Account Basics:
Username and Passwords:
These
are stated in the first paragraph of the welcoming email. Until you change
them, they're 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.
NOTE:
When submitting a tech support issue to the help desk, you'll be asked
for a separate username and password. DO NOT use your 'main account'
username and password for the login! You can select a "Help Desk"
username and password upon your first visit to: http://cw3host.com/Support/index.php
(where all support issues should be sent).
Accessing your account via its URL or associated
IP number
If
you've just signed up to CW3, 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 you 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
"IP" number until you can verify your domain is actually answering to
your new account on the CW3 servers.
The
IP we've provided you will soon be registered to your domain name.
Until such time as your domain is officially answering to our servers,
you can use your new IP to access and setup your web site. For example,
if your assigned IP was 66.78.6.147, your welcoming email would provide
the URL http://66.78.6.147/ as an option for
accessing your new account. Again, it's a great way to test all those
features and make sure everything is functioning smoothly before launching
your web to the world.
Accessing Bronze and Silver "IP-less" accounts:
Bronze
and Silver account packages are IP-less accounts. This means the IP is
shared with several domains, as opposed to being dedicated to "one." There
are a couple of small differences on how you access these accounts, and
most notably how you access the them before your domain name is officially
pointing to our servers. Instead of calling the account with a plain IP
number, you call it with an IP and "your associated Username." Both of
these were sent to you in your welcoming email. Let's try an example:
Your username is frank
Your IP is 157.238.46.11
To reach your account via the web, you would call this site as: http://157.238.46.11/~frank/
Don't forget the ~ before your name! Also remember that the IP we're using
in this case is an "example." Check your welcoming email for the IP number
and Username, which was assigned to your account. Once again, when
your new DNS settings have propagated across the worlds DNS servers, you'll
be able to access your domain by calling it the standard way, which is
http://www.yourdomain.com.
Accessing your account
via FTP:
These accounts are accessed in the generally the same way as a dedicated
IP account would be. Again, if your domain name is not officially pointing
to our servers yet, use the IP and Username, which 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
http://216.74.122.26/~frank/cpanel/
(For IP-less accounts, but, change the IP number to the one we sent you)
Again, if your domain name is not pointing to our servers yet, calling
it with your IP 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!
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 forgetting to create their welcoming page as index.html,
so here's what happens: They access their site as http://www.mydomain.com/ or using
the associated IP number, for example, http://test.html/, 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
or the assigned IP (for example), http:// 216.74.122.26/,
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/file.html
If it can't find index.html, it will simply list "your entire web directory"
to everyone that access's it, which is a MAJOR security risk! ALWAYS,
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" of 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.
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:
<!--#exec cgi="/cgi-bin/count.cgi" -->
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. Consider the IP number something similar to a phone number: When
someone calls http://www.cyberweb3.net/, your
ISP looks at the DNS server, and asks "how do I contact cyberweb3.net?"
The DNS server responds, it can be found at: 157.238.46.231. As the Internet
understands it, this can be considered the phone number for the server,
which houses the http://www.cyberweb3.net web site.
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 CW3 account:
Your "Name Server Settings" must be updated to point to your account on
CW3. 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:
DNS.CYBERWEB3.NET 66.78.4.6
DNS2.CYBERWEB3.NET 66.78.6.147
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 CW3 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 IP number. Example: http://12.23.36.78:2082/neomail/neomail.pl
This will allow you to access your default mailbox on your account.
Replace the IP number with the one we sent you, and do not remove the
:2032 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 IP number
(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 IP, 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 one of these
two services:
https://www.safeweb.com/o/_s:top.php3
http://www.anonymizer.com/
Both
of them 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 "IP Number", which was included in
your welcoming email. Your IP number is how your new domain will be identified
on our servers. 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:// 216.74.122.26/ (obviously
you'd replace it with the IP number 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.

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 mailto:dianne@canada6000.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 |