Questions[phpbb](server)

I'm trying to install phpBB, and all I need is a working SQL database w/ login etc. I have tried using mySQL and it wouldn't let me change the password (I guess this is a common issue) so now I'm trying MS SQL and even it's not working. Here is the phpBB login:

My username / password are below that. When I press 'Next Step' it gives me that error. I have Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Express installed, and when I run the SQL Server Configuration Manager, I set the Logon as: Local System (so I set my username/password to my servers login. Let me know if this is incorrect). Regardless, it should still connect and I'm curious to why it won't. I'm new to this somewhat, but I don't see a tool installed to edit/add databases, just the service itself. Any help?

i've got a django app running on apache behind an nginx reverse proxy. Nginx takes requests on port 80 and forwards them to apache on 127.0.0.1:81. This works fine.

Now I want to run phpbb on apache under /forums. My problem is that when phpbb does a redirect, it seems to redirect to the internal apache port, rather than port 80. So, for instance when I first go to http://my-dev-server/forums to configure php bb, it immediately redirects to http://127.0.0.1:81/forums/install/index.php.

Is there something I need to do in nginx/apache/phpbb config to get it to redirect to the external port? Thanks very much!

I have inherited a PhpBB3 installation from an uncontactable previous admin who didn't leave me the password, or any mechanism to retrieve it.

It runs on a MySQL database, which I have logged into with full privileges in order to change the admin password. Unfortunately, PhpBB3 apparently uses a complex multistage salted hashing technique that I'm not familiar with. Given full access to the DB, how do I generate a valid password hash to replace the old one with?

I tried a simple MD5 of the known password of a normal user, and it doesn't match the DB entry.

Any other way to reset the admin password via the DB is also helpful, as long as it works!

I'm managing a phpBB-based forum that gets hit hard by spammers signing up fake accounts. To combat this, we enabled "administrator activation required", but it's not working so well: When a new user signs up, I get an email with a link to activate that user. However, there's no link to let me easily look at the user first; it goes straight to activation.

I'd like to try a different approach, along these lines:

1. I'd like to allow registrations without my approval; instead, the user must get a mail with an activation link.
2. I'd like a designated moderator group to approve all posts made by newly registered users. This should be done through the forum's web-based moderation control panel.
3. When a new user posts a spammy message, I want the moderator group to kill the message and the account.
4. When a new user has posted a few non-spammy messages, he's whitelisted and further postings require no approval.

How do I achieve this setup? -or- Is there a similar but smarter approach?

UPDATE: I finally found a watertight solution: http://CleanTalk.org -- it's a paid service but for a measly $8 per year it's well worth the money. So far the filter has worked 100% accurately, without any spammers getting through and without blocking legit users. I am impressed.

I'm just about to launch a new Django website (RedHat EL4, Apache 2.0.52, Django 1.1, mod_wsgi), transitioning from a basic static-html and php site. As it's currently configured, Django handles every request on the new site, starting from the site root (i.e. mydomain.com/ is processed by Django).

The old site had a PhpBB forum set up at mydomain.com/forum/. I'm trying to figure out how (or if) I can get the forum system to live in the same place on the new site. So, anything under mydomain.com/forums/ is handled by PhpBB and everything else is handled by Django.

I feel like the Apache 'Location' directive is the tool to use, but I'm not getting enough specific advice from the Apache docs and Google. I'm reasonably familiar with Apache conf files, but I haven't had to do this type of thing before. Thanks for any suggestions.