I'm attempting to create a new server and update the BBS from v3.18 to v3.20.

I tar up the /sbbs folder on the old server and copy that to the new server in the same folder /sbbs

I'm having trouble after i do the git pull, then the make using setcap and symlinks with release=1.

I then do the /sbbs/exec/jsexec update and it doesn't seem to work. if i run the upgrade_to_v320 it says it migrates the users to user.tab and all that but i can't verify things are right because #1 when i run scfg it thinks this is a new installation when it should be an upgrade and i can't seem to get passed that.

I'm just fully confused and tried so many things.. I'm willing to start over with the update and do things in a certain order but i need some guidance. I'm following the wiki for upgrading, but it just seems to be issues one after the other. At this point, i'd almost rather setup a new bbs and make sure it works then copy over the data somehow and the config, but im afraid i'd be right back in the same boat.

Any guidance to what I might be doing wrong?

Here's what i have done more specifically (TL:DR)

cd /sbbs/repo
git -C /sbbs/repo pull

then

export SBBSCTRL=/sbbs/ctrl
export SBBSEXEC=/sbbs/exec
echo $SBBSCTRL
echo $SBBSEXEC

I do the echo's to verify it's there.

then

cd /sbbs/repo/src/sbbs3; make RELEASE=1 setcap symlinks

after it's done, i can verify that my exec files are using the symlinks and are pointed to the right spots in the repo folders.

Then i try and run:

cd /sbbs/exec
./jsexec update

It appears to run and tells me it's updating the birthdate for some of the users and also it says this:

!WARNING loading configuration files: 0 nodes configured in /sbbs/ctrl/main.ini

and of course i can see /sbbs/ctrl/main.ini and i can see the items inside of it, like bbs name and such, i can see the "nodes" in there too, so not sure why it shows 0 nodes configured.

This is where i try and run /sbbs/exec/scfg and it says a new installation is detected and i abort out of there because i dont want it to override any of my data.

Hopefully i've explained well enough where I am at, and I'm stuck not sure what to do next.

Thanks for any help and if i missed something, please let me know.

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Re: Upgrading from v3.18 on CentOS7 to Ubuntu 25.04
By: Jason to All on Wed Oct 22 2025 11:46 pm

I'm attempting to create a new server and update the BBS from v3.18 to v3.20.

I tar up the /sbbs folder on the old server and copy that to the new server in the same folder /sbbs

I'm having trouble after i do the git pull, then the make using setcap and symlinks with release=1.

I then do the /sbbs/exec/jsexec update and it doesn't seem to work.

What makes you say that? Is the update.js current (the latest from the Git repo)?

if i run
the upgrade_to_v320 it says it migrates the users to user.tab and all that but i can't verify things are right because #1 when i run scfg it thinks this is a new installation when it should be an upgrade and i can't seem to get passed that.

Look at the ctrl/main.ini file - does it have your BBS name, etc. in it? If not, then there was no conversion of the your old ctrl/*.cnf files to ctrl/*.ini, and if that's the case, then you ran the wrong update.js or something like that.

!WARNING loading configuration files: 0 nodes configured in /sbbs/ctrl/main.ini

and of course i can see /sbbs/ctrl/main.ini and i can see the items inside of it, like bbs name and such, i can see the "nodes" in there too, so not sure why it shows 0 nodes configured.

Is it *your* BBS name or "My Brand New BBS" (or whatever the default is)?

This is where i try and run /sbbs/exec/scfg and it says a new installation is detected and i abort out of there because i dont want it to override any of my data.

Yeah, like I said above, it sounds like you ran the wrong update.js.

k, let us know more.
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