web hosting support guide. - claranet soho · to add a sub-domain within your webspace, login to...
TRANSCRIPT
Web Hosting | Web Hosting Support Guide. | Version 1.0
Web Hosting
Web Hosting Support Guide. Version 1.0
1 - Web Hosting - Web Hosting Support Guide. - Version 1.0
Contents
1 Where to upload your website files ................................................................................................................... 2
2 Transferring CentralNic domains to Claranet .uk.com, .gb.net, eu.com, etc ................................................. 2
3 Transferring a .uk domain to Claranet SOHO ................................................................................................... 2
4 Transferring a .com, .net, .org, .biz and .info domain to Claranet SOHO ....................................................... 2
5 Pointing another domain name to my Claranet website .................................................................................. 3
6 Defining name servers ........................................................................................................................................ 4
7 Defining a MySQL Database and adding one to my hosting package ............................................................ 4
Adding a MySQL Database within your Webspace .................................................................................................. 4
8 Adding a subdomain to your Hosting Package ................................................................................................ 5
Adding a subdomain within your webspace .............................................................................................................. 5
9 Why is my webspace not displaying? ............................................................................................................... 7
10 What is an SRV record and how do I add one? .............................................................................................. 7
11 What is an SPF record and how do I add one? ............................................................................................... 7
12 What is an MX record and how do I add one? ................................................................................................ 8
13 What is an A record and how do I add one? ................................................................................................... 8
14 What is a TXT record and how do I add one? ................................................................................................. 9
15 What is a CNAME record and how do I add one? ........................................................................................... 9
16 How do I measure website traffic? ................................................................................................................. 10
17 How do I make a DNS change? ...................................................................................................................... 10
Clarahost accounts ................................................................................................................................................. 10
All other customers ................................................................................................................................................. 11
18 How do I access my Claranet domain control panel? .................................................................................. 11
Web Hosting - Setup - Version 1.0 - 2
Setup 1 Where to upload your website files
When you upload files to your website, upload them into the directory /public/www/. You will see the public
directory when you first connect via FTP into your web space.
Please ensure that your home page is named index.html/index.htm/index.php (all letters are in lowercase) as our
webserver will look with a file with this name by default.
2 Transferring CentralNic domains to Claranet .uk.com, .gb.net, eu.com, etc
There are two ways we can transfer these types of domains to our control. The current hosts can push the
domain to us by assigning the domain to our CentralNic billing handle which is I1312.
Alternatively, we can request the transfer to our CentralNic account. In which case, CentralNic will email the
current billing contact, asking them to approve the transfer to our account. If done correctly, this should take 2-3
working days.
If you require any further information regarding domain transfers, please contact our support team.
3 Transferring a .uk domain to Claranet SOHO
All .uk domains are managed using a tagging system. Each ISP is allocated a unique 'tag' by Nominet UK, the
governing body which controls all such domains.
Control of a domain can be given to another internet provider simply by changing the tag attached to the domain.
Our tag is CLARANET (all letters are uppercase).
To transfer your .uk domain to Claranet, ask your current provider to release the domain to our tag. When they
have released the tag to us, we can then complete the transfer by updating the name servers. If done correctly,
the whole process should only take a couple of days to fully move from one provider to another.
If you experience any problems transferring your .uk domain to us, click here to visit Nominet website where they
will transfer the domain for you.
However, if you wish to transfer a .uk domain away from us, our dedicated hostmaster team can do this for you.
To request this, you must email the change of Tag request to [email protected] specifying the new Tag.
4 Transferring a .com, .net, .org, .biz and .info domain to Claranet SOHO
Once registered, these domains are known to be "locked", which means that the domain cannot be moved to
another provider. Ask the current hosts to unlock the domain and retrieve the authorisation code, but only if the
domain has been assigned one. We will need this code in order to initiate a transfer request with our registrar,
MelbourneIT.
3 - Web Hosting - Setup - Version 1.0
Once we have initiated a transfer request, MelbourneIT will email the admin contact of the domain asking for
approval of the transfer. Please make sure that the admin contact on your domain is a current, valid email
address.
When the transfer has been approved, the current registrar will then email the admin contact giving them the
option to reject the transfer. This whole process usually takes around 3-5 days to complete, but can take up to 10
days in some cases.
If the domain is already registered via MelbourneIT, you will need to get the domain unlocked and supply us with
the MelbourneIT Registry Key so that it can be transferred to our control. The current hosts will be able to supply
you with the registry key.
If you wish to transfer the domain registration away from us, you will need to send an email request
to [email protected]. In the email, request the authorisation (EPP) code for the domain name. They will
then respond with the EPP code for you to pass onto your new registration company.
5 Pointing another domain name to my Claranet website
This mainly depends on where your domain is currently hosted. If your domain is hosted with Claranet SOHO,
you have the ability to add a URL redirect within your control panel to redirect the web traffic to your domain
name.
To do this, login to your Control Panel and click on the domain name on the left hand side. Click the WEB section
and then the URL subsection to add the URL redirect as required.
However, if your domain is hosted away from Claranet SOHO, upload an index.html page to your webspace for
that domain which contains the required code to redirect the traffic to your Claranet webspace.
Please note, we are not liable for any URL redirects which you add.
Web Hosting - Setup - Version 1.0 - 4
Alternatively, if you are on either the Basic, Enhanced, Business or E-tailor package you can add your domain
name to your existing hosting package and point your A record with the other hosting provider to point to our
server IP Address.
6 Defining name servers
Name servers are computer servers which implement the DNS service protocol.
For your domain name to function correctly, assign two or more name servers to it. Name servers are like sign
posts for your domain which point traffic to the required locations/servers when people try to contact your specific
domain name.
7 Defining a MySQL Database and adding one to my hosting package
MySQL is a popular choice of database for use in web applications and it is essential for popular CMS systems
such as Wordpress and Magento to function.
Adding a MySQL Database within your Webspace
Make sure that you are on a package which supports the PHP scripting language and that you have a Database
included with your service.
You can check your PHP compatibility and Database allocation by reviewing your package at
claranetsoho.co.uk/clarahost. If necessary, our support team can make changes to your service to enable both
PHP and MySQL databases.
To add a Database, go to the Databases section and provide a unique name and password:
Once you have added this, you will see all of the details you will need under ‘Existing Databases’:
5 - Web Hosting - Setup - Version 1.0
You can import, export and manage your database through the phpMyAdmin Facility by clicking the ‘Admin’
button:
8 Adding a subdomain to your Hosting Package
A subdomain is a sub section of your website which is used to display specific content you want to keep separate
from your main site content, whilst still being under the same domain name and on the same hosting package.
For example, if your main domain name was claranetsoho.co.uk, you may have a subdomain called
blog.claranetsoho.co.uk which could contain a blog site which is both separate to, and part of your website.
Adding a subdomain within your webspace
To add a sub-domain within your webspace, login to your hosting control panel located here and select the
package you would like to add the sub-domain onto from the list on the left.
Web Hosting - Troubleshooting - Version 1.0 - 6
In the main technical control panel, select the WEB button and the URLs sub option which will take you to the
screen below.
On this screen, you will have a tab called "Add subdomain". Select this tab and enter the name which you require
for the new subdomain. This will create the subdomain in your webspace with the correct permissions.
Once the sub-domain has been added, it will be in the list of subdomains on your package. If you connect to your
webspace via FTP, there will be a new folder alongside the www folder within your webspace for the new
subdomain you have created.
Troubleshooting
7 - Web Hosting - Troubleshooting - Version 1.0
9 Why is my webspace not displaying?
Your homepage must be named either index.htm, index.html or index.php (lowercase letters) because this is the
file our servers will look for when someone visits your site.
If your web page is correctly named and you still cannot see your files, check that you have uploaded your data
with the correct file permissions set (755 for directories, 644 for files).
Make sure that everyone has read access to your files. If you are unsure how to do this, please refer to the help
file of your FTP client to find out how to change the permissions of a file. You will also need to ensure that your
homepage (index.html) is located in the public/www directory within your webspace.
If you are still having issues when you are loading the website, you can view the apache error logs for your site
within the FTP space. Simply navigate to the ‘logs’ directory and you should find both access and error logs which
will point you in the right direction.
10 What is an SRV record and how do I add one?
A SRV record (Service record) is a specification of data in the DNS defining the location. For example, the
hostname and port numbers of servers for specified services which you require on your domain name.
To add a SRV record, login to your control panel and select your domain name under “Hosting” on the left hand
side. Then select the “Domains” tab within the main control panel and click on the domain you wish to add the
SRV record to. Finally, select the “Add SRV record” tab to add the details of the required SRV record.
11 What is an SPF record and how do I add one?
An SPF record (Sender Policy Framework record) is a specific type of TXT record which is used to prevent
receiving forged email.
By adding an SPF record into your DNS configuration, any mail servers receiving email allegedly from you will
check it has come from a trusted source. The trusted sources are provided by the SPF record which you have set
up.
For help on how to create the SPF/TXT record and for any further information, visit the Open SPF website and
SPF wizard.
Web Hosting - Troubleshooting - Version 1.0 - 8
You can add the SPF record as a TXT record in your control panel. However, if you wish to add the record
specifically as an SPF record, you are unable to do this through your control panel and will need to contact to
our support team.
12 What is an MX record and how do I add one?
There are two types of DNS record of particular interest to the delivery of mail, MX and A records.
Failure to set your MX records correctly will result in no (or sporadic) delivery of email to your mail server, so it is
essential that you set them up correctly.
MX stands for Mail eXchange and is a particular type of DNS record which determines where any email destined
for your domain should be delivered. An MX record would typically point to the fully qualified name of your mail
server, which must have a corresponding A record in DNS to define the IP address of the mail server.
To add an MX record once you are logged into your control panel, select your domain name under “Hosting” on
the left hand side. Following this, select the “Domains” tab in the main control panel and the domain you wish to
add the MX record to. Then select the “Add MX record” tab to add the details of the required MX record.
13 What is an A record and how do I add one?
A records (address records) define the mapping between a fully qualified hostname and its IP address. This
mapping allows users to type in sensible names for your servers such as www.yourdomain.com, rather than
having to remember a more complex IP address assigned to that server.
For example, you may wish to add an A-record for the hostname ‘www’ and IP address 217.28.124.132, so
that www.yourdomain.com resolves to the IP address 217.28.124.132 where your website is hosted.
To add an A record, you must log into your control panel and select your domain name under “Hosting” on the left
hand side.
Following this, within the main control panel select the “Domains” tab and click on the domain you wish to add the
A record to. Then select the “Add A record” tab so that you can add the details of the A record.
9 - Web Hosting - Troubleshooting - Version 1.0
14 What is a TXT record and how do I add one?
A TXT (text) record is used to hold virtually any free text you want and has a hostname so that you can assign the
free text to a particular hostname/zone.
However, the most common use for TXT records is to store SPF (sender policy framework) records and to
prevent emails being faked to appear to have been sent from you.
To add a TXT record, log into your control panel and select your domain name under “Hosting” on the left hand
side. Then, within the main control panel select the “Domains” tab and click the domain you wish to add the TXT
record to.
Following this, you will need to select the “add TXT record” tab to add the details of the TXT record.
15 What is a CNAME record and how do I add one?
A CNAME (canonical name) record, maps a host name to another hostname or FQDN.
For example, to add a CNAME record for hostname ‘wwww’ to ‘www’ so that anyone mistyping an additional ‘w’ in
your website address will still get to the site at www.yourdomain.com.
You could also add a CNAME record for hostname ‘search’ and fully qualified domain name ‘www.google.com’
so that anyone visiting search.yourdomain.com would be presented with www.google.com.
Web Hosting - Troubleshooting - Version 1.0 - 10
To add a CNAME record, log into your control panel and select your domain name under “Hosting” on the left
hand side. Then within the main control panel select the “Domains” tab and select the domain you wish to add the
CNAME record to.
Following this, select the “add CNAME record” tab so that you can add the details of the CNAME record.
16 How do I measure website traffic?
Claranet SOHO provide a facility called Web Statistics on the Enhanced, Business and E-tailer hosting packages
which provides in depth information relating to the visitors to your site. This information includes:
How many people visit the website
Times of day of visits to your website
How people reach your website
Which pages within your website that people view
To access these statistics if you’re on a package which provides this facility, click on the web stats link on the left
hand side of your Control Panel and login.
17 How do I make a DNS change?
DNS changes apply to zone files which Claranet SOHO hold. For example, your domain name.
Claranet SOHO must be the authoritative name servers for any changes to take effect. However, if the name
servers for your domain are not with us, you will need to contact whoever owns them.
Clarahost accounts
If you have a domain with a Clarahost hosting package, you can login to your control panel here and select the
domain name you wish to work on from the left hand side.
Select the ‘Domains’ button from the top row of icons, followed by ’Edit DNS records’. This reveals the DNS editing
tool which allows you to make any changes you require.
11 - Web Hosting - Troubleshooting - Version 1.0
All other customers
Claranet SOHO are responsible for making all DNS changes you may require. We have a procedure in place to
ensure that maximum security is maintained when you make alterations to your domain.
We must have your security information and details regarding your domain plan with us.
Please contact our support team if you have any queries regarding the changes which are required.
Once your request has been completed, a further propagation period of up to 48 hours is applicable.
18 How do I access my Claranet domain control panel?
Click here to access your control panel and use your username (your domain name without the www) and
password to login.
If you have forgotten your password, click the ‘forgotten password’ button on the login page which will send your
password to the contact email address on the account.