is released under GNU, Icy Phoenix as well is released under the GNU License (you may read its term here: GNU)

Credits for all included MODs and their Authors could be found at this link: Credits.

phpBB © 2012 phpBB Group.
Icy Phoenix © 2012 Icy Phoenix Staff.


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Requirements

Before trying to install Icy Phoenix make sure you have the following STRICTLY NEEDED requirements:
  • At least 20 MB of free space in the folder you would like to install the package
  • Web server with PHP (5.x or above) installed and running (works best on Linux + Apache)
  • MySQL (5.x or above) database with at least 5MB of free space (of course the space needed depends on how big your site will be... 5MB is enough for a basic empty setup)
  • Ability to set CHMOD permissions


These other requirements (even if not strictly needed) are suggested for optimal performance of Icy Phoenix:
  • Webserver with .htaccess capability
  • Apache Rewrite Mod installed and running
  • GD Libraries (at least 2.0.28) installed and running
  • Register Globals set to OFF
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Fresh Installation

  1. Unpack Icy Phoenix package to one folder on your HD.
  2. Copy all Icy Phoenix files in one folder on your webserver (i.e. /icyphoenix/)
  3. Set the permissions to CHMOD 777 to the following files and folders:
    • backup/
    • cache/
    • cache/cms/
    • cache/forums/
    • cache/posts/
    • cache/sql/
    • cache/topics/
    • cache/uploads/
    • cache/users/
    • downloads/
    • files/
    • files/album/
    • files/album/cache/
    • files/album/med_cache/
    • files/album/users/
    • files/album/wm_cache/
    • files/images/
    • files/thumbs/
    • files/thumbs/s/
    • images/avatars/
    • logs/
    • logs/logfile_attempt_counter.txt
    • logs/logfile_blocklist.txt
    • logs/logfile_debug_mode.txt
    • logs/logfile_malformed_logins.txt
    • logs/logfile_spammer.txt
    • logs/logfile_worms.txt

  4. Launch the setup from the install folder: install/install.php (i.e. http://www.mysite.com/forum/install/install.php)
  5. Follow all the instructions on the screen, fill all requested data and complete the setup.
  6. Delete or rename install folder.
  7. Customize files and settings to correctly setup your site (some files needs to be edited manually, while most of the options may be set in ACP and CMS). Here is a short list of some files you may want to edit manually:
    • .htaccess: settings about your domain and basic Apache settings.
    • robots.txt: change the path of your sitemap and customize basics bots rules.
    • favicon.ico and images/favicon.ico: customize your site icon.
    • includes/constants.php: customize some constants values and set your main admins id.
    • language/lang_XXX/lang_main_settings.php: some important data about you, your site and basic settings.
    • templates/default/overall_header*.tpl: you can customize here some parts of the appearance of your template (some of these settings may be changed in ACP and CMS, so you don't need to edit these files).
  8. Customize options in ACP and CMS.
  9. Enjoy your New Site Enjoy!.
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Upgrade from Icy Phoenix 2.0.0.86 or above

If you're using Icy Phoenix 2.0.0.86 or above, you can upgrade your board by following these instructions:
  1. Login as administrator.
  2. Lock your site.
  3. Make a full backup of all files and database (if you don't do a backup, don't dare to ask for support! Backup Rules!)
  4. Did you backup everything? If you didn't make the backup, please, step back to the previous point.
  5. Copy your current .htaccess (if you edited it) and config.php and keep them in a safe place.
  6. You may also want to backup the customized pages you have created using the CMS (if you have created some).
  7. Check again that your backup is ok and keep it in a safe place. Backup Rules!
  8. Remove the following folders (make sure you don't have in those folders some files you may need for some mods you have installed, but in any case you should have a backup Backup Rules!):
    • adm
    • includes
    • language
    • templates
  9. Remove all old Icy Phoenix files making sure you are not deleting other stuff you may need! (In any case you should have a backup, right? Backup Rules!).
  10. When deleting files, please pay particular attention to custom files and folders like these:
    • config.php
    • backup/
    • downloads/
    • images/
    • files/
    • logs/
  11. Unpack Icy Phoenix package to one folder on your HD.
  12. Upload all Icy Phoenix files (all but config.php) in the same folder where Icy Phoenix was installed and running. Pay attention that all older files still there (if any) must be replaced by the new ones.
  13. Apply all permissions listed in Fresh Installation.
  14. Run install/database_update.php to update your DB (i.e. http://www.mysite.com/ip/install/database_update.php).
  15. Delete or rename install folder.
  16. Customize your Icy Phoenix setup as listed here ==> Customizations.
  17. Unlock your site.
  18. Enjoy your New Icy Phoenix Site Enjoy!.
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Upgrade from Icy Phoenix 1.3.0.53

If you're using Icy Phoenix 1.3.0.53, you can upgrade your board by following these instructions:
  1. Login as administrator.
  2. Lock your site.
  3. Make a full backup of all files and database (if you don't do a backup, don't dare to ask for support! Backup Rules!)
  4. Did you backup everything? If you didn't make the backup, please, step back to the previous point.
  5. Copy your current .htaccess (if you edited it) and config.php and keep them in a safe place.
  6. You may also want to backup the customized pages you have created using the CMS (if you have created some).
  7. Check again that your backup is ok and keep it in a safe place. Backup Rules!
  8. Rename the following folder:
    • files/posted_images ==> files/images
  9. Remove the following folders (make sure you don't have in those folders some files you may need for some mods you have installed, but in any case you should have a backup Backup Rules!):
    • adm
    • includes
    • language
    • templates
  10. Remove all old Icy Phoenix files making sure you are not deleting other stuff you may need! (In any case you should have a backup, right? Backup Rules!).
  11. When deleting files, please pay particular attention to custom files and folders like these:
    • config.php
    • backup/
    • downloads/
    • images/
    • files/
    • logs/
  12. Unpack Icy Phoenix package to one folder on your HD.
  13. Upload all Icy Phoenix files (all but config.php) in the same folder where Icy Phoenix was installed and running. Pay attention that all older files still there (if any) must be replaced by the new ones.
  14. Apply all permissions listed in Fresh Installation.
  15. Copy install/convert_utf8_nodbal.php to your website root and launch it, this is needed to convert your old DB to UTF-8 (i.e. http://www.mysite.com/ip/convert_utf8_nodbal.php).
  16. Delete convert_utf8_nodbal.php from your root
  17. Run install/database_update.php to update your DB (i.e. http://www.mysite.com/ip/install/database_update.php).
  18. Run install/install.php since you need to run Add Uploaded Images To DB (Upgrading from Icy Phoenix 1.3 or above) to add all uploaded images to DB (i.e. http://www.mysite.com/ip/install/install.php).
  19. Delete or rename install folder.
  20. Customize your Icy Phoenix setup as listed here ==> Customizations.
  21. Unlock your site.
  22. Enjoy your New Icy Phoenix Site Enjoy!.
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Upgrade from Icy Phoenix 1.1.0.15 or Upgrade from Icy Phoenix 1.2.0.27

If you're using Icy Phoenix 1.1.0.15 or Icy Phoenix 1.2.0.27, you can upgrade your site by following these instructions:
  1. Login as administrator.
  2. Lock your site.
  3. Rename the following folder:
    • pafiledb/uploads/ ==> downloads/
  4. At this stage, please follow the instructions listed here Upgrade from Icy Phoenix 1.3.0.53 or above.
  5. Run install/install.php again since you may need to run most of the maintenance features listed in that page (i.e. http://www.mysite.com/ip/install/install.php).
  6. Unlock your site.
  7. Enjoy your New Icy Phoenix Site Enjoy!.
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Upgrade from phpBB XS

If you're using phpBB XS, you can upgrade your site by following these instructions (based on phpBB XS 058 standard setup):
  1. Login as administrator.
  2. Lock your site.
  3. Rename the following folder:
    • album_mod/upload/ ==> files/album/
    • pafiledb/uploads/ ==> downloads/
  4. At this stage, please follow the instructions listed here Upgrade from Icy Phoenix 2.0.0.86 or above.
  5. Run install/install.php again since you may need to run most of the maintenance features listed in that page (i.e. http://www.mysite.com/ip/install/install.php).
  6. Unlock your site.
  7. Enjoy your New Icy Phoenix Site Enjoy!.
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Convert from phpBB 3.0.x

If you're using phpBB 3.0.x, you can port to Icy Phoenix forums, topics, posts and users by using this procedure:
  1. Login as administrator to phpBB 3 and lock the board from ACP.
  2. Make a full backup of your phpBB 3 (both DB and files).
  3. Install Icy Phoenix (Fresh Installation Instructions) on the same DB phpBB 3 is installed, but with different table prefix (best would be to have Icy Phoenix tables with ip_ prefix and phpBB 3 tables with phpbb_ prefix). If you want to install Icy Phoenix on the same directory where phpBB 3 is, you should first delete/move phpBB 3 files. Sorry to remind again, but backup is very important before completing this stage!
  4. Login as administrator to Icy Phoenix and lock the site from ACP.
  5. Edit the constants definitions in install/phpbb3_conversion/phpbb3_to_ip.php file to reflect the correct prefix and name in case you need it.
  6. Upload install/phpbb3_conversion/phpbb3_to_ip.php to your Icy Phoenix root and launch it (i.e. http://www.mysite.com/ip/phpbb3_to_ip.php).
  7. When the conversion ends, you should have all users, forums, topics and posts in your Icy Phoenix DB.
  8. Login to Icy Phoenix and run almost all DB Maintenance scripts in ACP (you may need to alter the constants.php if your main admin id is not 2, or you won't see this menu!).
  9. Customize your Icy Phoenix setup as listed here ==> Customizations.
  10. Unlock your site.
  11. Enjoy your New Icy Phoenix Site Enjoy!.
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Upgrade from standard phpBB 2.0.x

If you're using phpBB 2.0.x, you can easily upgrade your board by following these instructions:
  1. Login as administrator.
  2. Lock your board.
  3. At this stage, please follow the instructions listed here Upgrade from Icy Phoenix 2.0.0.86 or above.
  4. Run install/install.php again since you may need to run most of the maintenance features listed in that page (i.e. http://www.mysite.com/ip/install/install.php).
  5. Unlock your site.
  6. Enjoy your New Icy Phoenix Site Enjoy!.
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Support

For any query or support request, please refer to Icy Phoenix Support Forum.
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History

Version 2.2.0.105 (2016/06/04)
  • Fifth stable release.


Version 2.0.0.86 (2012/07/28)
  • Fourth stable release.


Version 1.3.0.53 (2009/07/17)
  • Third stable release.


Version 1.2.0.27 (2008/03/03)
  • Second stable release.


Version 1.1.0.15 (2007/05/20)
  • First stable release.
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