vbDrupal is the fork project of the Drupal content management system. It integrates Drupal into the forum software vBulletin.
With vbDrupal, Drupal and vBulletin are interwoven together, with no changes to the vBulletin forum, and minimal changes to the Drupal core. vbDrupal offers the best of both worlds, a great forum and superb content/portal management. vbDrupal also comes with add-on modules that allow node creation from vBulletin threads, the ability to create recent post and vBulletin calendar blocks, as well as using vBulletin threads for commenting in Drupal.
vbDrupal is completely free, however it does require that you have a valid vBulletin license. The project is hosted on SourceForge.net, from there you can download the product and/or it's sources as well as vbdrupal.org.
Currently, supports Drupal 4.6.x and 4.7.x, with development for 5.0 in process. Supports both vBulletin 3.5.x and 3.6.x.
Many Drupal purists and those who are just used to only using Drupal modules will immediately ask, “What can vbDrupal give me that the Drupal core and modules can’t?” Primarily, vbDrupal gives you single user login and integration between Drupal and one of the best forum management systems, vBulletin.
Drupal webmasters have already embraced the robust modular system the composes Drupal, and are used to the granular permissions, and configurable menus and blocks. File sharing, content management and article categorizations all have been greatly implemented in Drupal.
What is Drupal lacking then?
But one system of development that is behind the rest are the default forums in Drupal. Due to this, there are many forum integration projects under way with SMF (in-progress), phpBB, and of course, vbDrupal. Depending on your user base and familiarity, one of these other integrations may suit a given Drupal site better, and of course vBulletin has a licensing fee that the others do not.
Below is a partial list of forum features that currently are not fully available in the default Drupal forums:
See http://www.vbulletin.com/features.php for a full listing of vBulletin features.
What vbDrupal offers:
With Drupal and vBulletin brought together with vbDrupal, there is full user integration, Drupal blocks in vBulletin options, and vBulletin thread and PM content in Drupal regions.
The new 4.7.x Drupal integration allows for nearly all Drupal modules to work. Obviously any forum modules in Drupal are not needed, and some user-centric modules must be tested for full-functionality.
A conversion script has been made so existing Drupal 4.7.x sites can be upgraded to vbDrupal sites, and a 4.7.x to 5.x upgrade path will be provided.
Join the vbDrupal growing community in these forums, or at the project homepage. vbDrupal 5.0 is in development now, so give your input on how you want it to turn out.
An adequate CMS integrated with vBulletin has always been a desire for any webmaster to extend content beyond a vBulletin forum. Even after all the products and plug-ins, there are many content management concepts that are found lacking in a stand-alone vBulletin setup.
vbDrupal offers that bridge between a high-caliber CMS and vBulletin. Drupal is considered by many as one of the best, most robust, secure, extensible content management system out there (deemed best open-source CMS by IBM).
The Drupal Advantage
For a more complete picture of possibilities using Drupal, check out its Features and Is it Right for You.
What vbDrupal Offers
With Drupal and vBulletin brought together in vbDrupal, there is full user integration, Drupal blocks in vBulletin forums, and vBulletin thread and PM content in Drupal regions. Also, included is the ability to map vBulletin user groups onto Drupal roles to further integration user permissions and access control from inside of vBulletin. Also, all vBulletin products and plug-ins will continue to function with vbDrupal.
Join the vbDrupal growing community in these forums, or at the project homepage. vbDrupal 5.0 is in development now, so give your input on how you want it to turn out.