vBSEO Search Engine XML Sitemap v.3.0

vBSEO Search Engine XML Sitemap installation and upgrade instructions

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  Thank-you for using the vBSEO Search Engine XML Sitemap, we hope you enjoy it!
Note: If you encounter issues during the installation, please search the vBSEO Google/Bing Sitemap release thread(s) @ vBulletin.org or vBSEO.com before posting a support request. Thank-you.

Copyrights, Credits, and Important Information

Copyright Statement

vBSEO Search Engine XML Sitemap v.3.0 is © 2010 Crawlability, Inc.

License Agreement (for vBSEO Search Engine XML Sitemap v.3.0)

  1. You are free to download and install this plugin on any vBulletin forum for which you hold a valid vB license.
  2. You ARE NOT allowed to REMOVE or MODIFY the copyright text within the .php files themselves.
  3. You ARE NOT allowed to DISTRIBUTE the contents of any of the included files.
  4. You ARE NOT allowed to COPY ANY PARTS of the code and/or use it for distribution.
Thanks for your cooperation.

vBulletin 3.5.x, 3.6.x, 3.7.x, 3.8.x & 4.x Installation Instructions

A. Upload ALL the files and folders within the 'upload' folder to your forum root folder.

  1. CHMOD 777 the 'forum-root/vbseo_sitemap/data/' folder
Note: Ensure all files are uploaded with the same folder structure provided within your 'upload' folder.

B. Enable rewriting via .htaccess (vBSEO Users skip this step):

  1. Upload the vBSEO Google/Bing Sitemap .htaccess file (located in the 'htaccess' folder) to your forum root.
Note: In some operating systems, the .htaccess file is not visible. If this is your case, find the htaccess.txt file in the same folder, (1) upload it to your forum root folder and (2) rename it to .htaccess.


Note: If you already have an .htaccess file in your forum root, DO NOT upload the vBSEO Google/Bing Sitemap .htaccess file as it will replace the contents of this file. Instead, enter the following code in your 'forum-root/.htaccess' file at the bottom:

RewriteEngine On
RewriteRule ^((urllist|sitemap).*\.(xml|txt)(\.gz)?)$ vbseo_sitemap/vbseo_getsitemap.php?sitemap=$1 [L]

C. Go to your ADMIN CP > 'Plugins & Products' > 'Manage Products'

  1. Click on [Add/Import Product]
  2. Browse to the 'docs' folder of the installation package and open 'vbseo_sitemap.xml', Click 'Import'.

D. Configure the vBSEO Google/Bing Sitemaps:

  1. Go to your ADMIN CP > vBulletin Options > vBSEO Search Engine XML Sitemap.
  2. Edit your settings as desired.
  3. Important: Enter your vBSEO Sitemap Interface Access Password (this will prevent unauthorized access to your automated reports).
Note: The vBSEO Google/Bing Sitemap default settings are optimal for most forums, do not change settings you are not familiarized with.

E. Define a Scheduled Task for the vBSEO Google/Bing Sitemaps:

Note: This is a required step for vBulletin 3.5.x series. If using vBulletin 3.6.x (or higher), vBSEO will automatically create a scheduled task at 2AM without having to go through the steps below.
  1. Go to your ADMIN CP > Scheduled Tasks > Add New Scheduled Task
  2. Edit new task options:
    1. Title: vBSEO - Create Google/Bing Sitemap
    2. Filename: ./vbseo_sitemap/vbseo_sitemap.php
    3. Set task schedule according to your forums activity. For instance, to generate a daily sitemap at 2AM set:
      • Day of the Week: *
      • Day of the Month: *
      • Hour: 2 (or any other)
      • Minute: 0 - -

F. Access your vBSEO Google/Bing Sitemap Reports:

  1. Using your browser, visit: http://www.yoursite.com/vB-root/vbseo_sitemap/.
  2. Enter your vBSEO Sitemap Interface Access Password as defined in step D.

vBulletin 3.5.x, 3.6.x, 3.7.x, 3.8.x & 4.x Upgrade Instructions

A. Upload (and replace) ALL the files and folders within in the 'upload' folder to your forum root folder.

Note: Ensure all files are uploaded with the same folder structure provided within your 'upload' folder.

Note: Some FTP clients erase *all* files within a folder when set to "replace" contents in the destination site. If you want to preserve your old log files (located in 'forum-root/vbseo_sitemap/data/'), make sure that your FTP client *merges* folders but *replaces* files. This is usually a setting within the configuration options for the FTP client.

B. Go to your ADMIN CP > 'Plugins & Products' > 'Manage Products'

  1. Click on [Add/Import Product]
  2. Browse to the 'docs' folder of the installation package and open 'vbseo_sitemap.xml', set 'Allow Overwrite' to 'Yes' then click 'Import'.

F. Access your vBSEO Google/Bing Sitemap Reports:

  1. Using your browser, visit: http://www.yoursite.com/vB-root/vbseo_sitemap/.
  2. Enter your vBSEO Sitemap Interface Access Password as defined in your sitemap settings via the vB admincp.

Big-Board Tips

Issues while generating your sitemap from the vBSEO Search Engine XML Sitemap interface?

If you are encountering issues while generating the sitemap files *from* the vBSEO Search Engine XML Sitemap interface, try generating those via console. To do this you will need to run the following code via your console:

php /path/to/vbseo_sitemap/vbseo_sitemap.php

Note: You can also create a daily crontab on your dedicated server. If you choose to do so, you need to disable the vBSEO Sitemap Scheduled Task within the vBulletin Admin CP > Scheduled Tasks.

Installing the vBSEO Google/Bing Sitemaps under Other Servers

vBSEO supports various other web servers like IIS, Lighttpd, Zeus & Litespeed

Note: Often, the installation procedure for these servers types requires assistance from our support team. Please submit a support ticket (if you are a vBSEO customer) or visit the vBSEO Google/Bing Sitemaps Forums if you have any questions.

IIS Web Server

In step B of the installation process defined ("Enable rewriting via .htaccess"):

Lighttpd Web Server

In step B of the installation process defined ("Enable rewriting via .htaccess"):

Zeus Web Server

In step B of the installation process defined ("Enable rewriting via .htaccess"):

Litespeed Web Server

Should work exactly like Apache webserver (use .htaccess file included in the 'htaccess' folder of the installation package). (vBSEO Users skip this step since the sitemap rules are already included with your vBSEO installation .htaccess file)