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Bluetech Solutions
Operating Manual
The Bluetech
Solutions 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 Bluetech
Solutions, 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:
Understanding
File Permissions
The
ins and outs of DNS and how it effects your domain:
Setting
up and managing Sub-Domains:
Setting
up Domain Email:
Account
Basics:
Username
and Passwords:
These are stated in the first
paragraph of the welcoming email. Until you change them, they're
needed to authenticate everything from FTP, to Email access,
C-Panel, and MS FrontPage if you're using it. In short, use this
Username and Password for any access you're attempting to your
account.
NOTE: When
submitting a tech support issue to the help desk, you'll be
asked for a separate username and password. DO NOT use
your 'main account' username and password for the login!
You can select a "Help Desk" username and password
upon your first visit to: https://secure.bluetechsolutions.com/support/"
(where all support issues should be sent).
Accessing
your account via its URL or associated IP number
If you've just signed up to Bluetech
Solutions, 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 Bluetech
Solutions 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
Plan1 and Plan
2 "IP-less" accounts:
Plan
1 and Plan 2 account packages are
IP-less accounts. This means the IP is shared with several
domains, as opposed to being dedicated to "one." There
are a couple of small differences on how you access these
accounts, and most notably how you access the them before your
domain name is officially pointing to our servers. Instead of
calling the account with a plain IP number, you call it with an
IP and "your associated Username." Both of these were
sent to you in your welcoming email. Let's try an example:
Your username is frank
Your IP is 157.238.46.11
To reach your account via the web, you would call this site as: http://157.238.46.11/~frank/
Don't forget the ~ before your name! Also remember that the IP
we're using in this case is an "example." Check your
welcoming email for the IP number and Username, which was
assigned to your account. Once again, when your new DNS
settings have propagated across the worlds DNS servers, you'll
be able to access your domain by calling it the standard way,
which is http://www.yourdomain.com.
Accessing
your account via FTP:
These accounts are accessed in the generally the same way as a
dedicated IP account would be. Again, if your domain name is not
officially pointing to our servers yet, use the IP and Username,
which was sent to you in your welcoming email. If you have
additional questions regarding the ins and outs of FTP, please
see our FTP support section, which covers it in broad detail.
Accessing
C-panel:
To access your C-Panel account
manager, you can login into it with:
http://www.mydomain.com/cpanel
(For name based accounts)
or
http://216.74.122.26/~frank/cpanel/
(For IP-less accounts, but, change the IP number to the one we
sent you)
Again, if your domain name is not pointing to our servers yet,
calling it with your IP will enable access to your account.
Where
to upload your files:
The
Home Directory:
Your html files, and or the files you want to make accessible to
the World Wide Web must be uploaded to your account. When you
first FTP into your account, you'll be taken to your
"Home" directory. Don't confuse this with your
"web directory." The home directory is "not"
accessible to the World Wide Web; it's a private directory where
critical system files reside. DO NOT delete files that have been
created by the system, otherwise your web site may disappear
into cyber oblivion!
The
public_html and
www
directory - (Where web accessible files are placed)
These are the two directories,
where files you want accessed from the web must be placed. Open
the folder "public_html" , which is your "web
accessible directory." The folder named "www" is
actually a shortcut to public_html, (both of them take you to
your web directory). Upload the files you want accessible to
your visitors and feel free to make the appropriate
sub-directories you'll require.
Configuring
FTP Clients:
Configuring
Cute FTP
Based on version 4.2
Please note that there are a number
of older and current versions of Cute FTP floating around. As a
result, some of the instructions provided here cannot possibly
reflect all the versions, which have been released in the past 5
years. The only small difference you may encounter is where some
of the options can be found (depending on the client version
you're using). In any event, everything is pretty well much the
same. Let's get started:
1. Open Cute FTP
2. Select "File"
3. Select "Site Manager"
4. Select "New"
Options
you'll see:
- Label for site: Enter a name for
this account. For example, "My Root
Account."
- FTP Host Address: www.mydomain.com
- FTP Site Username: Your main system
login name
- FTP Site Password: Your main system
password
- FTP Site Connection: Port: 21
- Login Type: Normal
Notes
About Cute FTP:
There are a few advanced features you may want to be aware of.
These features may need to be enabled if you're having problems
accessing your site via an FTP client. The following will
explain:
Trouble accessing your site via FTP:
This can sometimes occur if your accessing the Internet from
behind a firewall, personal router, or using an Internet
connection sharing system such as NAT (Network Address
Translation). This is often a class case scenario in a home or
small office where several computers are being shared by one
Internet connection. Symptoms include, difficulty
logging in via FTP, and or maintaining a reliable upload or
download session.
Use Passive Mode instead:
From your FTP main interface,
select:
1. Edit (from the main
dropdown menus)
2. Settings
A dialog box called "Settings" now appears. Select:
3. Connections
4. Firewall
This opens the Connection/Firewall dialog box:
5. Check the box that says "PASV
mode."
6. Click OK
Don't touch any of the other settings
Ignore all other settings you see
here except for the "PASV_mode" setting!
Give it a try and see how it works. If you're still having
problems, you should contact your ISP to see if they can make
the necessary changes required for you to access your site via
FTP. There are a vast number of network configurations ISP's
sometimes use, and some of which that can cause problems for
users wanting to access the web beyond that of a browser.
How to view all files in your
account (For Advanced Users).
Advanced users may want ability to view "all hidden"
files in their directories. While most of these are critical
system files, there are a few, which can be manually edited by
"Advanced Users." This is done by inserting an entry
into the "File Masking" feature in the client.
Unmasking Hidden Files:
1. Open Cute FTP
2. Go to the site manager
3. Select your account
4. Select "Edit"
A dialog box opens called
"Site Properties":
1. Check the "Enable Filter" box
2. Click the "Filter" button
3. Check the " Enable Remote Filters
(Server Applied Filer) " box
4. In the "Remote Filter" window, type this command -a
5. Click ok
That's it!
The -a
command will unmask "all" files in your web account.
Final
Note:
NEVER REMOVE OR ALTER FILES, WHICH HAVE BEEN CREATED BY THE
SERVER or C-Panel!! Unless you're an advanced user,
please leave all files that have been created by the system
alone! Doing otherwise could cause serious problems with your
account, and in some cases take it offline completely. When in
doubt "ASK", do not Delete!
Setting
Up WSFTP
Please note that there are a number
of older and current versions of WSFTP floating around. As a
result, some of the instructions provided here cannot possibly
reflect all the versions, which have been released in the past 5
years. The only small difference you may encounter is where some
of the options can be found (depending on the client version
you're using). In any event, everything is pretty well much the
same.
Setting
up WSFTP:
1. Open your WSFTP client
2. The dialog box "WS_FTP" Sites should display. If
not, click the "Connect" button.
3. Select "New"
You should see this dialog box:
You'll be
taken through these options:
1.
New Site/Folder: Choose a name for this
account
2.
Host Name or IP address: www.yourdomain.com
3.
User ID: Main system login
4.
User Password: Main System Password
5. Select "Save
Password."
6. Select "Finish."
Done! Your can now FTP into your site
Notes About
WSFTP:
Main Username and Password:
The main Username and Password was sent to you in your welcoming
email, and are also the same ones used to access C-Panel. If
you've changed your "main" Username and
Password before setting this up, then use you must
use them instead.
Trouble accessing your site
via FTP:
This can sometimes occur if your accessing the Internet from
behind a firewall, personal router, or using an Internet
connection sharing system such as NAT (Network Address
Translation). This is often a class case scenario in a home or
small office where several computers are being shared by one
Internet connection. Symptoms include, difficulty
logging in via FTP, and or maintaining a reliable upload or
download session. If this is the case, try "Passive
Mode."
Setting
Passive Mode:
1.
Open the WSFTP account manager
2.
Highlight your account
3.
Select "Properties"
4. Select the
"Advanced" tab
5. Check the box called
"Passive Transfers."
6. Click "OK"
Select passive mode, click
"OK", and try it again.
How to view
all files in your account (For Advanced Users).
Advanced users may want ability to
view "all hidden" files in their directory. While most
of these are critical system files, there are a few, which can
be manually edited by "Advanced Users." This is done
by inserting an entry into the "File Masking" feature
in the client.
Unmasking Hidden Files:
1. Open the WSFTP account manager
2. Highlight your account
3. Select "Properties"
4. Select the "Startup" tab
5. In the "Remote File Mask"
window, enter -a
The -a
command will unmask all files in your web account.
Final Note:
NEVER REMOVE OR ALTER FILES, WHICH HAVE BEEN CREATED BY THE
SERVER or C-Panel!! Unless you're an advanced
user, please leave all files that have been created by the
system alone! Doing otherwise could cause serious problems with
your account, and in some cases take it offline completely. When
in doubt "ASK", do not Delete!
Understanding
the web site file system:
index.html
and why you should use it:
This again is where a number of
newer webmasters become stumped. They upload all of their files
and directories, and then want to access them with their
browser, but forgetting to create their welcoming page as
index.html, so here's what happens: They access their site as http://www.mydomain.com/
or using the associated IP number, for example, http://test.html/,
and what they see is their entire file directory structure!
Yikes!… It looks just like exploring the C drive on your
computer! You don't want visitors seeing that, do you?
When you access your site by calling it as http://www.mydomain.com
or the assigned IP (for example), http://
216.74.122.26/, the web server looks for the
"index.html" file as the (default file) to be sent to
visitors, and thus this is why http://www.mydomain.com/
by itself will automatically display the home or welcoming page.
It's because the server automatically looks for index.html
whenever a domain or directory is called without a filename
appended to it such as this, http://www.mydomain.com/file.html
If it can't find index.html, it will simply list "your
entire web directory" to everyone that access's it, which
is a MAJOR security risk! ALWAYS, use an "index.html"
file in any directory you create, including your
"root" web directory. In general, it's always a good
idea to use "index.html" as your main page in
"all sub-directories" of your account. Forgetting to
place an index.html in your root web, or any subdirectory of
your web for that matter will effectively leave all of its
contents viewable to the world.
Understanding
case sensitivity:
Another small detail, which can
throw many newer users into a tailspin. Unlike your local PC,
the Unix file system is very particular about
"uppercase" and "lowercase" file names.
Therefore, if you were to install a script, (let's say the
wwwboard discussion forum) for example), the name of this script
would be wwwboard.pl. If you name a file picture file
called me.jpg, then this is what you must call it as.
Naming it me.JPG for example, (observe the uppercase) tells a
Unix web server to treat it as a totally different file name.
Unix file servers are exceptionally fussy on this issue, so make
sure you pay close attention to "case' when uploading
files, or installing and configuring cgi based scripts. The same
rule applies for all files including your .html pages. Again,
the server treats .html and .HTML as two entirely different
files. Want to keep in simple? Try to stick with lowercase
letters in all file names and extensions.
Uploading
your files in the correct mode (ASCII or Binary)?
Uploading in the wrong format for images or binaries will result
in a strange mess appearing in place of the file. For CGI
scripts, this mistake has to be the most common cause of that
annoying error known as the (Server 500 Error - Malformed
Headers), or something to that lovely extent. While this can be
the result of many various programming errors, the most popular
amongst new users are uploading their scripts in the
"WRONG" format. Your cgi scripts "MUST"
always be uploaded in ASCII mode. Alternatively, if you upload
an image or .exe file, it must be done in "BINARY"
mode.
The
difference between ASCII and BINARY?
In short, html or text based files are supposed to be
transferred in ASCII mode. Uploading them in Binary mode will
append ^M's to the end of every line. In most cases, this is OK,
with html files because your browser will ignore them. BUT, with
other text files such as cgi scripts, uploading them in binary
will damage them, thus causing a (server 500 error). This is
because binary mode has added ^M's to the end of every line,
which are not supposed to be in the program. This of course, is
what causes the additional message of (Malformed Headers), which
often displays at the bottom of the "Server 500"
message when a CGI script has crashed.
Once again, BINARY mode is used for transferring executable
programs, compressed files and all image/picture files. If you
try to upload an image in ASCII mode, you observer a strange
mess appearing on the page where the image is suppose to appear.
ASCII mode in this case, has corrupted the binary coding in the
jpeg or gif image. If this happens, just re-upload it in the
Binary format
Setting
your FTP client to automatically detect ASCII and Binary file
transfers:
Most FTP programs have "AUTO" mode, which will tell
the FTP client to automatically detect the file type you're
transferring and will select the appropriate mode. By default,
most FTP programs will attempt to transfer everything in binary
mode, but when "Automatic" is selected, the FTP client
will check a list of known ASCII extensions, (for example, .pl,
.cgi, .txt). If it detects one of these extensions, it
automatically switches to ASCII mode.
By Default, most of the well-known files to be uploaded in ASCII
are already entered, however you can manually add additional
extensions that you would like to transfer in ASCII mode by
selecting the feature called "Extensions." Here, you
can any additional extensions that will cause the FTP client to
toggle to ASCII mode automatically upon detecting an extension
entered in its list. Remember, you must set your transfer mode
to "Automatic" for this to work.
File
types and what they represent:
Various file types can effect both the behavior of your files,
as well as how the server treats them. While there are numerous
file extensions, which represent a host of various file types,
we'll stick to the basic ones in this quick overview:
The .html file:
This is one is the most commonly used and the most one of you
are already familiar with. Html stands for (hypertext Markup
Language). Essentially, it tells the server, as well as the
clients browser to process and display the .html coding in a
way, which is meaningful to the end user through a browser.
The .htm file:
Many of you have probably noticed this newer extension appearing
in place of the traditional .html one. In short, .htm is most
often created, and or generated from the Microsoft FrontPage web
editor. The two are essentially the same and provide the same
basic purpose. Unless you're using FrontPage, you will probably
use the .html extension at the end of your web pages.
The .gif and .jpg file:
Most commonly used because of its good compression in web page
images. Generally, .gif files are the fastest loading, as they
remove a lot of information, which is not required to maintain
image integrity, but to a point however. .jpg will allow more
flexibility in compression and quality settings, however can
also result in larger files.
The .CGI and the .pl file:
.cgi and .pl are most often used for perl scripts. Perl scripts
are small text based programs, which are executed on the server
end, and will perform a host of interactive functions for a web
site. In short, when a .pl or .cgi file is called, it tells the
server to process it using the "Perl Interpreter." The
Perl Interpreter understands the programming within the script,
and will perform the set of sub routines, which will yield your
desired effect. This desired effect could be anything from a
simple web page counter, to more complex programs such as
discussion forums, e-commerce platforms, to online auctions. In
many cases, you can download these "ready to go"
scripts for free, and in others you may have to purchase them.
FrontPage
and FTP:
If you're planning on using
Microsoft FrontPage to manage your web site, there are a couple
of issues things you may want to keep in mind:
There are two worlds. The General Unix hosting world, and the
Microsoft world. While this is not necessarily a bad thing,
Microsoft had indeed decided to play by its own
rules. As a result, FrontPage does not always
conform to the rules of Unix, so you should be extremely careful
when accessing a FrontPage web via FTP. It's easy to
damage the FrontPage web, as well as it's associated server
extensions, and if it happens, you may loose the ability to
administrate it from your FrontPage Explorer. To avoid problems
like this:
- Do not alter, or delete files
that are part of a FrontPage web
- Do delete, move, or alter
directories ending in _vtf. These are the FrontPage
extensions
The ultimate solution:
If possible, try to create your FrontPage webs in
sub-directories of your root. For example, http://www.yourdomain.com/home.
This way, you can safely FTP into your root account to perform
other tasks, while avoiding the FrontPage webs, which are safely
out of the way in their own separate homes. Remember! DO NOT
delete any folders, which end in _vtf! This will kill your
FrontPage web, and we'll have to reinstall the extensions for
you. For additional information on FrontPage, please see our
dedicated tutorial on it.
Using
CGI programming:
Where to
place your CGI scripts:
Although there is nothing dangerous about placing cgi scripts in
random directories throughout your site, it's best if you keep
them in their own little home known as the cgi-bin. This
minimizes security risks and allows you to maintain your cgi
programs from one directory.
The path
to Perl:
One of the first things you must do when configuring a script,
is set the correct path to the Perl interpreter, which is the
engine responsible for processing the script. The path to Perl
on our servers is: images/manual/#!/usr/bin/perl
The
path to Sendmail:
Some programs such as the ones, which send email will need to
know where the Sendmail program resides on the server. The
script will typically have a setting like this: $mailprog =
'/usr/sbin/sendmail'; and will want you to set it appropriately.
Sendmail on our servers can be found here:
/usr/sbin/sendmail or /usr/lib/sendmail.
Setting
directories within your cgi scripts:
When you configure a cgi script for "any" server, it
may ask you to set variables such as the base, relative, and CGI
directory/url settings. Here's an "example" using Matt
Wright's wwwboard.pl script. Obviously, each script may vary,
but this should provide you with some basic idea:
$basedir = "/home/yourlogin/public_html/wwwboard";
$baseurl = "http://www.yoursite.com/wwwboard";
$cgi_url =
"http://www.yoursite.com/cgi-bin/wwwboard.pl";
Most scripts come with documentation on how to set these
directories. Please make sure you read and understand it before
configuring the script. New to cgi? Here is a page with
questions and answers to numerous questions evolving around the
inns and outs of using cgi within your scripts: http://www.w3.org/Security/Faq/www-security-faq.html
Another excellent site, which provides step by step chapters is:
http://www.cgi101.com/class/
Understanding
File Permissions:
There are a number of file permissions, which can be used for a
variety of different purposes, however we'll limit this tutorial
to the ones most commonly used. To begin with, it's important
you understand the three categories of permissions, which are:
Owner Permissions:
The owner is you. In most cases, this is not so much of a
concern, as you can only obtain owner permissions in one of two
ways. 1. FTP into your account using your Username and Password.
2. Login via Telnet with the same information.
Group Permissions:
The represents a group of users who have access to a particular
directory. For example, a password protected directory, whereas
only members can access it upon providing the correct Username
and Password. In this case, any permissions you assign to
"Group" would be applicable to users with access to
that particular directory.
Public Permissions:
This is the most important one of all. Public permissions
determine what your world wide visitors can and cannot do with
your files. ALWAYS make sure you understand what a particular
permission does before assigning it to a file. If not, you may
wakeup to find your website demolished by some clown who was
snooping about and gained access to your files.
Setting
File Permissions:
To set file permissions:
1.
Login with your FTP client
2. Open the
directory where the file you wish to set permissions on resides
3. Right click on
the file and select CHMOD
A box similar to the one above will appear
Observe how you can
"select" the individual permissions you want, or
simply enter the 3 digit number if you know what it is. Most
instructions included with downloaded scripts will tell indicate
this to you.
By default, all files uploaded to
the server automatically have permissions set to 644. The
setting 644 is relatively safe, as it provides "Read"
and "Write" access to the owner, while limiting the
rest of the public to "Read Only" access.
When setting permissions for cgi scripts, the most common
permissions setting is 755. 755 allows the owner
"Read and Write" access, while allowing the Group and
Public "Read and Execute" permissions. So what are we
actually saying? In short, when users access your cgi script,
the server has been instructed to grant them permissions to
"Read and Execute" it. Sound scary? It's not actually…
Remember that a script is a program that must be processed by
the server. As long as the script is written properly, you can
safely allow users to execute it, and thus providing the desired
results. For example, if they wanted to post a message to your
wwwboard discussion forum, then they would need these
permissions to execute wwwboard.pl, which would write their new
message to an html file, which is displayed on the main
forum. The new message would reside in a directory
on your site so other users could view it. Most cgi, perl
and other scripts you'll be installing come complete with
instructions telling you which permissions you'll need to set
them to.
WARNING!
Setting permissions on files is a relatively simple task,
however MAKE SURE you fully understand what it is you're
allowing the public to do with your files. For example, some
less experienced users often make the fatal mistake of simply
setting ALL of their files to 777. While 777 will automatically
allow executing privileges, it also allows full "READ,
WRITE, and EXECUTION ability to the entire world!!!!
This is how web sites get hacked! While most visitors have good
intentions, all it takes is one person whom snoops about your
files seeking an "Open Back Door." This could result
is them gaining full access to your directories, which means
they can do anything from deleting your entire site, to defacing
it with obscenities.
New to cgi? Here is a page with questions and answers to
numerous questions evolving around the inns and outs of using
cgi within your scripts: http://www.w3.org/Security/Faq/www-security-faq.html
Using Server
Side Includes - SSI
SSI works in conjunction with a web page usually with the .shtml
extension. The .shtml extension tells the server to do
something different with the web page. When you append the .html
or .htm extension, this tells the server to "read" the
page only. The .shtml extension tells the server to
"Execute" the page, in addition to just reading it.
So, why would you want to execute the page? There are various
commands you can program into a web page, which the server will
look for and parse when the file is called as .shtml. In many
cases, this mode is used in conjunction with Server Side Include
(SSI) tags, to call a CGI script. For example, you have a
visitor counter script, and we'll call it count.cgi. Every time
someone visits your website, you want the script to be called,
so that it logs the visitor into a file.
To do this, you would place an SSI tag into your web page. The
tag in this case, would look something like:
<!--images/manual/#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.bluetechsolutions.com/,
your ISP looks at the DNS server, and asks "how do I
contact bluetechsolutions.com?"
The DNS server responds, it can be found at: 157.238.46.231. As
the Internet understands it, this can be considered the phone
number for the server, which houses the http://www.bluetechsolutions.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
"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 Bluetech
Solutions account:
Your "Name Server Settings" must be updated to point
to your account on Bluetech Solutions.
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.BLUETECHSOLUTIONS.COM
130.94.168.106
NS2.BLUETECHSOLUTIONS.COM
130.94.168.107
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 Bluetech Solutions
account just a minute ago, but when I try it now, I'm being
taken back to my old hosting account - what's up with this?
In all likelihood, your ISP may be in the process of clearing
their DNS cache, and or updating their local DNS server records.
During this small interval, it's normal to fluctuate between the
new and old web site, as the old DNS records may not have
completely expired from their cache yet. Give it another several
hours and it should be fine.
HEY! My
new site comes up for me, but my friends are being directed to
my old one!
Break out the coffee and donuts, and consider yourself lucky.
Your ISP is on the ball and updates DNS records/ clears DNS
cache in short regular intervals. Your friends may be using an
ISP, which is not as fast, and or efficient at doing so. The
only remedy for this is time. Eventually, the other ISP's DNS
cache will expire and be replaced with the updated DNS records.
What's going on with my email? When I
try to access it, I receive a "host does not exist" or
a "cannot authenticate" error message.
This can happen for a number of reasons, but in most cases, it's
because your new DNS records have not fully completed the
propagation process yet. Consequently, you may be trying to
access your old email account on your "old server",
which you may have already cancelled, or it's in a state of DNS
flux, which means it points to the new server one moment, and
the next, points back to the old server.
Give it some more time and it will eventually settle down. In
the meantime, consider accessing email from your account using
the WebMail based reader. If your domain has not propagated as
of yet, you can access your email account via WebMail with your
IP number. Example: http://12.23.36.78:2082/neomail/neomail.pl
This will allow you to access your default mailbox on your
account. Replace the IP number with the one we sent you, and do
not remove the :2032 port number in the URL.
Microsoft FrontPage will not accept a
Username and Password, or displays the error message (FrontPage
Extensions Are Not Installed).
While you should be able to access FrontPage with your
associated IP number (until your domain is resolving to our
servers), this is not always the case. FrontPage can behave in a
number of different ways depending on which direction the wind
is blowing. In some cases, it will allow you to initiate an
upload session, but upon asking for your Username and Password,
will not recognize them. If this happens, the best thing to do
is wait until your domain name is answering to our servers. One
thing we know for sure, is FrontPage will work without much of a
problem if you're using the full www.mydomain.com URL to manage
your site with. Feel free to try it with your IP, but we cannot
guarantee it will work.
It's been over a week. Everybody else
can access my new site except me!
Was your domain originally hosted by your ISP? If so, they may
not have deleted this entry in their DNS files. This results in
you, and or anyone else accessing the net from this
"particular ISP" being directed to your old web site
on their servers. A number of ISP's forget this small detail,
which can result in weeks of utter confusion and frustration. If
this is happening to you, contact your ISP and make sure they've
made the necessary changes to their DNS records.
Checking
your DNS update status (outside of your ISP):
In the event you're becoming impatient, and or are wondering if
the rest of the world outside of your ISP can access your new
site, you can proxy yourself to another network and test it
there. In many cases, you'll be surprised to see your site
responding perfectly, yet when you attempt it directly from your
ISP's servers, it does not exist.
There are several services, which allow anonymous surfing across
the net. While this is not the intent here, they can be used for
trouble shooting domain resolution problems. How? Because
they proxy you through their network, which means your URL
requests are controlled by "their" DNS cache records.
These services update/expire their DNS cache far more often than
ISP's, which makes them well suited for testing your domain name
through a network, which operates with the latest DNS updates
across the web.
To run this check, you can try accessing your site through one
of these two services:
https://www.safeweb.com/o/_s:top.php3
http://www.anonymizer.com/
Both of them allow you to enter a
URL, and proxy your request through their servers. If your site
is accessible from these servers, then chances are, your ISP has
yet to expire their old DNS cache records.
Working
on your account during the DNS propagation period:
You can still work on your new account until your domain name
finds it way to our servers using your "IP
Number", which was included in your welcoming email. Your
IP number is how your new domain will be identified on our
servers. Using it at this point will provide a means for you to
access your account, as well as test your new site by using
something like http:// 216.74.122.26/
(obviously you'd replace it with the IP number we sent you).
One easy way to check and see if your domain is answering to our
servers yet, is to create a file called "test.html"
and place it in your web directory. Keep checking the
URL http://www.yourdomain.com/test.html
and see if it works. When it does, you'll know your domain name
is answering to your account on "our servers", and has
been officially transferred.
Setting
Up Sub Domains
What
is a Sub-Domain?
A sub domain is one,
which resides under your top-level domain name, but in many ways
behaves as a "totally independent domain". You'll
observe that many of the larger corporations use these, as
they're somewhat more professional looking, and do a better job
of creating an independent precedence for service or product
lines, which appear as separate web entities.
Example: You're a GM dealer with a site such as GM.com. You sell
everything from Pontiac's to Cadillac's. To better organize your
online presence, you could create sub domains for your various
automotive lines. These would appear as http://pontiac.gm.com/
or http://cadillac.gm.com/.
Also note that in most cases, the domain need not be called with
the http:// or www protocol. pontiac.gm.com
can be called exactly how it appears here.
Setting
up a sub domain:
Thanks to C-Panel,
this task has been made easier than ever and can be achieved as
follows:
1. Login to C-Panel
2. Select Sub Domains
3. Enter the name of your new sub
domain
4. Hit "Add"
That's it! Your new sub domain is now ready for use. To find it,
login to your "main web directory" through C-Panel by
selecting "files" or simply use your favorite FTP
client. You'll see it residing as another directory. Upload your
files to this directory just as you would with any other. For
example, if you created pontiac, then a directory called pontiac
is what you'll be looking for.
Independent
cgi-bin
All new sub domains are created with their own independent
cgi-bin. This means your new sub domain operates independently
of everything else, and is almost like having a whole new
domain. Feel free to configure all cgi scripts, which are
pertinent to the functioning of this sub domain. A nice feature,
as it saves your main cgi-bin from becoming cluttered and
somewhat disorganized; especially if you utilize a lot of cgi
programming.
Independent
email for the new sub domain -
(In final development)
Yes, you'll observe
duplicates of all "configured pop email accounts"
appearing beside the sub-domain, and or all sub-domains
you've created. Now I know you'll be tempted to use (what
appears to be) a perfectly good email address's, BUT please
"Don't!" This is a feature that is in final
development. While it may look somewhat confusing at first
glance, it's really not. In the near future, you'll be
able to configure these email accounts for use with your
sub-domains. For example, if you configured support.yourdomain.com,
then you'll be able to use the address mailto:tom@support.canada6000.com.
For the time being, please
configure email address's that correspond to your standard
"top-level" domain, and just ignore the sub-domain
duplicates. ALSO: Any duplicate sub-domain email
address's you see appearing in your pop mail setup configuration
"DO NOT" count towards your allocated number of pop
mail boxes we've provided.
Configuring
Domain Email Systems:
Adding
a Pop Email account:
The
difference between private pop mail accounts, and simply using
the "Catch-All" method:
There are two kinds of email address's you can use, starting
with the "catch all" method:
With the catch all method, you don't have to worry about setting
up individual pop mail accounts. Simply set your email client to
your "default" email address (displayed in C-Panel),
and "all" email sent to anything@yourdomain.com
will land in this box, or whatever you've set your default
address to. This is an easy way to catch all email sent to
your domain.
In your Email client, feel free to
configure multiple outgoing accounts at many-different-names@youdomain.com.
It really doesn't matter, as everything@yourdomain.com
will land in the default account. Therefore, you would
configure all of your email accounts with the "same"
Username and Password as your "Default domain Email
Account."
EXAMPLE: Let's say you want to
receive mail from mailto:dianne@canada6000.com
and mark@yourdomain.com.
If both of these addresses are the ones you'll be using, then
the only thing that changes is the address - the Username and
Password is "always" the same.
The pop email account method:
In this case, you configure a
"private" pop email account for one or many users who
will be receiving and sending email from your domain. Once an
email address is configured as a pop mail account, it operates
privately and independently from your main standard/default mail
system. Any mail sent to a private pop mail account "can
only be received" by logging into that account with the
separate username and password you have assigned it.
Your default "catch all"
account will not intercept any mail being sent to a pop mail
account, which is what makes it 'private'. Pop 3 accounts are
useful if there are a number of people (for example employees)
who would each need a private email account.
This way, everyone at your company can utilize private email.
The default email address plays a slightly different role in
this case: If a sender uses the 'wrong' Email name or
syntax, then that message would bounce to your "default
catch all" account, and at which time, you could probably
figure our who the sender was trying to contact. They do
however, have to at least send it to your correct domain name,
(i'e', oops@youdomain.com).
This would end up in your "default" mailbox.
How to
configure a pop mail account:
1. Login to C-Panel
2. Select "Add/Remove accounts"
3. Select "Add Account"
4. Enter an email name
5. Select "Create"
Just enter a name, (the @yourdomain
part is added automatically)
That's it, done! Your private pop 3
email account is now ready for use. If you're a little lost on
how to manually configure an email account into your mail
reader, please see the detailed tutorials on how to configure
Outlook and Netscape mail readers.
SPECIAL
NOTE!
If you've enabled Sub-Domains,
you'll observe a duplicate email account appearing, which
corresponds to each sub-domain you've added. Please ignore
these duplicate addresses for the time being. This is a
new feature under development and will soon enable the ability
to configure email accounts for your sub-domains. For example,
if you configured support.yourdomain.com, then you'll be able to
use the address mailto:tom@support.canada6000.com.
For the time being, please
configure email address's that correspond to your
"regular" domain, and just ignore the
sub-domain duplicates. ALSO: Any duplicate
sub-domain email address's you see appearing in your pop mail
setup configuration "DO NOT" count towards your
allocated number of pop mail boxes we've provided. In
short, just ignore them for now :-)
Setting
Your Default Email Address:
It appears pretty simple, but read
through this documentation, as this controls much more that
you'd expect. As mentioned in the previous chapter, your
"default email address" is the one, which can be used
as a "catch all", or in other words, to "catch
all mail", which is addressed to anything@yourdomain.com.
Using a catch all can be a blessing and sometimes a curse.
The "catch all" is
excellent if you have a high frequency of people whom mistype
your email address, as these addresses (even though mistyped),
will simply be bounced to your "catch all" or
"default" email account. That is, providing they at
least managed to spell your domain name properly :)
If you're not planning on using
multiple "private email boxes", then you can keep life
very simple - just configure the default email address in your
mail reader and leave it at that. This way, you'll receive
everything sent to your domain. There are indeed pro's and
con's to this method, which will be discussed in this tutorial.
Setting your default/catch all
email account:
Note: By default,
or until you change it, the default email address will be the
same as your "login name."
1. Login to C-Panel
2. Select "Default Address"
3. Select "Set Default Email
Address"
4. Enter a desired default email address
Just enter a name, (the @yourdomain
part is added automatically)
Select
"Change" and you'll see a confirmation box,
which displays your new default email address. That's it- done!
Remember:
In order to receive mail, which finds its way into your
"Default Mailbox", you must configure the default
address in your mail reader. If you don't, then all mail,
which bounces to this address will sit on the server
unread. This is easy to do in Outlook Express, as it
allows you to configure and monitor multiple email
accounts. Email readers such as Netscape on the other
hand, are limited to "one" email
account. Actually, you could re-configure your mail reader
to check your default email box every few days, but who wants to
be bothered with that trouble? We suggest using an email
reader, which allows you to configure multiple email
accounts.
The
Webmail Alternative: You can also check your
default email account, or another other mail account by logging
into it through the "WebMail" interface. Simply
select the "WebMail" icon at the bottom of C-panel,
and log in to it using your "Main Account"
Username and Password. This will allow to to check your
default email box, as well as other mailboxes without having to
configure them in your mail reader. In fact, using any pop
accounts "Username and Password" will log you into
that particular account through the "WebMail"
interface.
The downside of enabling
"Catch All":
Problems can sometimes arise when Spammers or junk mailers use
this feature as a means to pump their trash into your mailbox.
As long as the "catch all" is enabled, then all they
must do is send to whatever@yourdomain.com
and it will reach you.
On the other hand, if you're using
"specific pop email accounts", you could opt to
disable the "catch all", which would mean that
"only visitors or associates who you've given a specific
address to" can send mail to a particular email account on
your domain.
In this case, everything else,
(that you have not configured as a pop mail account) is bounced
back to the sender. In our opinion, we suggest leaving your
"catch all" enabled for the time being. If Spammers
begin sending random junk messages using anything@yourdomain.com,
then you can disable your "catch all" feature.
Disabling
your "Catch All Feature"
Instead of entering a (syntax legal name), use illegal syntax,
which will effectively disable your email "catch all."
For example, using characters, which are known as 'illegal' to
the email system such as (>>>????)
will work just fine. These are characters, which cannot be
used in an email address, which in effect, will render the
"Catch All" feature useless. Go to your
"change default email address" and add something like
the above as default name.
What
happens now?
When Spammy or Jimmy junk mailer attempts to use a random email
address to Spam you, it will be bounced back to them. That is,
unless they happen to get a hold of one of your "legitimate
pop email account names", in which case, you'd have a
different problem on your hands. Yes, you could either deal with
it, or change the address.
Here is what now happens to a
sender using anything@yourdomain.com :
This is what the sender would receive. Please note that a
classic, but annoying junk mail example is being used here:
This message was created automatically by
mail delivery software (Exim).
A message that you sent has not yet been delivered to one or
more of its
recipients after more than 24 hours on the queue on yourdomain.com.
The message identifier is: 14m7gv-0007gl-00
The date of the message is: Mon, 04 June 2001 01:23:02 -0400
The subject of the message is: MAKE
MILLIONS FAST!
The address to which the message has not yet been delivered is:
anything@yourdomain.com
Delay reason: error in alias file /etc/valiases/anything@yourdomain.com:
missing or malformed local part (expected word or
"<") in "******>>>" (Bad
email syntax)
No action is required on your part. Delivery attempts will
continue for
some time, and this warning may be repeated at intervals if the
message
remains undelivered. Eventually the mail delivery software will
give up,
and when that happens, the message will be returned to you.
So what actually happened here?
When the "Catch All" email address (******>>>@yourdomain.com),
attempted to process an incoming message from anything@yourdomain.com,
and then forward the (junk message in this case) to the
"catch all/Default" email address, it freaked out, and
said forget it!! The default email address was set
to ******>>> in this case, which is clearly an email
address using "illegal characters", so the sending
process was aborted. Therefore, the mail system bounced back the
above error message to the sender. There are numerous tricks and
special recipes you can 'manually' write into the Unix email
system for doing essentially the same thing, however through
C-Panel, this would certainly seem the easiest way of
accomplishing the task.
Configuring
Email Auto Responder's
What
is an Email Auto Responder?
Email auto responders will automatically send a customized auto
response (that you compose) to any visitor whom emails the
address configured with one. More specifically, automated
responses are sometimes used to send additional information
about your service or product by having a visitor email
something like moreinfo@yourdomain.com.
In most other cases, they are used to send a 'courtesy reply' to
anyone whom sends a query to your companies main email
address. When visitors email this address, they recieve a
response such as: Thanks for contacting our company! Someone
will be returning a response to your question soon. If you
require immediate assistance, please call 555-222-1212. Thanks!),
and so forth.
There are two types of Auto
Responders:
The silent Auto Responder:
In this case, you configure the responder to send the desired
information when it's emailed, however you 'do not'
receive copies of the inquiries that people originally
sent. This method is typically used if you have a
product and want people to email an address for additional
information on it. You simply tell them to email moreinfo@yourdomain.com,
and they receive additional information on it. Again, you
'will not' receive receipts of the visitors emailing the auto
responder. If you want to do this, please read the next
paragraph.
The Auto Responder that sends you
the original inquiry:
In this case, the auto responder is setup to work with a (currently
configured pop email account). Now, the sender
receives your automated response, and you receive their 'original
inquiry'.
How to setup an Auto Responder:
1. login to C-panel
2. Select "Auto Responders"
3. Select "Add Auto Responder"
4. Enter the "Email Address" to
send the auto response
5. Enter a "From" name, (for
example, my company)
6. Enter a "Subject", (for example, thank you)
7. Enter your message in the "Body"
area
Select
"Create" and that's it! Your auto responder is
now online. To test it, email its address and see if you receive
the auto response. If you've configured it to an existing pop
mail account, you should receive 2 responses. The first, which
is your inquiry, (that you just sent to yourself), and the
second, which will be the automated response.
Remember! If you
want to receive the "Incoming Inquiries" in addition
to sending the automated response, then add an email address,
which is "already" configured as a "pop email
account." If you "do not" wish to receive
the original incoming inquiry, then simply enter a name, which
"Is Not" configured as one of your existing pop mail
accounts.
If at anytime you want to update, edit, or delete an auto
response, simply go back into "Auto responders" and
you'll see the current responders configured, as well as options
beside each of them to change or delete.
Blocking
Unwanted Email Messages:
From time to time, you may
experience either a junk mailer or some other menacing
individual whom keeps sending you annoying email messages.
C-Panel has a built in feature, which allows you to block these
email messages in a multitude of different ways. You can block
them by:
- Sender
- Subject
- Message Header
- Message Body
Of course, if all you want to do is block one specific email
address, then you don't have to worry about getting fancy with
it - just enter the email address to be blocked, and that's it,
done!
How to use the block email
function:
1. Login to C-Panel
2. Select "Block an Email"
3. Select "Add Filter"
If all you want to do is block a
single email address, then simply leave the "current
default setting" as is, and enter in the email address to
be blocked. For example, annoying-nolife@nothingbettertodo.com
Click "Add Filter", and
that's it done!
When you click "Back" or login to this feature next
time, you'll see the list of email address's, and or expressions
you've blocked. Beside each one of them will be a
"Delete" option, so that you can remove the block from
your account at a future time. NOTE: When you
block an email address, or some other keyword, this filtering
will be enabled on "All Email Accounts" within your
domain.
Advanced Blocking:
For those of who whom experience frequent problems with junk
email messages, you'll be please to see this option provides a
broad range of blocking options. Instead of having us try to
explain every last one of them here, this is a feature you'll
really want to experiment with yourself.
Doing so, will allow you to become
familiar with the ways that email can be blocked, and will also
help you with customizing a recipe that works best for your
domain. Play around with the settings, and try to block words,
or phrases based on the From Name, Subject, or Message Body
Text. Now, send an email to your account and see if the terms
and criteria you selected are providing the filtering you want.
It may take a little time to master, but it's fun, and a great
way to broaden your abilities on web site administration. FINAL
NOTE: If you're totally new to email blocking, and wish
to explore its full potential, we highly suggest you test it
before launching your site. This way, you don't have to worry
about accidentally disrupting email for your entire domain.
Hint: Unless
you're 100% sure of what a setting will do, always delete it
when you're finished, or until you have time to run a series of
tests on it. You want to ensure it's blocking what it's supposed
to, and not legitimate email messages!
A big junk mail problem:
If you're experiencing a high volume of junk mail, then there's
a good possibility Spammers are taking advantage of your
"catch all" option. To disable this, please see our
tutorial on "Default Email Address."
Email
Forwarding:
Email forwarding is a feature,
which forwards an email that originated from your domain, to
another email address. The forwarding address can be another
email address within 'your domain', or to an 'external email'
address, (for example to your home ISP email account). There are
two types of email forwarding:
Forward silently to another
address:
In this case, the email address from your domain (setup for
forwar |
