ForwardWeb
Operating Manual
The ForwardWeb 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 ForwardWeb, 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:
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:
Configuring Mail
Readers:
Using Microsoft FrontPage
SSL
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.
In the event that you ever have questions
or need support, you may send a message from our help desk
at http://forwardweb.com/support.html
or you can email support@forwardweb.com.
Accessing your account via its URL or associated
IP number
If you've just signed up to ForwardWeb,
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 ForwardWeb 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 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
or
http://216.74.122.26/~frank/cpanel/
(Make sure to 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 you're 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 youmust use them
instead.
Trouble accessing your site
via FTP:
This can sometimes occur if you're 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. A URL with a filename appended to it would
look like:
http://www.mydomain.com/file.html
If it can't find index.html, it will simply list "your entire
web directory" to everyone that accessesit, 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:
Yet, 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 create
a 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'll 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 add
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
side, 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 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 has indeed decided to create 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 this
happens, you may lose 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 not 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. If we have to re-install your FrontPage extensionsyour
theme and other data will be destroyed.
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 numerous questions
and answers revolving around the ins and outs of using cgi
within your web pages: 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 upon logging in with their username and password.
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 numerous questions and answers
revolving around the ins 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.forwardweb.com/,
your ISP looks at the DNS server, and asks "how do I contact
ForwardWeb.com?" The DNS server responds, it can be found
at: 209.197.224.231 . As the Internet understands it, this
can be considered the phone number for the server, which houses
the http://www.forwardweb.com 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
"registrars 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 ForwardWeb account:
Your "Name Server Settings" must be updated to point to your
account on ForwardWeb. You originally purchased your domain
name from a registrar, and this registrar is where your current
DNS settings reside. That is, unless you transferred your
domain name to an alternate registrar, in which case, you
would control your DNS settings from there.
The "registrar" 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 registrars 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.FORWARDWEB.COM 209.197.225.75
NS2.FORWARDWEB.COM 209.197.225.76
or
Hostname: NS1.FORWARDWEB.COM
Address: 209.197.225.75
Hostname: NS2.FORWARDWEB.COM
Address: 209.197.225.76
Most of the newer registrars, such as the OPEN SRS based entities,
have turned this into a 5-minute process. You simply login
to the registrar, select 'manage domain' and you'll be presented
with an option to update your 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 used to be. However, it's still
not as simple as the OPEN SRS based systems. If your particular
registrar 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 registrars now
allow 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 sheer 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.
Where do the Root Name Servers receive their
information from?
The Root Name Servers will query "domain registrars" several
times a day. Domain Registrars, being entities such as Network
Solutions, and the newer OPEN SRS based systems. The Root
Name Servers will gather this information from the many registrars
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!
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
Registrars 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!
Your friend's ISP has updated their DNS records, but unfortunately
yours has not done so yet. 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.
http://www.mydomain.com was taking
me to my new ForwardWeb 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 and 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 any mailbox on your account.
Replace the IP number with the one we sent you.
Another good idea while propagation
is ongoing is to check both your old and new hosting accounts
for email. That way you won't miss any email that might be
delivered to the old hosting account during propagation. You
can do this by adding both account profiles in your email
client (ie: Outlook Express, Eudora, etc.). Simply use the
IP addresse of your new and old hosting account as the incoming
mailserver (POP server). That way you know that you are not
going to miss any email during propagation.
Microsoft FrontPage will not accept
a Username and Password, or displays the error message (FrontPage
Extensions Are Not Installed).
We install FrontPage Extensions upon request.
Just send a message to our help desk and we can enable them
for you, free of charge.
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:
http://www.anonymizer.com/
This allows 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.
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 accounts with your reply/from address as
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.
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 who 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
Enter a full email address to receive your default/catch-all
email.
Select "Change"
and you'll see a confirmation box, which displays your new
default email address. That's it- done!
You should still make a habit of checking
the default POP account that comes with your account on a
regular basis.
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 your other mail accounts 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"
To disable enter the following for your default email address:
:blackhole:
This will discard any incoming email
that is unrouted
:fail: no such address here
This will bounce all email that is
unrouted back to the sender.
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.
So what actually happened here?
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