- Label for site: Enter a name for this account. For example, "My Root Account."
- FTP Host Address: ftp.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

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
Do not touch any of the other settings!

Ignore all other settings you see here except for the "PASV_mode" setting!

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 versions of WSFTP floating around. As a result, some of the instructions provided here cannot possibly reflect all 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."

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 site file system:

The index.html file and why you should use it:

Understanding case sensitivity:

Another small detail, which can throw many newer users into a tailspin is the case of characters. Unlike your local PC, the Unix file system is very particular about "uppercase" and "lowercase" file and directory names. Therefore, if you were to install a script, (let's say the wwwboard discussion board for example), the name of this script would be wwwboard.pl. If you call WWWBoard.pl it will appear as if the script does not work or is actually not there. This is because the UNIX system is case sensitive. If you name a picture file "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 the "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 files in the wrong format for images (binary files) will result in a garbled appearance of the picture on the screen. For CGI (.cgi) or PERL (.pl) 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 effect. While this can be the result of many various programming errors, the most popular among new users is 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 to the end of every line. In most cases, this is alright with html files because your browser will ignore them. However, with other text files such as cgi or perl scripts, uploading them in binary will damage them, and cause a "server 500 error". This is because binary mode has added ^M to the end of every line, which is not supposed to be in the program. This 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 will see nothing but random characters the page where the image is suppose to appear. ASCII mode has corrupted the binary coding in the jpeg or gif image. If this happens, just re-upload it in Binary format.

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 that is meaningful to the end users 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 their good compression for use in web pages. Generally, .gif files are the fastest loading, as they remove a lot of unseen information, which is not required to maintain image integrity; but to a point, the .jpg format will allow more flexibility in compression and quality, however jpeg's can also result in larger files.

The .cgi and the .pl file:

.cgi and .pl extensions are most often used for perl scripts. Perl scripts are small text based programs that are executed on the server side and perform a host of interactive functions on a web site. 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 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, or online auctions. In many cases you can download these "ready to go" scripts for free, and in others you may have to purchase them.

FrontPage and FTP:

If you're planning on using Microsoft FrontPage to manage your web site, there are a couple of things you may want to keep in mind:

There are two basic types of web hosting. Unix hosting and then Microsoft. While this is not necessarily a bad thing, Microsoft plays 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 within FrontPage. To avoid problems like this:

• Do not alter or delete files that are part of a FrontPage web

• Do not delete, move, or alter directories ending in _vtf. These are part of the FrontPage extensions

Using CGI programming:

Where to place your CGI scripts:

Although there is nothing dangerous about placing cgi scripts in random directories on your site, it is best if you keep them in their own known as the "cgi-bin" directory. This minimizes security risks and allows you to maintain your cgi programs in one common directory.

The path to Perl:

One of the first things you must do when configuring a script, is set the correct path to the Perl interpreter, which is the engine responsible for processing the script. The path to Perl on our servers is: #!/usr/bin/perl

The path to Sendmail:

Some programs such as those that send email will need to know where the servers "Sendmail" program is located. 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/username/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 them before configuring. 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/

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.AZRiver.com, your ISP looks at the DNS server, and asks "how do I contact AZRiver.com?" The DNS server responds, it can be found at: 64.191.93.84. As the Internet understands it, this can be considered the phone number for the server which houses the http://www.AZRiver.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) and your domain registrar, where your current DNS settings reside.

When you register/purchase your domain name on a particular registrars "name server", your DNS settings are kept on their server, and in most cases point your domain to the name server of your hosting provider. This name server is where the IP number (currently associated with your domain name) resides.

The entire hierarchy is somewhat involved, but in short, the world Root Name Servers can be considered the master listing of all DNS records, and there are currently 13 of them in the world. These name servers are where all the master DNS records are kept. The DNS server of your ISP will typically query the Root Name Servers once every 24-hours. This is how they update all of their DNS tables, which in turn, resolve www requests to the IP number of the server they reside on.

Changing your Name Server settings, so your domain points to your AZRiver.com account:

Your "Name Server Settings" must be updated to point to your account on AZRiver.com's servers. You originally purchased your domain name from a registrar like Network Solutions, and this register is where your current DNS settings reside. That is, unless you transferred your domain name to an alternate registrar, in which case, you would control your DNS settings from there.

The "Register" your domain resides in, communicates your 'current' DNS settings with the International Root name servers, which is turn share this information with ISP's, routers, and cache engines around the world. In essence, it's like a worldwide directory that other computers can refer to when they want to match a domain name with its associate IP number. This IP number is how the particular server your website resides on is located.

Accessing your domain manager:

Simply go to your domain registrars web site and look around for links which point to something like domain manager, manage domain, or something of that administrative nature. In your welcoming email, you were sent DNS settings, which look similar to this example of our own server:

NS1.AZRIVER.COM 64.191.93.84
NS2.AZRIVER.COM 64.191.93.85

Most of the newer registrars such as the "OpenSRS" based entities have turned this into a 5-minute process. You simply login to your domain account, 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 OpenSRS based system. If your particular registrar does not provide a domain manager of some type, then you'll need to send them a message requesting a change of DNS. This is an unlikely scenario as most every registrar 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 registrars" several times a day. Domain Registrars, being entities such as Network Solutions, Register.com and the newer OpenSRS based systems. The Root Name Servers will gather this information from the many registrars now in existence, and update their master records accordingly. Now your ISP must access the Root Name Servers, and update their DNS records, which reside on their 'local' DNS server. This process is fully automated and most ISP's will check the Root Name Servers for updates every 24-hours. Beware however, that some lame ISP's will delay this process for as much as 2 to 4 days in some cases. If that happens, it will no doubt cause additional confusion, as everyone else will be reaching your new account on our servers except you. This is because your ISP has not updated their DNS records, and or have not cleared their DNS cache, which means they'll still be pointing your domain name to your old server. If it's a new domain name you've registered, then you'll receive a blank "Site Not Found" page.

DNS Cache and your ISP:

There is also the issue of DNS cache, which is something we won't go into great detail about here, but here's the short version. Every time you access a site from your ISP, they cache the URL, as well as its associated IP number. If their network is properly setup, these DNS cache records should "Expire" at least every 24-hours. If they did not (which is often the case), you'll experience this: You enter your http://www.yourdomain.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!

Just when you thought you had it all figured out! Unfortunately, there's more...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 24-48 hours to complete, sometimes longer depending on each visitors ISP. The first thing that happens is the "World Root Name Servers" will check all of the various Domain Registrars for updates. Ok, so now the Root Name Servers have done their job. The rest of it is up to the many ISP providers who should be updating their DNS records (at least every 24 hours) but, as we said, 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 classic case of your friends ISP (who did update their DNS records), but your ISP 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 AZRiver.com account just a minute ago, but when I try it now, I'm being taken back to my old hosting account - what's up with this?

In all likelihood, your ISP may be in the process of clearing their DNS cache, and or updating their local DNS server records. During this small interval, it's normal to fluctuate between the new and old web site, as the old DNS records may not have completely expired from their cache yet. Give it another several hours and it should be fine.

HEY! My new site comes up for me, but my friends are being directed to my old one!

Break out the coffee and donuts, and consider yourself lucky. Your ISP is on the ball and updates DNS records and/or clears the DNS cache in short regular intervals. Your friends may be using an ISP which is not as fast, and/or as 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 address number. Example: http://64.191.93.84/webmail/ This will allow you to access your default mailbox on your account. Replace the IP number with the one we sent you.

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.

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://64.191.93.84/~username/ (64.191.93.84 IS the actual server IP address)

One easy way to check and see if your domain is answering to our servers yet, is to create a file called "test.html" and place it in your web directory. Keep checking the URL http://www.yourdomain.com/test.html and see if it works. When it does, you'll know your domain name is answering to your account on "our servers", and has been officially transferred.

The personal DNS (for advanced webmasters).

Personalized Name Servers are generally used by webmasters who will be reselling web hosting accounts, and want to add a professional look to their DNS. Why? If you're reselling accounts under your own entity, you could use our name servers, which would be sent to your customers in the form of:

NS1.AZRIVER.COM 64.191.93.84
NS2.AZRIVER.COM 64.191.93.85

Not bad, but what if you want your DNS settings to appear as a part of your company? Let's say your company was www.acmewebhost.com. If you desire, you could setup your own custom branded DNS, which could display as:

DNS1.ACMEWEBHOST.COM 66.78.4.6
DNS2.ACMEWEBHOST.COM 66.78.6.14

This provides a somewhat more professional look to your customers when sending out your DNS settings in a welcoming email. In addition, if someone does a WHOIS lookup on your domain name, it appears as your personal DNS, as opposed to the company you're reselling for. Not really a big deal, but some webmasters do not want to advertise the host they're reselling for, as they feel it does not portray a professional and independent look.

Personal name servers are offered to clients who manage multiple domains and to anyone who purchases a VS200 or higher hosting package. If you're not in this category, please use the standard DNS settings we provided you. There is no superior advantage to having your own name server unless you're a reseller or manage multiple domains.

A subdomain 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 CPanel
2. Select "Manage Subdomains" from the Subdomain menu
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 tom@support.yourdomain.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.

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 pop3 email accounts. Simply set your email client to your "default" email address (displayed in CPanel), 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. The drawback of this "catch-all" method of collecting your web site email is that you will also end up with an enormous amount of spam. This email method is not recommended!

The pop3 email account method (Preferred Method):

In this case, you configure a "private" pop3 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 the default mail system. Any mail sent to a private pop email 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 pop3 email account, which is what makes it 'private'. Pop3 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 out who the sender was trying to contact. They do, however, have to at least send it to your correct domain name, (i'e', oops@yourdomain.com). This would end up in your "default" mailbox.

1. Login to CPanel
2. Select "Manage Accounts" in the email menu
3. Select "Add Account"
4. Enter an email name and password
5. Select "Create"

That's it, done! Your private pop3 email account is now ready for use. If you're a little lost on how to manually configure an email account with Outlook Express (still the most popular email program), please see the detailed tutorials on how to configure Outlook or Netscape mail readers.

SPECIAL NOTE!

If you've enabled SubDomains you'll observe a duplicate email account which corresponds to each subdomain 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 subdomains. For the time being please configure email address's that correspond to your "regular" domain, and just ignore the subdomain entries. ALSO: Duplicate subdomain email addresses you see appearing in your pop3 email setup "DO NOT" count towards your allocated number of pop3 email boxes we've provided.  In short, just ignore them for now :-)

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 would be addressed to anything@yourdomain.com. Using a catch all can be a blessing but most of the time it's a curse.

The "catch all" is excellent if you have a high number of people who mistype your email address, as these addresses (even though mistyped), will simply be bounced to your "catch all" or "default" email account. That is providing they at least managed to spell your domain name properly :-)

If you're not planning on using multiple "private email boxes", then you can keep life very simple - just configure the default email address in your mail reader and leave it at that. This way, you'll receive everything sent to your domain. There are indeed pro's and con's to this method, which will be discussed in the following 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 "log-in name."

1. Login to C-Panel click on the "Mail Manager" icon or select #2 below.
2. Select "Default Address"
3. Select "Set Default Address"
4. Enter a desired default email address

Just enter a name, "@yourdomain.com" part is added automatically

Select "Change" and you'll see a confirmation box, which displays your new default email address. That's it, you're done!

Remember: In order to receive mail which finds its way into your "Default Mailbox", you must configure the default address in your email program (i.e. Outlook Express). 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 older versions of Netscape, on the other hand, are limited to "one" email account. Actually, you could re-configure your email 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 pop3 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. Log into your control panel, click on the "Mail Manager" icon, select "WebMail" 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 email reader. In fact, using any pop3 accounts "Username and Password" will log you into that particular account through the "WebMail" interface. NOTE: When logging into any email account, whether automatically using an email program like Outlook Express, or through the WebMail interface, you must use the whole email address as the username, e.g. "dave@daveshome.com".

The downside of enabling the "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 email to any name @yourdomain.com and it will reach you.

On the other hand if you're using "specific pop3 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 pop3 email 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 correct name, like "alex231" or "jon12u" use one of these command alternatives shown in bold:

:fail: no such address here

This "FAIL" command returns (bounces) all un-routed email with "no such address here" as an attached error message. This is the preferred setting for your default email account. It sends an error message to the sender and it keeps the CPU usage to a minimum because the server doesn't have to download and filter the message first, it's simply rejected with a bounce message of "no such address here".

:blackhole:

The BLACKHOLE command deletes all incoming email but does not return or bounce anything. Additionally, this setting can cause the CPU to overload during peak periods because the server will still have to process the mail even though it is not addressed to a legitimate user. We reserve the right to force email bouncing in the event our server is adversely effected by a users default account receiving too much unrouted email.

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 who sends a query to your companies main email address. When visitors email this address, they receive a response such as: Thanks for contacting our company! Someone will be replying to your email 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 CPanel
2. Click on the "Auto Responders" link from the email menu
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 pop3 email 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 pop3 email 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.

From time to time you may experience either a junk mailer or some other menacing individual who keeps sending you annoying email messages. C-Panel has a built in feature that allows you to block these email messages in a multitude of 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, your done!

How to use the block email function:

1. Login to CPanel and select "Email Filtering" from the email menu
2. Select "Add Filter"

If all you want to do is block a single email address, then simply leave the current setting as it is, and enter in the email address to be blocked, for example, annoying-nolife@nothingbettertodo.com, click "Activate" and that's it...

When you click "Back", or login to this feature the next time, you'll see the list of email addresses, 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 you who experience frequent problems with junk email messages, you'll be please to see this option provides a broad range of blocking. 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. 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 is 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 chance Spammers are taking advantage of your "catch all" option. To disable this, please see our tutorial on "Default Email Address."

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 an 'external email' address, (for example to your home ISP email account). There are two types of email forwarding:

Forward silently to another address:

In this case the email address from your domain (setup for forwarding) will divert all messages to the forwarding address you've selected without sending you a copy of the original message. For example, you@yourdomain.com will automatically forward all messages to you@mindspring.com. Pretty straight forward.

Forward to another address, but also send you the "original inquiry":

This is the method most commonly used. For example, you have two other partners who wish to receive all incoming inquiries to the company. Perhaps you're the one who responds to them, but your counterparts would like copies of the incoming activity as well. The method for accomplishing this is pretty well the same as above, except in this case you would configure one of your existing pop3 email accounts, as this is how you'd receive a copy of the original incoming message.

Example: When General@company.com (your companies main address) is mailed, you would typically be the only one to receive the response, however if you've configured forwards for your two counterparts (Bob and Mary), then bob@doodles.com and mary@yourdomain.com would also receive a copy of the incoming email messages.

How to setup a mail forward:

1. Login to CPanel and select "Forwarders" from the email menu
2. Select "Add Forwarder"
3. Enter a configured pop email account name if you want to receive original inquiries. (Enter a non-configured email address if you do not)
4. Enter the email address you want it to relay a copy of the message to
5. Select "Add Forwarder"

All messages will now be forwarded to the forwarding address with a copy sent to you.

Simply repeat the above process using the same address you've setup as the forward and enter the additional recipients you would like to send a copy of the message to. All email forwards will be listed in your "Email Forwarder" administrator. You can delete forwards when you no longer require them.

Testing your forward.

If you want to test your new email forward, it is recommended that the email account you're testing from is not one of the accounts you're using in conjunction with the forwarder you've just setup. For example, if you've configured harry@yourdomain.com to forward copies to bob@doodles.com and mary@yourdomain.com, then send a test message from an email address other than one of the addresses you've just setup, otherwise it can somewhat confusing in figuring out which message was coming from the actual forward and which was the original sent from you.

The CPanel extends the versatility of the email system by allowing you to access any one of your email accounts through its own WebMail interface. You have the choice of accessing all mail through the web, or any of your private pop3 email accounts. Gone are the days of having to create several email accounts on various free html based mail systems as now you have your own, which operates from "your account."

Accessing your mail through the CPannel "webmail" interface:

Login to CPanel and click on the "Manage Accounts" link in the email menu. Or you can also use the following URL's:

http://dedicated.azriver.com/webmail/ or http://yourdomain.com/webmail/

To the right of the email account you wish to access select the "Read WebMail" button. A username and password prompt will appear, and are the same as the username and password you created with that particular account. NOTE: Remember to use the full email address as the account login name for the account you're accessing.