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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:
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:// 217.74.132.26/, 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//www-security-.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//www-security-.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.CEHosting.net/, your ISP looks at
the DNS server, and asks "how do I contact
CEHosting.net?" The DNS server responds, it can be
found at: 157.238.96.231. As the Internet
understands it, this can be considered the phone
number for the server, which houses the
HTTP://WWW.CEHosting.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 CEHosting.net
account:
Your "Name
Server Settings" must be updated to point to
your account on CEHosting.net. 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:
ns 1.cehost.net 69.57.152.164
ns 2.cehost.net 69.57.152.165
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 CEHosting.net 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://
211.94.122.26/ (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.
The
personal DNS (for advanced
webmasters).
Personalized
Name Servers are generally used by webmasters
who will be reselling web hosting accounts, and
want to add a professional look to their
DNS. Why? If you're reselling
accounts under your own entity, you could use
our name servers, which would be sent to your
customers in the form of:
ns1.cehost.net 69.57.152.164
ns2.cehost.net 69.57.152.165
Not bad, but what if you
want your DNS settings to appear as a part of
your company? Let's say your company was
www.yourwebhost.com. If you desire, you could
setup your own custom branded DNS, which could
display as:
NS1.YOURWEBHOST.COM
69.57.152.164
NS2.YOURWEBHOST.COM
69.57.152.165
This provides a somewhat
more professional look to your customers when
sending out your DNS settings in a welcoming
email. In addition, if someone does a WHOIS
lookup on your domain name, it appears as your
personal DNS, as opposed to the company you're
reselling for. Not really a big deal, but some
webmasters do not want to advertise the host
they're reselling for, as they feel it does not
portray a professional and independent look.
Personal name servers are offered to
clients whom are a part of our (reseller
program). If you're not a reseller, please use
the standard DNS settings we provided you. There
is no superior advantage to having your own name
server unless you're a reseller, and or a web
designer who is also planning on hosting the
websites they build.
Setting Up Sub
Domains
What is a
Sub-Domain?
A sub domain is
one, which resides under your top-level domain
name, but in many ways behaves as a "totally
independent domain". You'll observe that many of
the larger corporations use these, as they're
somewhat more professional looking, and do a
better job of creating an independent precedence
for service or product lines, which appear as
separate web entities.
Example: You're a
GM dealer with a site such as GM.com. You sell
everything from Pontiac's to Cadillac's. To
better organize your online presence, you could
create sub domains for your various automotive
lines. These would appear as http://pontiac.gm.com/
or http://cadillac.gm.com/.
Also note that in most cases, the domain need
not be called with the http:// or www protocol.
pontiac.gm.com can be called
exactly how it appears here.
Setting up a sub
domain:
Thanks to
C-Panel, this task has been made easier than
ever and can be achieved as follows:
1.
Login to C-Panel
2. Select Sub Domains
3. Enter the
name of your new sub
domain
4. Hit "Add"
That's it!
Your new sub domain is now ready for use. To
find it, login to your "main web directory"
through C-Panel by selecting "files" or simply
use your favorite FTP client. You'll see it
residing as another directory. Upload your files
to this directory just as you would with any
other. For example, if you created pontiac, then
a directory called pontiac is what you'll be
looking for.
Independent
cgi-bin
All new sub
domains are created with their own independent
cgi-bin. This means your new sub domain operates
independently of everything else, and is almost
like having a whole new domain. Feel free to
configure all cgi scripts, which are pertinent
to the functioning of this sub domain. A nice
feature, as it saves your main cgi-bin from
becoming cluttered and somewhat disorganized;
especially if you utilize a lot of cgi
programming.
Independent
email for the new sub domain
- (In final
development)
Yes, you'll
observe duplicates of all "configured pop email
accounts" appearing beside the sub-domain,
and or all sub-domains you've created. Now
I know you'll be tempted to use (what appears to
be) a perfectly good email address's, BUT please
"Don't!" This is a feature that is in
final development. While it may look
somewhat confusing at first glance, it's really
not. In the near future, you'll be able to
configure these email accounts for use with your
sub-domains. For example, if you
configured support.yourdomain.com, then you'll
be able to use the address
mailto:tom@support.canada000.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@canada000.com
and mark@yourdomain.com. If both of these
addresses are the ones you'll be using, then the
only thing that changes is the address - the
Username and Password is "always" the same.
The pop
email account
method:
In this case, you configure
a "private" pop email account for one or many
users who will be receiving and sending email
from your domain. Once an email address is
configured as a pop mail account, it operates
privately and independently from your main
standard/default mail system. Any mail sent to a
private pop mail account "can only be received"
by logging into that account with the separate
username and password you have assigned it.
Your default "catch all"
account will not intercept any mail being sent
to a pop mail account, which is what makes it
'private'. Pop 3 accounts are useful if there
are a number of people (for example employees)
who would each need a private email account.
This way, everyone at your company can
utilize private email. The default email address
plays a slightly different role in this
case: If a sender uses the 'wrong' Email
name or syntax, then that message would bounce
to your "default catch all" account, and at
which time, you could probably figure our who
the sender was trying to contact. They do
however, have to at least send it to your
correct domain name, (i'e', oops@youdomain.com).
This would end up in your "default" mailbox.
How
to configure a pop mail
account:
1. Login to C-Panel
2. Select "Add/Remove accounts"
3.
Select "Add
Account"
4. Enter an email name
5. Select
"Create"
Just
enter a name, (the
@yourdomain part is added
automatically)
That's it, done! Your
private pop 3 email account is now ready for
use. If you're a little lost on how to manually
configure an email account into your mail
reader, please see the detailed tutorials on how
to configure Outlook and Netscape mail
readers.
SPECIAL
NOTE!
If you've enabled
Sub-Domains, you'll observe a duplicate email
account appearing, which corresponds to each
sub-domain you've added. Please ignore
these duplicate addresses for the time
being. This is a new feature under
development and will soon enable the ability to
configure email accounts for your sub-domains.
For example, if you configured
support.yourdomain.com, then you'll be able to
use the address mailto:tom@support.canada6000.com.
For the time being, please
configure email address's that correspond to
your "regular" domain, and just
ignore the sub-domain duplicates.
ALSO: Any duplicate sub-domain email
address's you see appearing in your pop mail
setup configuration "DO NOT" count towards your
allocated number of pop mail boxes we've
provided. In short, just ignore them for
now :-)
Setting
Your Default Email Address:
It appears pretty simple,
but read through this documentation, as this
controls much more that you'd expect. As
mentioned in the previous chapter, your "default
email address" is the one, which can be used as
a "catch all", or in other words, to "catch all
mail", which is addressed to anything@yourdomain.com.
Using a catch all can be a blessing and
sometimes a curse.
The "catch all" is excellent
if you have a high frequency of people whom
mistype your email address, as these addresses
(even though mistyped), will simply be bounced
to your "catch all" or "default" email account.
That is, providing they at least managed to
spell your domain name properly :)
If you're not planning on
using multiple "private email boxes", then you
can keep life very simple - just configure the
default email address in your mail reader and
leave it at that. This way, you'll receive
everything sent to your domain. There are
indeed pro's and con's to this method, which
will be discussed in this tutorial.
Setting
your default/catch all email
account:
Note: By
default, or until you change it, the default
email address will be the same as your "login
name."
1. Login to C-Panel
2. Select "Default Address"
3.
Select "Set Default Email
Address"
4. Enter a desired default email
address
Just enter a name, (the @yourdomain part is added
automatically)
Select
"Change" and you'll see a confirmation
box, which displays your new default email
address. That's it- done!
Remember: In order
to receive mail, which finds its way into your
"Default Mailbox", you must configure the
default address in your mail reader. If
you don't, then all mail, which bounces to this
address will sit on the server unread.
This is easy to do in Outlook Express, as it
allows you to configure and monitor multiple
email accounts. Email readers such as
Netscape on the other hand, are limited to "one"
email account. Actually, you could
re-configure your mail reader to check your
default email box every few days, but who wants
to be bothered with that trouble? We
suggest using an email reader, which allows you
to configure multiple email accounts.
The Webmail Alternative:
You can also check your default
email account, or another other mail account by
logging into it through the "WebMail"
interface. Simply select the "WebMail"
icon at the bottom of C-panel, and log in to it
using your "Main Account"
Username and Password. This will allow to
to check your default email box, as well as
other mailboxes without having to configure them
in your mail reader. In fact, using any
pop accounts "Username and Password" will log
you into that particular account through the
"WebMail" interface.
The
downside of enabling "Catch
All":
Problems can
sometimes arise when Spammers or junk mailers
use this feature as a means to pump their trash
into your mailbox. As long as the "catch all" is
enabled, then all they must do is send to whatever@yourdomain.com
and it will reach you.
On the other hand, if you're
using "specific pop email accounts", you could
opt to disable the "catch all", which would mean
that "only visitors or associates who you've
given a specific address to" can send mail to a
particular email account on your domain.
In this case, everything
else, (that you have not configured as a pop
mail account) is bounced back to the sender. In
our opinion, we suggest leaving your "catch all"
enabled for the time being. If Spammers begin
sending random junk messages using anything@yourdomain.com,
then you can disable your "catch all" feature.
Disabling
your "Catch All
Feature"
Instead of
entering a (syntax legal name), use illegal
syntax, which will effectively disable your
email "catch all." For example, using
characters, which are known as 'illegal' to the
email system such as
(>>>????) will work
just fine. These are characters, which
cannot be used in an email address, which in
effect, will render the "Catch All"
feature useless. Go to your "change
default email address" and add something like
the above as default name.
What happens
now?
When Spammy or
Jimmy junk mailer attempts to use a random email
address to Spam you, it will be bounced back to
them. That is, unless they happen to get a hold
of one of your "legitimate pop email account
names", in which case, you'd have a different
problem on your hands. Yes, you could either
deal with it, or change the address.
Here
is what now happens to a sender using
anything@yourdomain.com :
This is what the
sender would receive. Please note that a
classic, but annoying junk mail example is being
used here:
This
message was created automatically by mail
delivery software (Exim).
A message that
you sent has not yet been delivered to one or
more of its
recipients after more than 24
hours on the queue on yourdomain.com.
The message identifier is:
14m7gv-0007gl-00
The date of the message is:
Mon, 04 June 2001 01:23:02 -0400
The subject
of the message is: MAKE MILLIONS FAST!
The
address to which the message has not yet been
delivered is:
anything@yourdomain.com
Delay reason: error in alias
file /etc/valiases/anything@yourdomain.com:
missing or
malformed local part (expected word or "<")
in "******>>>" (Bad email syntax)
No action is required on
your part. Delivery attempts will continue
for
some time, and this warning may be
repeated at intervals if the message
remains
undelivered. Eventually the mail delivery
software will give up,
and when that happens,
the message will be returned to
you.
So what
actually happened
here?
When the "Catch
All" email address
(******>>>@yourdomain.com), attempted to process an incoming
message from anything@yourdomain.com,
and then forward the (junk message in this case)
to the "catch all/Default" email address, it
freaked out, and said forget it!!
The default email address was set to
******>>> in this case, which is
clearly an email address using "illegal
characters", so the sending process was aborted.
Therefore, the mail system bounced back the
above error message to the sender. There are
numerous tricks and special recipes you can
'manually' write into the Unix email system for
doing essentially the same thing, however
through C-Panel, this would certainly seem the
easiest way of accomplishing the task.
Configuring
Email Auto
Responder's
What is
an Email Auto
Responder?
Email auto
responders will automatically send a customized
auto response (that you compose) to any visitor
whom emails the address configured with one.
More specifically, automated responses are
sometimes used to send additional information
about your service or product by having a
visitor email something like moreinfo@yourdomain.com.
In most other cases, they are used to send a
'courtesy reply' to anyone whom sends a query to
your companies main email address. When
visitors email this address, they recieve a
response such as: Thanks for contacting our
company! Someone will be returning a response to
your question soon. If you require immediate
assistance, please call 555-222-1212.
Thanks!), and so forth.
There are two types of
Auto Responders:
The silent Auto
Responder:
In this case,
you configure the responder to send the desired
information when it's emailed, however
you 'do not' receive copies of
the inquiries that people originally sent.
This method is typically used if you have
a product and want people to email an address
for additional information on it. You
simply tell them to email moreinfo@yourdomain.com,
and they receive additional information on
it. Again, you 'will not' receive receipts
of the visitors emailing the auto responder. If
you want to do this, please read the next
paragraph.
The Auto Responder that
sends you the original
inquiry:
In this case,
the auto responder is setup to work with a
(currently configured pop email
account). Now, the sender receives
your automated response, and you receive their
'original inquiry'.
How to setup an Auto
Responder:
1. login to C-panel
2. Select "Auto Responders"
3.
Select "Add Auto
Responder"
4. Enter the "Email Address" to send
the auto response
5. Enter a "From" name, (for
example, my company)
6. Enter a
"Subject", (for example, thank
you)
7. Enter your message in the "Body" area
Select
"Create" and that's it! Your auto
responder is now online. To test it, email its
address and see if you receive the auto
response. If you've configured it to an existing
pop mail account, you should receive 2
responses. The first, which is your inquiry,
(that you just sent to yourself), and the
second, which will be the automated response.
Remember!
If you want to receive the "Incoming
Inquiries" in addition to sending the automated
response, then add an email address, which is
"already" configured as a "pop email
account." If you "do not" wish to receive
the original incoming inquiry, then simply enter
a name, which "Is Not" configured as one of your
existing pop mail accounts.
If at
anytime you want to update, edit, or delete an
auto response, simply go back into "Auto
responders" and you'll see the current
responders configured, as well as options beside
each of them to change or delete.
Blocking
Unwanted Email Messages:
From time to time, you may
experience either a junk mailer or some other
menacing individual whom keeps sending you
annoying email messages. C-Panel has a built in
feature, which allows you to block these email
messages in a multitude of different ways. You
can block them by:
-
Sender
- Subject
- Message Header
-
Message Body
Of course, if all you
want to do is block one specific email address,
then you don't have to worry about getting fancy
with it - just enter the email address to be
blocked, and that's it, done!
How to use the block email
function:
1. Login to C-Panel
2. Select "Block an Email"
3.
Select "Add
Filter"
If all you want to do is
block a single email address, then simply leave
the "current default setting" as is, and enter
in the email address to be blocked. For example,
annoying-nolife@nothingbettertodo.com
Click "Add Filter",
and that's it done!
When you click
"Back" or login to this feature next time,
you'll see the list of email address's, and or
expressions you've blocked. Beside each one of
them will be a "Delete" option, so that you can
remove the block from your account at a future
time. NOTE: When you block an
email address, or some other keyword, this
filtering will be enabled on "All Email
Accounts" within your domain.
Advanced
Blocking:
For those
of who whom experience frequent problems with
junk email messages, you'll be please to see
this option provides a broad range of blocking
options. Instead of having us try to explain
every last one of them here, this is a feature
you'll really want to experiment with yourself.
Doing so, will allow you to
become familiar with the ways that email can be
blocked, and will also help you with customizing
a recipe that works best for your domain. Play
around with the settings, and try to block
words, or phrases based on the From Name,
Subject, or Message Body Text. Now, send an
email to your account and see if the terms and
criteria you selected are providing the
filtering you want.
It may take a
little time to master, but it's fun, and a great
way to broaden your abilities on web site
administration. FINAL NOTE: If
you're totally new to email blocking, and wish
to explore its full potential, we highly suggest
you test it before launching your site. This
way, you don't have to worry about accidentally
disrupting email for your entire domain.
Hint:
Unless you're 100% sure of what a setting will
do, always delete it when you're finished, or
until you have time to run a series of tests on
it. You want to ensure it's blocking what it's
supposed to, and not legitimate
email messages!
A big junk mail
problem:
If you're
experiencing a high volume of junk mail, then
there's a good possibility Spammers are taking
advantage of your "catch all" option. To disable
this, please see our tutorial on "Default Email
Address."
Email
Forwarding:
Email forwarding is a
feature, which forwards an email that originated
from your domain, to another email address. The
forwarding address can be another email address
within 'your domain', or to an 'external email'
address, (for example to your home ISP email
account). There are two types of email
forwarding:
Forward silently to
another address:
In this
case, the email address from your domain (setup
for forwarding) will divert all messages to the
forwarding address you've selected, and without
sending you a copy of the original message. For
example, you@yourdomain.com
will automatically forward all messages to you@mindspring.com.
Pretty straight forward. (no pun intended).
Forward to
another address, but also send you the "original
inquirey":
This is the
method most commonly used. For example, you have
two other partners who wish to receive all
incoming inquiries to the company. Perhaps
you're the one who responds to them, but your
counterparts would like copies of the incoming
activity as well. The method for accomplishing
this is pretty well the same as above, except in
this case you would configure one of your
"existing pop email accounts", as that is how
you'd receive a copy of the original incoming
message.
Example: When General@company.com
(your companies main address) is mailed, you
would typically be the only one to receive the
response, however if you've configured forwards
for your two counterparts (Bob and Mary), then
bob@doodles.com
and mary@yourdomain.com
could also receive a copy of the incoming
messages.
How to setup a mail
forward:
1. Login to C-Panel
2. Select "Forwarders"
3. Enter a
configured pop email
account name if you want to recieve
original inquiries. (Enter a none configured
email address if you do not)
4. Enter
the email address you
want it to relay a copy of the message to
5.
Select "Add
Forward"
All messages will now be forwarded
to the forwarding address, and with a copy sent
to you
Need
to Forward to more than one
person?
Simply repeat the above
process using the same address you've setup as
the forward, and enter the additional recipients
you would like to send a copy of the message
to. All email forwards will be listed in
your "Email Forwarder" administrator. You can
delete forwards when you no longer require them,
Testing your forward.
If you want to test your
new mail forward, it's recommended that the
email account you're testing from "is not" one
of the accounts you're using in conjunction with
the forwarder you've just setup. For example, if
you've configured harry@yourdomain.com
to forward copies to bob@doodles.com
and mary@yourdomain.com,
then send a test message from an email address,
other than one of the addresses you've just
setup, otherwise it can somewhat confusing in
figuring out which message was coming from the
actual forward, and which was the original sent
from you.
Accessing your mail through the
web based interface
C-Panel extends
the versatility of its email system by allowing
you to access any one of your email accounts
through its own web mail interface. You have the
choice of accessing all mail through the web, or
any of your private pop email accounts. Gone are
the days of having to create several email
accounts on various free html based mail
systems, as now you have your own, which
operates from "your account."
Accessing
your mail through the web mail
interface:
1. Login
to C-Panel
2.
Select "Add Remove
Accounts"
Beside the email
account you wish to access, Select the "Read WebMail" button. A
username and password prompt will appear, and
are the same as the username and password
you created with that particular account.
NOTE: Remember to use the "full' email
address as the account login name for the
account you're accessing.
The first
screen you'll see:
If
it's the first time you're accessing this email
account through WebMail, a setup screen appears.
Actually, all this really does is display how
you'll be identifying yourself in email
messages. Everything is pretty much the same as
what you setup the "original pop mail account"
with, however check it closely and make sure
everything is appearing as you want it.
Does
everything look
correct?
If so, then
click "Save" and a dialog box pops up, which
confirms your settings as being saved
successfully. Click "Continue" and you'll be
taken to your WebMail inbox. To the top left of
the screen, you'll observe the following icons.
Clicking on any one of them will do the
following.
Notes:
 |
Compose a new
message |
 |
Refresh the screen |
 |
View user
preferences |
 |
Open address book |
 |
View or add new
folders |
 |
Empty your trash
folder |
To delete or move a message,
select the small box beside it. Select
where you which to place it using the drop down
menu (top right of screen), then click "Move".
- Open
address book, allows you to add and edit
email address's . You can also export your Outlook or Netscape Address
Book, which equips your account with
all the email address's you currently
use.
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