FAQ's

H-Sphere User's Frequently-Asked Questions
Revised: Thursday 06 March 2003

Table of Contents

1. General Questions
2. Web
3. Mail
4. Domain Name
5. FTP
6. Troubleshooting

1. General Questions

1.1. What is the difference between Unix accounts and Windows accounts?
Unix provides secure and reliable environment perfect for most of the hosting needs, but sometimes you want to take advantage of some Windows applications such as MS Access, ASP scripting. For that you might want to use NT.


1.2. How do I change my billing information?
Go to Billing->Billing Info menu, and click the Change Billing Info button.


1.3. How do I change my contact information?
Go to Acct. Preferences->Contact Info and edit your contact information.


1.4. I forgot my Miva password, what should I do?
There is no way to retrieve this password, you will have to re-install Miva.
Warning: All the data in the Miva will be lost, including Products, Orders and other settings.


1.5. Can I accept credit card on my site? Will it be secure?
Yes, H-Sphere supports secure transaction protocol, such as SSL.


1.6. What is SSL?
The SSL security protocol provides data encryption, server authentication, message integrity, and optional client authentication for a TCP/IP connection. Because SSL is built into all major browsers and web servers, simply installing a digital certificate turns on their SSL capabilities.


1.7. I lost my password, what should I do?
Go to the control panel site. Click on the link "forgot your password" right under the login box, and follow the instructions.


1.8. What happens if I exceed my data transfer limit?
Any data transfer in excess of plan threshold will be charged at the end of the billing period.


1.9. Can I purchase additional disk space?
Additional disk space can be purchased through H-Sphere.


1.10. What happens if I purchase additional products in the middle of the month?
Any additional resource purchases will be pro-rated accordingly. The charge will be calculated based on the date when the resource was purchase to the end of the billing cycle.


1.11. How do I open my SiteStudio?
You need to log into your control panel first, then click the SiteStudio icon.


2. Web

2.1. How do I disable directory listings?
To disable directory listing (directory Indexes):
  1. Log into your control panel.
  2. Click the Web Options link.
  3. In the Settings field select Disabled for the Indexes setting.
  4. Click Submit.
  5. Click the Apply link to restart Apache with the new settings.



3. Mail

3.1. I have difficulties in retrieving mail using Netscape. I can't log into my mail account because the account user name now takes the form of the full e-mail address.
Write mail server login name in the Netscape preferences with the % character instead of the @ sign, e.g. login: username%domain.com


3.2. How do I pop in to pick up my virtual domain email?
Virtual domain users need to use the following format for thier user name when popping in: 
	user%virtual_domain_name
Eudora might require the following syntax: 
	user%virtual_domain_name@pophost
Microsoft clients may take the following syntax: 
	user@virtual_domain
If you don't include the %virtual_domain_name, vpopmail will assume it is either a /etc/passwd user or a vpop user in ~vpopmail/users or configured with "default domain".


3.3. I can't send mail with Outlook Express. I get a rcpthosts error.
Before you can send email using your smtp server you need to set up outlook express to download email from the same mail server using POP3. When the POP3 box is checked, you can send emails within the next 15-30 minutes.


3.4. How do I get FormMail working?
It's a perl script. You need to add .pl as extention for CGI. You can find it on the web options page.


4. Domain Name

4.1. What is a domain name?
Domain names are the familiar, easy to remember names for computers on the Internet (such as internic.net). They correspond to a series of numbers (called Internet Protocol numbers) that serve as routing addresses on the Internet. Domain names are used generally as a convenient way of locating information and reaching others on the Internet.


4.2. What does "register a domain name" mean?
The Internet domain name system (DNS) consists of a directory, organized hierarchically, of all the domain names and their corresponding computers registered to particular companies and persons using the Internet. When you register a domain name, it will be associated with the computer on the Internet you designate during the period the registration is in effect.


4.3. How can I get a domain name in .com, .net or .org?
H-Sphere provides an easy way to register .com, .net or .org domains.


4.4. What is involved in registering a domain name in .com, .net or .org?
To register a domain name, you will be asked to provide the registrar you select with the various contact and technical information that makes up the registration. H-Sphere will guide you through the process, and will make it extremely easy. H-Sphere will automatically contact the registrar, who will then keep records of the contact information and submit the technical information to a central directory known as the "registry." This registry provides other computers on the Internet the information necessary to send you e-mail or to find your web site. You will also be required to enter a registration contract with the registrar, which sets forth the terms under which your registration is accepted and will be maintained.


4.5. Will my name and contact information be publicly available?
Yes. Information about who is responsible for domain names is publicly available to allow rapid resolution of technical problems and to permit enforcement of consumer protection, trademark, and other laws. The registrar will make this information available to the public on a "Whois" site.


4.6. How long does a domain name registration last? Can it be renewed?
H-Sphere provides you with the ability to register and renew the domain registrations in one-year increments, with a total registration period limit of ten years.


4.7. How much does a domain name registration name cost?
The prices vary depending on the plan you select.


4.8. How long does it take to register or transfer a domain name?
It will take you just a few minutes to register a domain, but it might not be available on the Internet for up to 48 hours. This is due to the fact that Internet DNS databases are updated only once a day, causing the delay.


4.9. Someone else has registered by company's name as a .com domain name. What is the process for resolving my complaint?
All ICANN-accredited registrars follow a uniform dispute resolution policy. Under that policy, disputes over entitlement to a domain-name registration are ordinarily resolved by court litigation between the parties claiming rights to the registration. Once the court rules who is entitled to the registration, the registrar will implement that ruling. In disputes arising from registrations allegedly made abusively (such as "cybersquatting" and cyberpiracy"), the uniform policy provides an expedited administrative procedure to allow the dispute to be resolved without the cost and delays often encountered in court litigation. In these cases, you can invoke the administrative procedure by filing a complaint with one of the dispute-resolution service providers listed at http://www.icann.org/udrp/approved-providers.htm. For more details on the uniform dispute resolution policy, see http://www.icann.org/udrp/udrp.htm.


4.10. What are the rules for registration of .net and .org names?
They are the same as for .com. Traditionally, however, names in .net have been used by organizations involved in Internet infrastructure activities and .org is frequently used by not-for-profit organizations.


4.11. Are .com, .net, and .org domain names available for registration on a global basis?
Yes. The .com, .net, and .org domains are available for registration by Internet users across the globe. ICANN-accredited domain name registrars are also located in various countries around the world. To view the InterNIC list of domain name registrars by country, click here.


4.12. I've seen domain names ending with two-letter combinations, like .uk. What are the rules for registering in these domains?
Two letter domains, such as .uk, .de and .jp (for example), are called country code top level domains (ccTLDs) and correspond to a country, territory, or other geographic location. The rules and policies for registering domain names in the ccTLDs vary significantly and some are reserved for use by citizens of the corresponding country. You should check with the registrar offering ccTLD registration services regarding the specific terms and conditions for registration. H-Sphere supports hosting of such domains.


4.13. What is a stopgap domain?
A stopgap domain allows to create hosting if you don`t have any domain name. If you register with a stopgap domain, you will get a domain name like "loginname.u1.your-base-domain". You can create your own web-site and access it with either the IP (if the IP is dedicated) or the above domain name. This kind of domain doesn`t have any registration records in the DNS.


5. FTP

5.1. Anonymous FTP users don't see the content of my directory.
Anonymous FTP users can't enter your root directory. They can enter only the directory you dedicated for anonymous ftp users.


5.2. How come my virtual FTP users can browse my root directory?
Your virtual FTP users can have access to more than one virtual FTP directory, so you need to allow them to enter the root dir. You can use FTP subaccounts to restrict their access to only one directory.


6. Troubleshooting

6.1. When I'm trying to connect to my account using FTP, the system doesn't respond for some time and then logs out with an error.
Use FTP active mode (disable passive). It is in your computer's FTP configuration.


6.2. I am getting errors with FrontPage.
Try switching it off and back on.


6.3. My webalizer doesn't work. What's the problem?
One possible reason can be that you are approaching your disk quota. Webalizer needs at least 2 MB unused disk space to function properly.


6.4. The online file browser shows the zips as compressed files and offers to decompress them, but fails to do it.
WebShell can decompress only those files that are located inside the /usr/local/bin directory. If it's not there, just create a link.


6.5. I get "Failed to add new resource over the hard credit" message when I'm trying to create a new resource.
This means you have reached your Credit Limit. For example, you've used all your money on your balance if you pay by check, or your credit card expired/was broken and failed to be charged. In this case you'll still be able to run your hosting account (with recurrent and extra usage payment accrued), but you won't be able to create any new resource (neither paid nor free).


6.6. ASP is not working, however the button next to this resource on the Domain Web Service page is set to ON.
Check if the *.asp files are not included into SSI section. It's a common mistake. If you set the *.asp files to be lauched via SSI library, set ASP to OFF, delete the *.asp extension from SSI list and then set ASP to ON again.


6.7. My SiteStudio doesn't work correctly.
Check with SiteStudio FAQ.

 
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