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The Hoover Web Design Web Hosting operating manual
will assist in getting you familiar with the many features
we have to offer. Whether you're looking for a quick start
to uploading your files, or would like to familiarize yourself
with our many advanced features, this manual provides easy
to follow step by step instructions on just about everything
you'll need to know. New users are encouraged to print this
manual and read it over at their leisure.
Assuming you've just signed up with Hoover Web Design Web
Hosting, you're probably wondering how to test out a few of
the features and begin populating your web site with files.
You're just a couple of steps from doing just that, but first
things first. Your welcoming email contains the basic information
you'll need to access your account and get things underway.
Print it out, or open it up in a separate window, as you'll
need to refer to it during these tutorials.
Table
Of Contents:
Account Basics:
Where to upload your files:
Configuring your FTP clients:
Connecting via SSH
Understanding the web site file system:
CGI Based Programs:
The ins and outs of DNS and how it effects your domain:
Setting up and managing Sub-Domains:
Setting up Domain Email:
Password
Protecting Web Directories 
MySQL database
Interchange Shopping Cart
Configuring
Mail Readers:
Using
Microsoft FrontPage
Account Basics:
Username and Passwords:
These
are stated in the welcoming email. They are needed to authenticate
everything from FTP, to Email access, C-Panel, and MS FrontPage
if you're using it. In short, use this Username and Password
for any access you're attempting to your account.
Accessing
your account via its URL or associated temporary url:
If
you've just signed up to Hoover Web Design Web Hosting, chances
are you've begun the process of a domain transfer to our servers.
In all likelihood, it will take anywhere from 48 to 72 hours
for all worldwide DNS records to reflect your domain name
as pointing to our servers. While everything in our welcoming
email refers to the domain you signed up, we recommended you
use the accompanying temporary url until you can verify your
domain is actually answering to your new account on the Hoover
Web Design Web Hosting servers.
Accessing your account via FTP:
To
access FTP, you can use your domain name as the FTP host,
or the FTP host that was sent to you in your welcoming email.
If you have additional questions regarding the ins and outs
of FTP, please see our FTP support section, which covers it
in broad detail.
Accessing C-panel:
To
access your C-Panel account manager, you can login into it
with:
http://www.mydomain.com/cpanel (For name based
accounts)
or
the url that was sent to you in the welcome email. Again,
if your domain name is not pointing to our servers yet, calling
it with the url from the email will enable access to your
account.
Where to upload your files:
The Home Directory:
Your html files, and or the files you want to make accessible
to the World Wide Web must be uploaded to your account. When
you first FTP into your account, you'll be taken to your "Home"
directory. Don't confuse this with your "web directory." The
home directory is "not" accessible to the World Wide Web;
it's a private directory where critical system files reside.
DO NOT delete files that have been created by the system,
otherwise your web site may disappear into cyber oblivion!
The
public_html and
www directory - (Where web
accessible files are placed)
These
are the two directories, where files you want accessed from
the web must be placed. Open the folder "public_html" , which
is your "web accessible directory." The folder named "www"
is actually a shortcut to public_html, (both of them take
you to your web directory). Upload the files you want accessible
to your visitors and feel free to make the appropriate sub-directories
you'll require.
Configuring FTP Clients:
Configuring Cute FTP
Based on version 4.2
Please
note that there are a number of older and current versions
of Cute FTP floating around. As a result, some of the instructions
provided here cannot possibly reflect all the versions, which
have been released in the past 5 years. The only small difference
you may encounter is where some of the options can be found
(depending on the client version you're using). In any event,
everything is pretty well much the same. Let's get started:
1. Open Cute FTP
2. Select "File"
3. Select "Site Manager"
4. Select "New"
Options you'll see:
-
Label for site: Enter a name for this account. For example,
"My Root Account."
- FTP Host Address: www.mydomain.com
- FTP Site Username: Your main system
login name
- FTP Site Password: Your main system
password
- FTP Site Connection: Port: 21
- Login Type: Normal
Notes About Cute FTP:
There are a few advanced features you may want to be aware
of. These features may need to be enabled if you're having
problems accessing your site via an FTP client. The following
will explain:
Trouble accessing your site via FTP:
This can sometimes occur if your accessing the Internet from
behind a firewall, personal router, or using an Internet connection
sharing system such as NAT (Network Address Translation).
This is often a class case scenario in a home or small office
where several computers are being shared by one Internet connection.
Symptoms include, difficulty logging in via FTP, and or maintaining
a reliable upload or download session.
Use Passive Mode instead:
From
your FTP main interface, select:
1. Edit (from the main dropdown
menus)
2. Settings
A dialog box called "Settings" now appears. Select:
3. Connections
4. Firewall
This opens the Connection/Firewall dialog box:
5. Check the box that says "PASV mode."
6. Click OK
Don't touch any of the other settings
Ignore all other settings you see here except for
the "PASV_mode" setting!
Give it a try and see how it works. If you're still having
problems, you should contact your ISP to see if they can make
the necessary changes required for you to access your site
via FTP. There are a vast number of network configurations
ISP's sometimes use, and some of which that can cause problems
for users wanting to access the web beyond that of a browser.
How to view all files in your
account (For Advanced Users).
Advanced users may want ability to view "all hidden" files
in their directories. While most of these are critical system
files, there are a few, which can be manually edited by "Advanced
Users." This is done by inserting an entry into the "File
Masking" feature in the client.
Unmasking Hidden Files:
1. Open Cute FTP
2. Go to the site manager
3. Select your account
4. Select "Edit"
A
dialog box opens called "Site Properties":
1. Check the "Enable Filter" box
2. Click the "Filter" button
3. Check the " Enable Remote Filters (Server
Applied Filer) " box
4. In the "Remote Filter" window, type this command -a
5. Click ok
That's it!
The
-a command will unmask "all" files in your web account.
Final
Note:
NEVER REMOVE OR ALTER FILES, WHICH HAVE BEEN CREATED BY THE
SERVER or C-Panel!! Unless you're an advanced user,
please leave all files that have been created by the system
alone! Doing otherwise could cause serious problems with your
account, and in some cases take it offline completely. When
in doubt "ASK", do not Delete!
Setting Up WSFTP
Please
note that there are a number of older and current versions
of WSFTP floating around. As a result, some of the instructions
provided here cannot possibly reflect all the versions, which
have been released in the past 5 years. The only small difference
you may encounter is where some of the options can be found
(depending on the client version you're using). In any event,
everything is pretty well much the same.
Setting up WSFTP:
1. Open your WSFTP client
2. The dialog box "WS_FTP" Sites should display. If not, click
the "Connect" button.
3. Select "New"
You
should see this dialog box:
You'll
be taken through these options:
1.
New Site/Folder: Choose a name for this
account
2.
Host Name or IP address: www.yourdomain.com
3.
User ID: Main system login
4.
User Password: Main System Password
5. Select "Save
Password."
6. Select "Finish."
Done! Your can now FTP into your site
Notes
About WSFTP:
Main Username and Password:
The main Username and Password was sent to you in your welcoming
email, and are also the same ones used to access C-Panel.
If you've changed your "main" Username and Password
before setting this up, then use you must use
them instead.
Trouble
accessing your site via FTP:
This can sometimes occur if your accessing the Internet from
behind a firewall, personal router, or using an Internet connection
sharing system such as NAT (Network Address Translation).
This is often a class case scenario in a home or small office
where several computers are being shared by one Internet connection.
Symptoms include, difficulty logging in via FTP, and or maintaining
a reliable upload or download session. If this is the case,
try "Passive Mode."
Setting
Passive Mode:
1.
Open the WSFTP account manager
2.
Highlight your account
3.
Select "Properties"
4. Select the
"Advanced" tab
5.
Check the box called "Passive Transfers."
6. Click "OK"
Select
passive mode, click "OK",
and try it again.
How to view all files in your
account (For Advanced Users).
Advanced
users may want ability to view "all hidden" files in their
directory. While most of these are critical system files,
there are a few, which can be manually edited by "Advanced
Users." This is done by inserting an entry into the "File
Masking" feature in the client.
Unmasking
Hidden Files:
1. Open the WSFTP account manager
2. Highlight your account
3. Select "Properties"
4. Select the "Startup" tab
5. In the "Remote File Mask" window,
enter -a
The
-a command will unmask all files in your web account.
Final Note:
NEVER REMOVE OR ALTER FILES, WHICH HAVE BEEN CREATED BY THE
SERVER or C-Panel!! Unless you're an advanced
user, please leave all files that have been created by the
system alone! Doing otherwise could cause serious problems
with your account, and in some cases take it offline completely.
When in doubt "ASK", do not Delete!
Connecting via SSH:
SSH
stands for Secure SHell. This is a command line interface
identical to telnet. The only difference is that everything
done through SSH is encrypted, so if anyone tries to snoop
in during your session, they can't read what passwords or
commands are being typed.
Before you can start accessing your account with SSH, you
need to download an SSH client program. Perhaps the best one
out there is SecureCRT, available from VanDyke software at
http://www.vandyke.com/
. It's shareware that you'll have to buy after 30 days of
use. Otherwise, you can try looking for SSH clients (including
freeware ones) at http://www.tucows.com
. Whichever SSH client program you choose to download and
install, in order to actually SSH into your account with us,
you'll need to use the following settings in your SSH client
program:
Protocol: ssh1 or ssh2
Hostname: yourdomain.com (or whatever your domain name is)
Port: 22
Cipher: 3DES or Blowfish
Authentication: password
Username: your account username
Password: your account password
Once you've successfully logged in, you'll be presented with
a command prompt that looks something like "bash-2.04$ ".
This is where you type commands. Here's a brief list of commands
you can use:
ls - (list) this displays the files and directories in your
current directory
ll - (long list) same as "ls", but displays some more details
cd - (change directory) when followed by a valid directory
name, changes your current directory. Use "cd .." to move
back one directory in the hierarchy.
pico - opens up a session with a simple text editor. Following
this with a filename will edit that file if it already exists,
or will open up a new one under that name if it doesn't exist
du - (disk usage) this displays a list of all of your directories
and subdirectories. Beside each one is a number. That number
tells you how much space that directory or subdirectory is
taking up in KB (1 MB = 1024 KB).
If you like, you can also try using the web-based SSH utility
included in your control panel (look for the "SSH Telnet"
icon). We can't offer any guarantees on how well it'll work
for you. It can be quite buggy at times.
Understanding the web site file system:
index.html and why you should use it:
This
again is where a number of newer webmasters become stumped.
They upload all of their files and directories, and then want
to access them with their browser, but forget to name their
home page index.html. Here's what happens: they access their
site as http://www.mydomain.com,
and what they see is their entire file directory structure!
Yikes!� It looks just like exploring the C drive on your computer!
You don't want visitors seeing that, do you?
When you access your site by calling it as http://www.mydomain.com
the web server looks for the "index.html" file as the default
file to be sent to visitors, and thus this is why http://www.mydomain.com
by itself will automatically display the home or welcoming
page. It's because the server automatically looks for index.html
whenever a domain or directory is called without a filename
appended to it such as this, http://www.mydomain.com/filename.xyz
If it can't find index.html, it will simply list "your entire
web directory" to everyone that accesses it, which can be
a security risk. You should use an "index.html" file in any
directory you create, including your "root" web directory.
In general, it's always a good idea to use "index.html" as
your main page in all sub-directories on your account. Forgetting
to place an index.html in your root web, or any subdirectory
of your web for that matter will effectively leave all of
its contents viewable to the world.
However, it is possible to specify the default webpage that
visitors see when visiting any of your directories (e.g. http://www.mydomain.com/fun
, http://www.mydomain.com/contact
, etc.). To do so, you need to create a file called ".htacess"
in that directory. Then, just open up that file and add the
line
DirectoryIndex filename.xyz
where filename.xyz is the name of the page you want to load
by default when someone accesses that folder with a browser.
(Note that the file name is case sensitive.) Make sure to
save the changes you made to the file.
For example, say you have a page called "home.html" that you
want to have load by default when someone goes to http://www.your_domain.com
. Just create a new file called ".htaccess" in your /public_html
folder and add the line
DirectoryIndex home.html
to it. Now, when someone goes to http://www.your_domain.com
, your home.html page will load by default. As another example,
say you have another page called silly.html that you would
like to load by default when someone goes to your http://fun.your_domain.com
subdomain. Just create a new file called ".htaccess" in your
/public_html/fun folder and add the line
DirectoryIndex silly.html
to it. Now, when someone goes to view http://fun.your_domain.com
(or http://www.fun.your_domain.com, they're the same thing)
in their browser, your silly.html page will load by default.
Understanding case sensitivity:
Another
small detail, which can throw many newer users into a tailspin.
Unlike your local PC, the Unix file system is very particular
about "uppercase" and "lowercase" file names. Therefore, if
you were to install a script, (let's say the wwwboard discussion
forum) for example), the name of this script would be wwwboard.pl.
If you name a file picture file called me.jpg, then this is
what you must call it as. Naming it me.JPG for example,
(observe the uppercase) tells a Unix web server to treat it
as a totally different file name.
Unix file servers are exceptionally fussy on this issue, so
make sure you pay close attention to case when uploading files,
or installing and configuring cgi based scripts. The same
rule applies for all files including your .html pages. Again,
the server treats .html and .HTML as two entirely different
files. Want to keep in simple? Try to stick with lowercase
letters in all file names and extensions.
Uploading your files in the correct mode (ASCII
or Binary)?
Uploading in the wrong format for images or binaries will
result in a strange mess appearing in place of the file.
For CGI scripts, this mistake has to be the most common cause
of that annoying error known as the (Server 500 Error - Malformed
Headers), or something to that lovely extent. While this can
be the result of many various programming errors, the most
popular amongst new users are uploading their scripts in the
"WRONG" format. Your cgi scripts "MUST" always be uploaded
in ASCII mode. Alternatively, if you upload an image or .exe
file, it must be done in "BINARY" mode.
The difference between ASCII and BINARY?
In short, html or text based files are supposed to be transferred
in ASCII mode. Uploading them in Binary mode will append ^M's
to the end of every line. In most cases this is OK with html
files, because your browser will ignore them. BUT, with other
text files such as cgi scripts, uploading them in binary will
damage them, thus causing a (server 500 error). This is because
binary mode has added ^M's to the end of every line, which
are not supposed to be in the program. This of course, is
what causes the additional message of (Malformed Headers),
which often displays at the bottom of the "Server 500" message
when a CGI script has crashed.
Once again, BINARY mode is used for transferring executable
programs, compressed files and all image/picture files. If
you try to upload an image in ASCII mode, you observer a strange
mess appearing on the page where the image is suppose to appear.
ASCII mode in this case, has corrupted the binary coding in
the jpeg or gif image. If this happens, just re-upload it
in the Binary format
Setting your FTP client to automatically detect
ASCII and Binary file transfers:
Most FTP programs have "AUTO" mode, which will tell the FTP
client to automatically detect the file type you're transferring
and will select the appropriate mode. By default, most FTP
programs will attempt to transfer everything in binary mode,
but when "Automatic" is selected, the FTP client will check
a list of known ASCII extensions, (for example, .pl, .cgi,
.txt). If it detects one of these extensions, it automatically
switches to ASCII mode.
By Default, most of the well-known files to be uploaded in
ASCII are already entered, however you can manually add additional
extensions that you would like to transfer in ASCII mode by
selecting the feature called "Extensions." Here, you can any
additional extensions that will cause the FTP client to toggle
to ASCII mode automatically upon detecting an extension entered
in its list. Remember, you must set your transfer mode to
"Automatic" for this to work.
File types and what they represent:
Various file types can effect both the behavior of your files,
as well as how the server treats them. While there are numerous
file extensions, which represent a host of various file types,
we'll stick to the basic ones in this quick overview:
The .html file:
This is one is the most commonly used and the most one of
you are already familiar with. Html stands for (hypertext
Markup Language). Essentially, it tells the server, as well
as the clients browser to process and display the .html coding
in a way, which is meaningful to the end user through a browser.
The .htm file:
Many of you have probably noticed this newer extension appearing
in place of the traditional .html one. In short, .htm is most
often created, and or generated from the Microsoft FrontPage
web editor. The two are essentially the same and provide the
same basic purpose. Unless you're using FrontPage, you will
probably use the .html extension at the end of your web pages.
The .gif and .jpg file:
Most commonly used because of its good compression in web
page images. Generally, .gif files are the fastest loading,
as they remove a lot of information, which is not required
to maintain image integrity, but to a point however. .jpg
will allow more flexibility in compression and quality settings,
however can also result in larger files.
The .CGI and the .pl file:
.cgi and .pl are most often used for perl scripts. Perl scripts
are small text based programs, which are executed on the server
end, and will perform a host of interactive functions for
a web site. In short, when a .pl or .cgi file is called, it
tells the server to process it using the "Perl Interpreter."
The Perl Interpreter understands the programming within the
script, and will perform the set of sub routines, which will
yield your desired effect. This desired effect could be anything
from a simple web page counter, to more complex programs such
as discussion forums, e-commerce platforms, to online auctions.
In many cases, you can download these "ready to go" scripts
for free, and in others you may have to purchase them.
FrontPage and FTP:
If
you're planning on using Microsoft FrontPage to manage your
web site, there are a couple of issues things you may want
to keep in mind:
There are two worlds. The General Unix hosting world, and
the Microsoft world. While this is not necessarily a bad thing,
Microsoft had indeed decided to play by its own rules.
As a result, FrontPage does not always conform to the rules
of Unix, so you should be extremely careful when accessing
a FrontPage web via FTP. It's easy to damage the FrontPage
web, as well as it's associated server extensions, and if
it happens, you may loose the ability to administrate it from
your FrontPage Explorer. To avoid problems like this:
- Do
not alter, or delete files that are part of a FrontPage
web
- Do
delete, move, or alter directories ending in _vtf. These
are the FrontPage extensions
The
ultimate solution:
If possible, try to create your FrontPage webs in sub-directories
of your root. For example, http://www.yourdomain.com/home.
This way, you can safely FTP into your root account to perform
other tasks, while avoiding the FrontPage webs, which are
safely out of the way in their own separate homes. Remember!
DO NOT delete any folders, which end in _vtf! This will kill
your FrontPage web, and we'll have to reinstall the extensions
for you. For additional information on FrontPage, please
see our dedicated tutorial on it.
Using CGI programming:
Where to place your CGI scripts:
Although there is nothing dangerous about placing cgi scripts
in random directories throughout your site, it's best if you
keep them in their own little home known as the cgi-bin. This
minimizes security risks and allows you to maintain your cgi
programs from one directory.
The path
to Perl:
One of the first things you must do when configuring a script,
is set the correct path to the Perl interpreter, which is
the engine responsible for processing the script. The path
to Perl on our servers is: #!/usr/bin/perl
The path to Sendmail:
Some programs such as the ones, which send email will need
to know where the Sendmail program resides on the server.
The script will typically have a setting like this: $mailprog
= '/usr/sbin/sendmail'; and will want you to set it appropriately.
Sendmail on our servers can be found here: /usr/sbin/sendmail or
/usr/lib/sendmail.
Setting directories within your cgi scripts:
When you configure a cgi script for "any" server, it may ask
you to set variables such as the base, relative, and CGI directory/url
settings. Here's an "example" using Matt Wright's wwwboard.pl
script. Obviously, each script may vary, but this should provide
you with some basic idea:
$basedir = "/home/yourlogin/public_html/wwwboard";
$baseurl = "http://www.yoursite.com/wwwboard";
$cgi_url = "http://www.yoursite.com/cgi-bin/wwwboard.pl";
Most scripts come with documentation on how to set these directories.
Please make sure you read and understand it before configuring
the script. New to cgi? Here is a page with questions and
answers to numerous questions evolving around the inns and
outs of using cgi within your scripts: http://www.w3.org/Security/Faq/www-security-faq.html
Another excellent site, which provides step by step chapters
is: http://www.cgi101.com/class/
Understanding File Permissions:
There are a number of file permissions, which can be used
for a variety of different purposes, however we'll limit this
tutorial to the ones most commonly used. To begin with, it's
important you understand the three categories of permissions,
which are:
Owner Permissions:
The owner is you. In most cases, this is not so much of a
concern, as you can only obtain owner permissions in one of
two ways. 1. FTP into your account using your Username and
Password. 2. Login via Telnet with the same information.
Group Permissions:
The represents a group of users who have access to a particular
directory. For example, a password protected directory, whereas
only members can access it upon providing the correct Username
and Password. In this case, any permissions you assign to
"Group" would be applicable to users with access to that particular
directory.
Public Permissions:
This is the most important one of all. Public permissions
determine what your world wide visitors can and cannot do
with your files. ALWAYS make sure you understand what a particular
permission does before assigning it to a file. If not, you
may wakeup to find your website demolished by some clown who
was snooping about and gained access to your files.
Setting File Permissions:
To set file permissions:
1.
Login with your FTP client
2. Open the directory
where the file you wish to set permissions on resides
3. Right click
on the file and select CHMOD
A box similar to the one above will appear
Observe
how you can "select" the individual permissions you want,
or simply enter the 3 digit number if you know what it is.
Most instructions included with downloaded scripts will tell
indicate this to you.
By
default, all files uploaded to the server automatically have
permissions set to 644. The setting 644 is relatively safe,
as it provides "Read" and "Write" access to the owner, while
limiting the rest of the public to "Read Only" access.
When setting permissions for cgi scripts, the most common
permissions setting is 755. 755 allows the owner "Read
and Write" access, while allowing the Group and Public "Read
and Execute" permissions. So what are we actually saying?
In short, when users access your cgi script, the server has
been instructed to grant them permissions to "Read and Execute"
it. Sound scary? It's not actually�
Remember that a script is a program that must be processed
by the server. As long as the script is written properly,
you can safely allow users to execute it, and thus providing
the desired results. For example, if they wanted to post a
message to your wwwboard discussion forum, then they would
need these permissions to execute wwwboard.pl, which would
write their new message to an html file, which is displayed
on the main forum. The new message would reside in
a directory on your site so other users could view it. Most
cgi, perl and other scripts you'll be installing come complete
with instructions telling you which permissions you'll need
to set them to.
WARNING!
Setting permissions on files is a relatively simple task,
however MAKE SURE you fully understand what it is you're allowing
the public to do with your files. For example, some less experienced
users often make the fatal mistake of simply setting ALL of
their files to 777. While 777 will automatically allow executing
privileges, it also allows full "READ, WRITE, and EXECUTION
ability to the entire world!!!!
This is how web sites get hacked! While most visitors have
good intentions, all it takes is one person whom snoops about
your files seeking an "Open Back Door." This could result
is them gaining full access to your directories, which means
they can do anything from deleting your entire site, to defacing
it with obscenities.
New to cgi? Here is a page with questions and answers to numerous
questions evolving around the inns and outs of using cgi within
your scripts: http://www.w3.org/Security/Faq/www-security-faq.html
Using Server Side
Includes - SSI
SSI works in conjunction with a web page usually with the
.shtml extension. The .shtml extension tells the server
to do something different with the web page. When you append
the .html or .htm extension, this tells the server to "read"
the page only. The .shtml extension tells the server to "Execute"
the page, in addition to just reading it.
So, why would you want to execute the page? There are various
commands you can program into a web page, which the server
will look for and parse when the file is called as .shtml.
In many cases, this mode is used in conjunction with Server
Side Include (SSI) tags, to call a CGI script. For example,
you have a visitor counter script, and we'll call it count.cgi.
Every time someone visits your website, you want the script
to be called, so that it logs the visitor into a file.
To do this, you would place an SSI tag into your web page.
The tag in this case, would look something like:
This small tag, which is hidden in the html coding of your
page is telling the server to:
1. Go to the cgi-bin
2. Execute count.cgi
That's it! The information has been captured and processed
by the count.cgi script. Of course, that's the short version
of what happens. The long version would no doubt, would take
us far beyond the scope of this document.
PLEASE do not use the .shtml extension on "all" of your web
pages unless it's absolutely necessary. With a busy web site,
this means that every page must be executed, as opposed to
just read. This as you can appreciate, can add considerable
memory and CPU load to the system. As always, read the instructions
that came with your script carefully. They should provide
specific instructions on how to configure the script, as well
as the SSI tag.
The ins and outs of DNS and how it effects your domain:
Understanding DNS and Name Servers:
This
is an area, which causes a great deal of confusion amongst
both webmasters and end user clients. Before we go any further,
let's look at this quick analogy: DNS can be considered something
similar to that of a phone book. When you move from one location
to another, your last name stays the same, but your phone
number may change. In order to point your name to the new
phone number, you must contact the telephone service provider,
which will assign you the new phone number. In addition, they
update all directory information data basis to reflect you
as pointing to this new phone number.
What is DNS?
DNS stands for "Domain Name Server." The domain name server
acts like a large telephone directory in that it's the master
database, which associates a domain name such as (http://www.mydomain.com)
with the appropriate IP number.
Where are
all of the DNS records kept?
This is slightly more complicated, but for the purpose of
this overview, we'll try to keep it as general as possible.
There are 2 basic places DNS records reside:
International Root name servers (13 exist throughout the world)
Your domain register, where your current DNS settings reside.
When you register/purchase your domain name on a particular
"registers name server", your DNS settings are kept on their
server, and in most cases point your domain to the Name Server
of your hosting provider. This Name Server is where the IP
number (currently associated with your domain name) resides.
The entire hierarchy is somewhat involved, but in short, the
world Root Name Servers can be considered the master listing
of all DNS records, and there are currently 13 of them in
the world. These name servers are where all the master DNS
records are kept. The DNS server of your ISP will typically
query the Root Name Servers once every 24-hours. This is how
they update all of their DNS tables, which in turn, resolve
www requests to the IP number of the server they reside on.
Changing your Name Server settings, so your domain
points to your Hoover Web Design Web Hosting account:
Your "Name Server Settings" must be updated to point to your
account on Hoover Web Design Web Hosting. You originally purchased
your domain name from a register, and this register is where
your current DNS settings reside. That is, unless you transferred
your domain name to an alternate register, in which case,
you would control your DNS settings from there.
The "Register" your domain resides on, communicates your 'current'
DNS settings with the International Root name servers, which
is turn share this information with ISP's, routers, and cache
engines around the world. In essence, it's like a worldwide
directory that other computers can refer to when they want
to match a domain name with its associate IP number. This
IP number is how the particular server your website resides
on is located.
Accessing your domain manager:
Simply go to your domain registers web site, and look around
for links, which point to something like, domain manager,
manage domain, or something of that administrative nature.
In your welcoming email, you were sent DNS settings, which
look similar to this example:
NS1.HOOVERWEBDESIGN.COM
NS2.HOOVERWEBDESIGN.COM
Most of the newer registers such as the (OPEN SRS) based entities
have turned this into a 5-minute process. You simply login
to the register, select 'manage domain' and you'll be presented
with an option to update your new DNS numbers. Contrary to
popular belief, Network Solutions 'now' also provides an online
interface to change these settings, so this process with them
is no longer as complicated as it use to be, however it's
still not as simple as the OPEN SRS based systems. If
your particular register 'does not' provide a domain manager
of some type, then you'll need to send them a message requesting
a change of DNS. This is an unlikely scenario, as most every
register now allows you to manage your own domain settings
from a web based interface.
Once you've accessed the "management interface" of your domain
name, look for a setting, which says "change or manage DNS
settings." In most cases, you can simply cut and paste the
DNS settings we've sent you directly into the spaces, which
correspond to your DNS management settings. Remember, the
DNS settings we're displaying here are an "example."
The 3 to 4 day propagation period - Understanding
what happens during this time frame:
In short, patience is a virtue. Remember what we talked about
earlier in this chapter regarding the shear size and scope
of the worlds DNS system? In short, when you change your DNS
settings, these new settings must propagate throughout the
worlds DNS servers. It also means that every ISP (Internet
Service Provider), must update their DNS records to reflect
these new changes, which in most cases, is done automatically
every 24 hours, but not always however...
Where do the Root Name Servers receive their
information from?
The Root Name Servers will query "domain registers" several
times a day. Domain Registers, being entities such as Network
Solutions, and the newer OPEN SRS based systems. The Root
Name Servers will gather this information from the many registers
now in existence, and update their master records accordingly.
Now your ISP must access the Root Name Servers, and update
their DNS records, which reside on their 'local' DNS server.
This process is fully automated and most ISP's will check
the Root Name Servers for updates every 24-hours. Beware however,
that some lame ISP's will delay this process for as much as
2 to 4 days in some cases. If that happens, it will no doubt
cause additional confusion, as everyone else will be reaching
your new account on our servers except you. This is because
your ISP has not updated their DNS records, and or have not
cleared their DNS cache, which means they'll still be pointing
your domain name to your old server. If it's a new domain
name you've registered, then you'll receive a blank "Site
Not Found Page."
DNS Cache
and your ISP:
There is also the issue of DNS cache, which is something we
won't go into great detail about here, but here's the short
version. Every time you access a site from your ISP, they
cache the URL, as well as its associated IP number. If their
network is properly setup, these DNS cache records should
"Expire" at least every 24-hours. If they did not (which is
often the case), you'll experience this: You enter your http://www.mydomain.com/
URL, and it keeps taking you back to your old server account.
In a large number of cases, it's the result of an ISP who
"Did Not" configure their servers to "Expire" the DNS cache
records at the appropriate intervals. Unfortunately, this
adds additional confusion to their clients, and especially
the ones whom are trying to point their domain name to a new
server. Yes, it will make you want to scream sometimes, however
if you understand whom is actually at fault, then you'll know
who to scream at :)
The DNS propagation
process is not limited to ISP's!
HA.. Just when you thought you had it all figured out! Unfortunately,
there's more folks. The Internet itself must update/clear
its DNS cache as well. When we say the Internet, we mean the
numerous intermediate "points of access" you're routed through
before reaching your final destination. For the most part,
these intermediate points of access consist of "Internet Routers"
and "Internet Caching Engines." These too, maintain their
own DNS cache, which assists them in routing traffic/resolving
URL's to the correct destination IP's. Don't worry though,
as Internet routers are usually faster at clearing their DNS
cache than ISP's are.
What to expect during this 2 to 4 day propagation
period:
In most cases, the propagation process will take at least
48 hours to complete. The first thing that happens is the
"World Root Name Servers" will check all of the various "Domain
Registers for updates. Ok, so now the Root Name Servers have
done their job. The rest of it is up to the many ISP providers
who "should be" updating their DNS records (at least every
24 hours), but a number of them will not.
Side effects
that can be expected during the propagation time frame:
It's perfectly normal for strange things to happen within
the 48-hour propagation period, but sometimes longer. While
we could provide a full list of all the anomalies that can
occur during the DNS propagation period, we'll stick to some
of the most common scenarios that most people experience:
HELP! My friends can reach my new
site, but I'm still being directed to the OLD ONE!
This is a class case of your friends ISP (who did update their
DNS records), but yours unfortunately did not. As a result,
your ISP is still pointing your domain name to the old DNS
record, which is your old hosting account. Wait a couple of
more days, and if it appears that everyone but you can access
your new account, then contact your ISP and tell them to expire
their old DNS cache records.
WOW! http://www.mydomain.com was taking
me to my new Hoover Web Design Web Hosting account just a
minute ago, but when I try it now, I'm being taken back to
my old hosting account - what's up with this?
In all likelihood, your ISP may be in the process of clearing
their DNS cache, and or updating their local DNS server records.
During this small interval, it's normal to fluctuate between
the new and old web site, as the old DNS records may not have
completely expired from their cache yet. Give it another several
hours and it should be fine.
HEY!
My new site comes up for me, but my friends are being directed
to my old one!
Break out the coffee and donuts, and consider yourself lucky.
Your ISP is on the ball and updates DNS records/ clears DNS
cache in short regular intervals. Your friends may be using
an ISP, which is not as fast, and or efficient at doing so.
The only remedy for this is time. Eventually, the other ISP's
DNS cache will expire and be replaced with the updated DNS
records.
What's going on with my email? When
I try to access it, I receive a "host does not exist" or a
"cannot authenticate" error message.
This can happen for a number of reasons, but in most cases,
it's because your new DNS records have not fully completed
the propagation process yet. Consequently, you may be trying
to access your old email account on your "old server", which
you may have already cancelled, or it's in a state of DNS
flux, which means it points to the new server one moment,
and the next, points back to the old server.
Give it some more time and it will eventually settle down.
In the meantime, consider accessing email from your account
using the WebMail based reader. If your domain has not propagated
as of yet, you can access your email account via WebMail with
your temporary url. Example: http://12.23.36.78:2082/neomail/neomail.pl
This will allow you to access your default mailbox
on your account. Replace the tempurl with the one we sent
you, and do not remove the :2082 port number in the URL.
Microsoft FrontPage will not accept
a Username and Password, or displays the error message (FrontPage
Extensions Are Not Installed).
While you should be able to access FrontPage with your associated
temporary URL (until your domain is resolving to our servers),
this is not always the case. FrontPage can behave in a number
of different ways depending on which direction the wind is
blowing. In some cases, it will allow you to initiate an upload
session, but upon asking for your Username and Password, will
not recognize them. If this happens, the best thing to do
is wait until your domain name is answering to our servers.
One thing we know for sure, is FrontPage will work without
much of a problem if you're using the full www.mydomain.com
URL to manage your site with. Feel free to try it with your
temporary url, but we cannot guarantee it will work.
It's been over a week. Everybody else
can access my new site except me!
Was your domain originally hosted by your ISP? If so, they
may not have deleted this entry in their DNS files. This results
in you, and or anyone else accessing the net from this "particular
ISP" being directed to your old web site on their servers.
A number of ISP's forget this small detail, which can result
in weeks of utter confusion and frustration. If this is happening
to you, contact your ISP and make sure they've made the necessary
changes to their DNS records.
Checking your DNS update status (outside of your
ISP):
In the event you're becoming impatient, and or are wondering
if the rest of the world outside of your ISP can access your
new site, you can proxy yourself to another network and test
it there. In many cases, you'll be surprised to see your site
responding perfectly, yet when you attempt it directly from
your ISP's servers, it does not exist.
There are several services, which allow anonymous surfing
across the net. While this is not the intent here, they can
be used for trouble shooting domain resolution problems. How?
Because they proxy you through their network, which means
your URL requests are controlled by "their" DNS cache records.
These services update/expire their DNS cache far more often
than ISP's, which makes them well suited for testing your
domain name through a network, which operates with the latest
DNS updates across the web.
To run this check, you can try accessing your site through
this service:
http://www.anonymizer.com/
It
will allow you to enter a URL, and proxy your request through
their servers. If your site is accessible from these servers,
then chances are, your ISP has yet to expire their old DNS
cache records.
Working on your account during the DNS propagation
period:
You can still work on your new account until your domain name
finds it way to our servers using your temporary url,
which was included in your welcoming email. Using it at this
point will provide a means for you to access your account,
as well as test your new site by using something like http://yourtempurl.com/
(obviously you'd replace it with the url we sent you).
One easy way to check and see if your domain is answering
to our servers yet, is to create a file called "test.html"
and place it in your web directory. Keep checking
the URL http://www.yourdomain.com/test.html and see if it
works. When it does, you'll know your domain name is answering
to your account on "our servers", and has been officially
transferred.
The personal DNS (for advanced webmasters).
Personalized Name Servers are generally used by webmasters
who will be reselling web hosting accounts, and want to add
a professional look to their DNS. Why? If you're
reselling accounts under your own entity, you could use our
name servers, which would be sent to your customers in the
form of:
NS1.HOOVERWEBDESIGN.COM
NS2.HOOVERWEBDESIGN.COM
Not bad, but what if you want your DNS settings to appear
as a part of your company? Let's say your company was www.acmewebhost.com.
If you desire, you could setup your own custom branded DNS,
which could display as:
DNS1.ACMEWEBHOST.COM
DNS2.ACMEWEBHOST.COM
This provides a somewhat more professional look to your customers
when sending out your DNS settings in a welcoming email. In
addition, if someone does a WHOIS lookup on your domain name,
it appears as your personal DNS, as opposed to the company
you're reselling for. Not really a big deal, but some webmasters
do not want to advertise the host they're reselling for, as
they feel it does not portray a professional and independent
look.
Personal name servers are offered to clients whom are a part
of our reseller program. If you're not a reseller, please
use the standard DNS settings we provided you. There is no
superior advantage to having your own name server unless you're
a reseller, and or a web designer who is also planning on
hosting the websites they build.
Setting Up Sub Domains
What is a Sub-Domain?
A
sub domain is one, which resides under your top-level domain
name, but in many ways behaves as a "totally independent domain".
You'll observe that many of the larger corporations use these,
as they're somewhat more professional looking, and do a better
job of creating an independent precedence for service or product
lines, which appear as separate web entities.
Example: You're a GM dealer with a site such as GM.com. You
sell everything from Pontiac's to Cadillac's. To better organize
your online presence, you could create sub domains for your
various automotive lines. These would appear as http://pontiac.gm.com/
or http://cadillac.gm.com/. Also note that in most cases,
the domain need not be called with the http:// or www protocol.
pontiac.gm.com can be called exactly how it appears
here.
Setting
up a sub domain:
Thanks
to C-Panel, this task has been made easier than ever and can
be achieved as follows:
1. Login to C-Panel
2. Select Sub Domains
3. Enter the name of your new sub
domain
4. Hit "Add"
That's it! Your new sub domain is now ready for use. To find
it, login to your "main web directory" through C-Panel by
selecting "files" or simply use your favorite FTP client.
You'll see it residing as another directory. Upload your files
to this directory just as you would with any other. For example,
if you created pontiac, then a directory called pontiac is
what you'll be looking for.
Independent cgi-bin
All new sub domains are created with their own independent
cgi-bin. This means your new sub domain operates independently
of everything else, and is almost like having a whole new
domain. Feel free to configure all cgi scripts, which are
pertinent to the functioning of this sub domain. A nice feature,
as it saves your main cgi-bin from becoming cluttered and
somewhat disorganized; especially if you utilize a lot of
cgi programming.
Independent email for the new sub domain -
(In final development)
Yes,
you'll observe duplicates of all "configured pop email accounts"
appearing beside the sub-domain, and or all sub-domains
you've created. Now I know you'll be tempted to use
(what appears to be) a perfectly good email address's, BUT
please "Don't!" This is a feature that is in final development.
While it may look somewhat confusing at first glance, it's
really not. In the near future, you'll be able to configure
these email accounts for use with your sub-domains.
For example, if you configured support.yourdomain.com, then
you'll be able to use the address mailto:tom@support.canada6000.com.
For
the time being, please configure email address's that correspond
to your standard "top-level" domain, and just ignore
the sub-domain duplicates. ALSO: Any duplicate
sub-domain email address's you see appearing in your pop mail
setup configuration "DO NOT" count towards your allocated
number of pop mail boxes we've provided.
Configuring Domain Email Systems:
Adding a Pop Email account:
The
difference between private pop mail accounts, and simply using
the "Catch-All" method:
There are two kinds of email address's you can use, starting
with the "catch all" method:
With the catch all method, you don't have to worry about setting
up individual pop mail accounts. Simply set your email client
to your "default" email address (displayed in C-Panel), and
"all" email sent to anything@yourdomain.com will land in this
box, or whatever you've set your default address to.
This is an easy way to catch all email sent to your domain.
In
your Email client, feel free to configure multiple outgoing
accounts at many-different-names@youdomain.com. It really
doesn't matter, as everything@yourdomain.com will land
in the default account. Therefore, you would configure
all of your email accounts with the "same" Username and Password
as your "Default domain Email Account."
EXAMPLE:
Let's say you want to receive mail from dianne@yourdomain.com
and mark@yourdomain.com. If both of these addresses are the
ones you'll be using, then the only thing that changes is
the address - the Username and Password is "always" the same.
The pop email account method:
In
this case, you configure a "private" pop email account for
one or many users who will be receiving and sending email
from your domain. Once an email address is configured as a
pop mail account, it operates privately and independently
from your main standard/default mail system. Any mail sent
to a private pop mail account "can only be received" by logging
into that account with the separate username and password
you have assigned it.
Your
default "catch all" account will not intercept any mail being
sent to a pop mail account, which is what makes it 'private'.
Pop 3 accounts are useful if there are a number of people
(for example employees) who would each need a private email
account.
This way, everyone at your company can utilize private email.
The default email address plays a slightly different role
in this case: If a sender uses the 'wrong' Email name
or syntax, then that message would bounce to your "default
catch all" account, and at which time, you could probably
figure our who the sender was trying to contact. They do however,
have to at least send it to your correct domain name, (i'e',
oops@youdomain.com). This would end up in your "default"
mailbox.
How to configure a pop mail account:
1.
Login to C-Panel
2. Select "Add/Remove accounts"
3. Select "Add Account"
4. Enter an email name
5. Select "Create"
Just enter a name, (the @yourdomain
part is added automatically)
That's
it, done! Your private pop 3 email account is now ready for
use. If you're a little lost on how to manually configure
an email account into your mail reader, please see the detailed
tutorials on how to configure Outlook and Netscape mail readers.
SPECIAL NOTE!
If
you've enabled Sub-Domains, you'll observe a duplicate email
account appearing, which corresponds to each sub-domain you've
added. Please ignore these duplicate addresses for the
time being. This is a new feature under development
and will soon enable the ability to configure email accounts
for your sub-domains. For example, if you configured support.yourdomain.com,
then you'll be able to use the address mailto:tom@support.canada6000.com.
For
the time being, please configure email address's that correspond
to your "regular" domain, and just ignore
the sub-domain duplicates. ALSO: Any duplicate
sub-domain email address's you see appearing in your pop mail
setup configuration "DO NOT" count towards your allocated
number of pop mail boxes we've provided. In short, just
ignore them for now :-)
Setting Your Default Email Address:
It
appears pretty simple, but read through this documentation,
as this controls much more that you'd expect. As mentioned
in the previous chapter, your "default email address" is the
one, which can be used as a "catch all", or in other words,
to "catch all mail", which is addressed to anything@yourdomain.com.
Using a catch all can be a blessing and sometimes a curse.
The
"catch all" is excellent if you have a high frequency of people
whom mistype your email address, as these addresses (even
though mistyped), will simply be bounced to your "catch all"
or "default" email account. That is, providing they at least
managed to spell your domain name properly :)
If
you're not planning on using multiple "private email boxes",
then you can keep life very simple - just configure the default
email address in your mail reader and leave it at that.
This way, you'll receive everything sent to your domain.
There are indeed pro's and con's to this method, which will
be discussed in this tutorial.
Setting your default/catch all
email account:
Note: By default,
or until you change it, the default email address will be
the same as your "login name."
1.
Login to C-Panel
2. Select "Default Address"
3. Select "Set Default Email Address"
4. Enter a desired default email address
Just enter a name, (the @yourdomain
part is added automatically)
Select
"Change" and you'll see a confirmation box, which displays
your new default email address. That's it- done!
Remember:
In order to receive mail, which finds its way into
your "Default Mailbox", you must configure the default address
in your mail reader. If you don't, then all mail, which
bounces to this address will sit on the server unread.
This is easy to do in Outlook Express, as it allows you to
configure and monitor multiple email accounts. Email
readers such as Netscape on the other hand, are limited to
"one" email account. Actually, you could re-configure
your mail reader to check your default email box every few
days, but who wants to be bothered with that trouble?
We suggest using an email reader, which allows you to configure
multiple email accounts.
The
Webmail Alternative: You can also check your
default email account, or another other mail account by logging
into it through the "WebMail" interface. Simply select
the "WebMail" icon at the bottom of C-panel, and log in to
it using your "Main Account" Username and
Password. This will allow to to check your default email
box, as well as other mailboxes without having to configure
them in your mail reader. In fact, using any pop accounts
"Username and Password" will log you into that particular
account through the "WebMail" interface.
The downside of enabling "Catch
All":
Problems can sometimes arise when Spammers or junk mailers
use this feature as a means to pump their trash into your
mailbox. As long as the "catch all" is enabled, then all they
must do is send to whatever@yourdomain.com and it will reach
you.
On
the other hand, if you're using "specific pop email accounts",
you could opt to disable the "catch all", which would mean
that "only visitors or associates who you've given a specific
address to" can send mail to a particular email account on
your domain.
In
this case, everything else, (that you have not configured
as a pop mail account) is bounced back to the sender. In our
opinion, we suggest leaving your "catch all" enabled for the
time being. If Spammers begin sending random junk messages
using anything@yourdomain.com, then you can disable your "catch
all" feature.
Disabling
your "Catch All Feature"
Instead of entering a syntax legal name, use illegal syntax,
which will effectively disable your email "catch all." For
example, using characters, which are known as 'illegal' to
the email system such as (>>>????)
will work just fine. These are characters, which cannot
be used in an email address, which in effect, will render
the "Catch All" feature useless. Go to your "change
default email address" and add something like the above as
default name.
What
happens now?
When Spammy or Jimmy junk mailer attempts to use a random
email address to Spam you, it will be bounced back to them.
That is, unless they happen to get a hold of one of your "legitimate
pop email account names", in which case, you'd have a different
problem on your hands. Yes, you could either deal with it,
or change the address.
Here is what now happens to a
sender using anything@yourdomain.com :
This is what the sender would receive. Please note that a
classic, but annoying junk mail example is being used here:
This message was created automatically
by mail delivery software (Exim).
A message that you sent has not yet been delivered to one
or more of its
recipients after more than 24 hours on the queue on yourdomain.com.
The message identifier is: 14m7gv-0007gl-00
The date of the message is: Mon, 04 June 2001 01:23:02 -0400
The subject of the message is: MAKE MILLIONS FAST!
The address to which the message has not yet been delivered
is:
anything@yourdomain.com
Delay reason: error in alias file /etc/valiases/anything@yourdomain.com:
missing or malformed local part (expected word or "<")
in "******>>>" (Bad email syntax)
No action is required on your part. Delivery attempts will
continue for
some time, and this warning may be repeated at intervals if
the message
remains undelivered. Eventually the mail delivery software
will give up,
and when that happens, the message will be returned to you.
So what actually happened here?
When the "Catch All" email address (******>>>@yourdomain.com), attempted to process
an incoming message from anything@yourdomain.com,
and then forward the (junk message in this case) to the "catch
all/Default" email address, it freaked out, and said forget
it!! The default email address was set to ******>>>
in this case, which is clearly an email address using "illegal
characters", so the sending process was aborted. Therefore,
the mail system bounced back the above error message to the
sender. There are numerous tricks and special recipes you
can 'manually' write into the Unix email system for doing
essentially the same thing, however through C-Panel, this
would certainly seem the easiest way of accomplishing the
task.
Configuring Email Auto Responder's
What
is an Email Auto Responder?
Email auto responders will automatically send a customized
auto response (that you compose) to any visitor whom emails
the address configured with one. More specifically, automated
responses are sometimes used to send additional information
about your service or product by having a visitor email something
like moreinfo@yourdomain.com. In most other cases, they are
used to send a 'courtesy reply' to anyone whom sends a query
to your companies main email address. When visitors
email this address, they recieve a response such as: Thanks
for contacting our company! Someone will be returning a response
to your question soon. If you require immediate assistance,
please call 555-222-1212. Thanks!), and so forth.
There are two types of Auto Responders:
The silent Auto Responder:
In this case, you configure the responder to send the desired
information when it's emailed, however you 'do not'
receive copies of the inquiries that people originally sent.
This method is typically used if you have a product
and want people to email an address for additional information
on it. You simply tell them to email moreinfo@yourdomain.com,
and they receive additional information on it. Again,
you 'will not' receive receipts of the visitors emailing the
auto responder. If you want to do this, please read the next
paragraph.
The Auto Responder that sends
you the original inquiry:
In this case, the auto responder is setup to work with a (currently
configured pop email account). Now, the sender
receives your automated response, and you receive their 'original
inquiry'.
How to setup an Auto Responder:
1.
login to C-panel
2. Select "Auto Responders"
3. Select "Add Auto Responder"
4. Enter the "Email Address" to
send the auto response
5. Enter a "From" name, (for
example, my company)
6. Enter a "Subject", (for example, thank you)
7. Enter your message in the "Body"
area
Select
"Create" and that's it! Your auto responder is now
online. To test it, email its address and see if you receive
the auto response. If you've configured it to an existing
pop mail account, you should receive 2 responses. The first,
which is your inquiry, (that you just sent to yourself), and
the second, which will be the automated response.
Remember!
If you want to receive the "Incoming Inquiries" in
addition to sending the automated response, then add an email
address, which is "already" configured as a "pop email
account." If you "do not" wish to receive the original
incoming inquiry, then simply enter a name, which "Is Not"
configured as one of your existing pop mail accounts.
If at anytime you want to update, edit, or delete an auto
response, simply go back into "Auto responders" and you'll
see the current responders configured, as well as options
beside each of them to change or delete.
Blocking Unwanted Email Messages:
From
time to time, you may experience either a junk mailer or some
other menacing individual whom keeps sending you annoying
email messages. C-Panel has a built in feature, which allows
you to block these email messages in a multitude of different
ways. You can block them by:
- Sender
- Subject
- Message Header
- Message Body
Of course, if all you want to do is block one specific email
address, then you don't have to worry about getting fancy
with it - just enter the email address to be blocked, and
that's it, done!
How to use the block email function:
1.
Login to C-Panel
2. Select "Block an Email"
3. Select "Add Filter"
If
all you want to do is block a single email address, then simply
leave the "current default setting" as is, and enter in the
email address to be blocked. For example, annoying-nolife@nothingbettertodo.com
Click "Add Filter", and that's
it done!
When you click "Back" or login to this feature next time,
you'll see the list of email address's, and or expressions
you've blocked. Beside each one of them will be a "Delete"
option, so that you can remove the block from your account
at a future time. NOTE: When you block an
email address, or some other keyword, this filtering will
be enabled on "All Email Accounts" within your domain.
Advanced Blocking:
For those of who whom experience frequent problems with junk
email messages, you'll be please to see this option provides
a broad range of blocking options. Instead of having us try
to explain every last one of them here, this is a feature
you'll really want to experiment with yourself.
Doing
so, will allow you to become familiar with the ways that email
can be blocked, and will also help you with customizing a
recipe that works best for your domain. Play around with the
settings, and try to block words, or phrases based on the
From Name, Subject, or Message Body Text. Now, send an email
to your account and see if the terms and criteria you selected
are providing the filtering you want.
It may take a little time to master, but it's fun, and a great
way to broaden your abilities on web site administration.
FINAL NOTE: If you're totally new to email
blocking, and wish to explore its full potential, we highly
suggest you test it before launching your site. This way,
you don't have to worry about accidentally disrupting email
for your entire domain.
Hint:
Unless you're 100% sure of what a setting will do, always
delete it when you're finished, or until you have time to
run a series of tests on it. You want to ensure it's blocking
what it's supposed to, and not legitimate
email messages!
A big junk mail problem:
If you're experiencing a high volume of junk mail, then there's
a good possibility Spammers are taking advantage of your "catch
all" option. To disable this, please see our tutorial on "Default
Email Address."
Email Forwarding:
Email
forwarding is a feature, which forwards an email that originated
from your domain, to another email address. The forwarding
address can be another email address within 'your domain',
or to an 'external email' address, (for example to your home
ISP email account). There are two types of email forwarding:
Forward silently to another address:
In this case, the email address from your domain (setup for
forwarding) will divert all messages to the forwarding address
you've selected, and without sending you a copy of the original
message. For example, you@yourdomain.com will automatically
forward all messages to you@mindspring.com. Pretty straight
forward. (no pun intended).
Forward to another address, but
also send you the "original inquirey":
This is the method most commonly used. For example, you have
two other partners who wish to receive all incoming inquiries
to the company. Perhaps you're the one who responds to them,
but your counterparts would like copies of the incoming activity
as well. The method for accomplishing this is pretty well
the same as above, except in this case you would configure
one of your "existing pop email accounts", as that is how
you'd receive a copy of the original incoming message.
Example: When General@company.com (your companies main address)
is mailed, you would typically be the only one to receive
the response, however if you've configured forwards for your
two counterparts (Bob and Mary), then bob@doodles.com and
mary@yourdomain.com could also receive a copy of the incoming
messages.
How to setup a mail forward:
1.
Login to C-Panel
2. Select "Forwarders"
3. Enter a configured pop email account
name if you want to recieve original inquiries. (Enter
a none configured email address if you do not)
4. Enter the email address you
want it to relay a copy of the message to
5. Select "Add Forward"
All messages will now be forwarded to the forwarding
address, and with a copy sent to you
Need
to Forward to more than one person?
Simply
repeat the above process using the same address you've setup
as the forward, and enter the additional recipients you would
like to send a copy of the message to. All email forwards
will be listed in your "Email Forwarder" administrator. You
can delete forwards when you no longer require them,
Testing
your forward.
If you want to test your new mail forward, it's recommended
that the email account you're testing from "is not" one of
the accounts you're using in conjunction with the forwarder
you've just setup. For example, if you've configured harry@yourdomain.com
to forward copies to bob@doodles.com and mary@yourdomain.com,
then send a test message from an email address, other than
one of the addresses you've just setup, otherwise it can somewhat
confusing in figuring out which message was coming from the
actual forward, and which was the original sent from you.
Accessing your mail through the web based interface
C-Panel extends the versatility
of its email system by allowing you to access any one of your
email accounts through its own web mail interface. You have
the choice of accessing all mail through the web, or any of
your private pop email accounts. Gone are the days of having
to create several email accounts on various free html based
mail systems, as now you have your own, which operates from
"your account."
Accessing your mail through the
web mail interface:
1. Login to C-Panel
2. Select "Add Remove Accounts"
Beside
the email account you wish to access, Select the "Read
WebMail" button. A username and password prompt will
appear, and are the same as the username and password
you created with that particular account. NOTE: Remember
to use the "full' email address as the account login
name for the account you're accessing.
The first screen you'll see:
If it's the first time you're accessing this email account
through WebMail, a setup screen appears. Actually, all this
really does is display how you'll be identifying yourself
in email messages. Everything is pretty much the same as what
you setup the "original pop mail account" with, however check
it closely and make sure everything is appearing as you want
it.
Does everything look correct?
If so, then click "Save" and a dialog box pops up, which confirms
your settings as being saved successfully. Click "Continue"
and you'll be taken to your WebMail inbox. To the top left
of the screen, you'll observe the following icons.
Clicking on any one of them will do the following.
Notes:
 |
Compose a new message |
 |
Refresh the screen |
 |
View user preferences |
 |
Open address book |
 |
View or add new
folders |
 |
Empty your trash
folder |
To
delete or move a message, select the small box beside it.
Select where you which to place it using the drop down menu
(top right of screen), then click "Move".
-
Open address book, allows you to
add and edit email address's . You can also export your Outlook
or Netscape Address Book, which equips your account
with all the email address's you currently use.
Password Protecting a Directory
From
the control panel, click on Password Protected Directories
under the www server icon. Your list of directories pops up.
Click on the directory that you wish to password protect.
Click the box at the top that says Directory requries a password
and click submit. To add a password select a user name and
password and click add/modify authorized user. If you wish
to remove a user, use the third box to remove the user's permission.
MySQL database
Unfortunately,
we can't provide much customized help with the MySQL database
at this time.
For detailed documentation on MySQL, you can go to http://www.mysql.com/
or you can try http://www.mysql.org/
. At mysql.org, click on the documentation button. The documentation
is tarred and gziped. You can extract the html documentation
files using a shareware program called WinRAR, which you can
download for free from http://www.rarsoft.com/
.
Interchange Shopping Cart
Unfortunately,
we can't provide any customized help with the Interchange
Shopping Cart at this time either. For detailed documentation
on Interchange, you can go to http://interchange.redhat.com/
.
However, please don't contact interchange directly about any
problems that you might be having with your shopping cart.
They won't provide any direct support to you. Try a search
through newsgroup postings at http://www.deja.com/ for issues
with interchange.
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