Control Panel

1. Addon Domains

An addon domain allows you to add another domain to your existing account and direct that domain to a subfolder. This is referred to as an addon or pointed domain; the two terms are equivalent in meaning.

What is a pointed or addon domain?

A pointed domain is simply a way to describe a domain for which content is pulled from a subfolder instead of from the main site's own content. For instance, a photographer might have a domain camera.com and wish to set up another domain on their account called photos.com, but have photos.com show different content than the master domain. In that case, photos.com would be set up as an addon domain, pointing to the folder /photos under the main site. Visitors to photos.com would only see that URL in the address bar of their browser when visiting the site - no references would be shown from the main site camera.com, and photos.com would be treated as a completely separate site.

Setting up addon or pointed domains

From the control panel, select the addon domains function. You will be prompted for the addon domain name, the folder to which the domain will be pointed, and a password. The folder must not exist prior to pointing a domain, or the function will exit with an error. Addon domains cannot be pointed to existing subdomains - the existing dubdomain must be removed first. The password is for the FTP user created for accessing that folder, should you wish to allow someone other than yourself to maintain that area without having access to your control panel password.

Addon domains must be registered and using nameservers attached to the systems before they can be added via the control panel. Domains that do not fit these requirements will fail the pointing when it is attempted. Previously parked domains that are being converted to pointed domains must be removed before the pointing operation is attempted.

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2. Apache Handlers

Apache Handlers Overview

Apache is an open-source HTTP server, and is used to serve your site. Apache handlers tell the server how to deal with web files that need to be processed on the server. For example, Apache is set up to process files with .pl extensions using Perl. However, if for some reason you also wanted to process files with .script extension using Perl, then you would have to set up a custom Apache handler for your site.

Note: People often get confused as to the difference between Mime types and Apache handlers. Basically, Mime types tell your browser how to handle files, while Apache handlers tell the server how to handle files.

Warning: Use caution when adding an Apache handler, as they can easily alter the correct functioning of your web site.

To add an Apache handler:

1. Click on the Apache Handlers link in the Advanced Tools section of the main menu in the control panel.

2. Enter the file extension in the Extension(s) field. A dot (.) is required before the extension name.

3. Enter the Apache handler in the Handler field. Have a look at the list of system-wide Apache handlers to show you how to add a new one or add to a pre-existing one.

4. Click on the Add button button.


Deleting and Apache handler

You can delete any custom Apache handler at any time. System-wide Apache handlers cannot be deleted.

To delete an Apache handler:

1. Click on the Apache Handlers link in the Advanced Tools section of the main menu in the control panel.

2. A list of customized Apache handlers is displayed underneath the User Defined Handlers area. Enter the details of one of these in the Extension(s) and Handler fields.

3. Click on the Delete button.

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3. CGI Scripts

CGI Overview

CGI (Common Gateway Interface) is a standard for running external programs from a Web server. CGI allows the returned HTML page to be dynamic - for example, with a CGI script you could access information in a database and format the results as part of an HTML page. Not surprisingly, CGI scripts are very popular and used extensively on many sites.

There are a number of very good introduction to CGI documents available on the Web. The information given below is a summary of the most important points to remember when using CGI. Please refer to the following for a more in-depth introduction:

Intro to CGI - one of the best introductions available.

Ada's Introduction to CGI - a useful introduction.

Key points to bear in mind when using CGI scripts:

The pre installed scripts available through the control panel are the easiest to use, but if a certain script does not do exactly what you want, installation of other scripts is allowed. You can usually find a script to do almost anything, especially if you are prepared to pay.

Read all available documentation on a particular script before using it. This will help avoid most problems.

CHMOD ("Change Mode") means change the permissions on a particular file (usually the script itself). The control panel File Manager allows you to quickly do this, as do most FTP tools.

Important - after uploading cgi-bin scripts, CHMOD to 755 (unless the script documentation specifically states otherwise). For example, you need to CHMOD the pre-installed control panel CGI EMail scripts to 755 to use them properly.

Many scripts need to know the path to Perl and to sendmail. You can find this information on the front page of cPanel.

Make sure you test your scripts repeatedly! Testing is vital to ensure everything is working to your satisfaction.


Simple CGI Wrapper

The CGI Wrap script creates a scgi-bin folder at the public_html level of your web site. This allows you to run scripts with your own user ID.

The advantage of this is that you can run scripts that have the same permissions that you do - you can write, edit, and delete files as you normally do. In a regular cgi-bin folder, you can only do this if you set your directory permissions to 777 (world access) and file permissions to 666, both of which are quite dangerous as anyone can now modify your web site.

The disadvantage of this is that if there is a security breach in your script that another person can exploit, they have access to your site in the same manner that you do - they can do anything. However, as long as the scripts you run in the scgi-bin directory are secure, you have nothing to worry about.

Be sure to read the CGI Wrap user guide for more detailed information on using CGI Wrap.

For a more detailed description of the distinction between normal and wrapped cgi, refer to this article.

To install the Simple CGI Wrapper:

1. Click on the CGI Center link in the Pre-installed Scripts section on the main menu of the control panel.

2. Click on the Simple CGI Wrapper link in the CGI Center area.

Your scgi-bin folder has now been set up. All cgi scripts that you would like to run under your own user ID should be placed in this folder.

Random HTML

This simple script allows you to insert random pieces of text into your web page. This is useful for daily quotes, helpful hints, or any other place where random text is useful.

To install the Random HTML script:

1. Click on the CGI Center link in the Pre-installed Scripts section on the main menu of the control panel.

2. Click on the on the Random HTML link in the CGI Center area.

3. Enter each piece of random text in the box and make sure you put each piece of text on a new line. You can not include new paragraphs within the one piece of text, as the script will separate each new paragraph into a new piece of text.

4. Copy and paste the tag at the top of the page into your web page at the appropriate place.

5. Change your web page extension from .htm or .html to .shtml. This is the required file extension to use SSI (Server Side Includes).

6. Click on the Save button.

7. Upload the web page and test the script.

Simple Guestbook

This is a simple guestbook script that allows you to create a guestbook that your visitors can sign. You can modify the appearance of the guestbook, and view and manage guestbook entries.

To create a guestbook:

1. Click on the CGI Center link in the Pre-installed Scripts section on the main menu of the control panel.

2. Click on the Guestbook link in the CGI Center area.

3. Copy and paste the HTML code at the bottom of the page to your web page. Feel free to alter the appearance of the form - as long as all the fields are available, the script will still work correctly.

4. This is the minimum you need to do to get the script working - upload the file, and you're finished. Refer to Modifying the guestbook template if you need to customize the appearance of the guestbook.

5. Upload the finished HTML page to test the script.

Modifying the guestbook template

You can modify the appearance of your guestbook template at any time.

To modify the guestbook template:

1. Click on the CGI Center link in the Pre-installed Scripts section on the main menu of the control panel.

2. Click on the Guestbook link in the CGI Center area.

3. Click on the Edit Guestbook Template link.

4. Copy and paste any HTML code that you want into the template to alter it's appearance.

Warning: Make sure you do not delete the tag. This will cause the script to stop working.

5. Click on the Save button.

6. Upload the finished HTML page.

Viewing the Guestbook

You will want to be able to view your guestbook once visitors start leaving comments. You can keep the guestbook private, or you can set it up so that anyone can view the guestbook.

To view the guestbook:

1. Click on the CGI Center link in the Pre-installed Scripts section on the main menu of the control panel.

2. Click on the Guestbook link in the CGI Center area.

3. Click on the View Guest Book link.

4. You can now view the guestbook. If you want to make the guestbook available to anyone, open the viewing page in its own frame (right-click in Internet Explorer).

5. Copy the URL show in your browser when viewing the guestbook and make it a link on the same page as the sign-in form.


Managing the guestbook

You may want to delete entries in your guestbook, either when the page gets too large or if you do not want to keep certain entries. This is easily handled through cPanel.

To view the guestbook:

1. Click on the CGI Center link in the Pre-installed Scripts section on the main menu of the control panel.

2. Click on the Guestbook link in the CGI Center area.

3. Click on the Manage Guest Book link.

4. Click on the Delete This Entry link above any entry that you no longer want.

Advanced Guestbook

The Advanced Guestbook script offers more features than the Guestbook script by using PHP and a mySQL database.

To install the Advanced Guestbook script:

1. Click on the CGI Center link in the Pre-installed Scripts section on the main menu of the control panel.

2. Click on the Advanced Guestbook link in the CGI Center area.

3. Enter the directory in which to install the Advanced Guestbook in the available field. This must be a top-level directory on your site.

4. Click on the Install button button.

5. Click on the available link to change the admin password on the site.


Managing the advanced guestbook

You can manage all aspects of each Advanced Guestbook that has been set up at any time.

To manage an Advanced Guestbook:

1. Click on the CGI Center link in the Pre-installed Scripts section on the main menu of the control panel.

2. Click on the Advanced Guestbook link in the CGI Center area.


3. Click on the required Guestbook in the Modify an existing Guestbook area.


Counter Maker

The Counter Maker script allows you to create three different items that you can put on your web pages:

Counter

Clock

Date

Counter

This is a simple counter that displays the number of times a particular web page has been accessed. By putting a counter on your home page, you can keep track of how many visitors have looked at your web site since the counter was created. This is useful not only for your own information, but as a means of showing visitors how popular your site is.

Clock

This is a simple clock that displays the time for the set time zone. It updates each time the page is loaded.

Another available CGI script is a Java clock, which displays the time dynamically, just like a digital watch. However, Java may not be an acceptable technology to use, depending on the browsers your visitors are using.

Date

This is a simple date display that can be customized to display in a number of different formats.

All three items can be heavily customized, as required. You can do the following:

Choose the display style from a large number of available styles.

Further customize the display style by replacing one color with another.

Choose the frame color and thickness around the item.

Set time and date formats.

Preview the item.

To create a counter, clock, or date:

1. Click on the CGI Center link in the Pre-installed Scripts section on the main menu of the control panel.

2. Click on the Counter link in the CGI Center area.

3. Click on the Counter, Clock, or Date radio button.

4. If you are creating a clock, choose the time zone and format options in the TimeZone and TimeFormat drop-down lists.

5. If you are creating a date display, choose the required date format in the Date Format field. M = Month, D = Day, and Y = Year.

Example: If you choose the MMDDYY option, the 25th of December, 2003 will be displayed as 12- 25- 2003. If you choose the DDMMYY option, the same date would be displayed as 25- 12- 2003.

6. Enter the thickness of the border around the item in the Frame Thickness field. Zero removes any border around the item.

7. Choose the maximum digits in your counter, if required.

8. Choose the style for the item from the Style drop-down list. To see an example of all of the styles, click on the See Styles link.

9. Enter the red, green, and blue values for the border in the Frame Color fields. Click on the Preview button button to see the border color. Most graphics programmes will show you RGB colors, as will the Windows Color Picker.

10. Enter the name of the counter in the Counter Name field. You can not duplicate item names within the same cPanel.

11. Click on the Preview button to see what your item will look like. Alter the criteria fields and keep previewing until you are happy with the finished product.

12. Click on the Make HTML button button to create the HTML code that you can cut and paste into your HTML page where you want it.

13. Upload your new HTML page to see how it works.

Resetting a counter

You may need to reset a counter to 0 at some stage, or set the counter number to some other number. This is easily handled in cPanel.

To reset your counter:

1. Click on the CGI Center link in the Pre-installed Scripts section on the main menu of the control panel.

2. Click on the Counter link in the CGI Center area.

3. Enter the name of the counter in the Counter Name field.

4. Enter the new count number in the New Count field.

5. Click on the Commit Changes button.

Java Clock Maker

The Java Clock Maker allows you to create a real-time, dynamic clock, that counts the time just like a digital wrist watch.

To create a Java clock:

1. Click on the CGI Center link in the Pre-installed Scripts section on the main menu of the control panel.

2. Click on the Clock link in the CGI Center area.

3. Choose the time zone and format for the clock in the TimeZone and TimeFormat drop-down lists.

4. Choose whether you want a border or not in the Border drop-down list.

5. Choose whether you want the date to be shown in the Show Date drop-down list.

6. Alter the display and background colors in the Foreground Color and Background Color drop-down lists.

7. Click on the Make HTML button to preview the clock and create the HTML code to make it work. Alter the clock and preview the result until you are happy with the display.

8. Copy and paste the HTML code to your web page.

9. Upload your new HTML page to test the results.

Java CountDown/CountUp Maker

This script creates a Java countdown or countup display, to or from a particular time.

Note: This Java applet, while easy to use, is only minimally customizable and does not present very well. Feel free to use the script as long as you understand these limitations.

To set up the Java CountDown/CountUp Maker

1. Click on the CGI Center link in the Pre-installed Scripts section on the main menu of the control panel.

2. Choose the time zone for the clock in the TimeZone drop-down list.

3. Enter the date that you are counting down to or up from in the Month, Hour, Day, and Year drop-down lists.

4.Click on the Make HTML button to preview the countdown and create the HTML code to make it work. Alter the countdown and preview the result until you are happy with the display.

5. Copy and paste the HTML code to your web page.

6. Upload your new HTML page to test the results.

CGI Email

CGI EMail is a simple, easy-to-use script that takes the results of any form and sends them to you via email. Because it is already installed, minimal configuration is required to successfully use the script.

The following steps provide quick summarized instructions for CGI EMail. Be sure to read the CGI user guide for detailed instructions on using CGI EMail.

To configure CGI EMail:

1. Click on the CGI Center link in the Pre-installed Scripts section on the main menu of the control panel.


2. Create an HTML form with a number of named input fields. Refer to this page for more detailed information of the action component of the form.

3. Create an email template (a .txt file) that displays the format in which you want your form information displayed in the email. Make sure all your form name codes are one word and in square brackets [].

4. Upload the .txt and form files to your site.

5. Go to your cgi-bin directory and change the file permissions on cgiecho and cgiemail to 755.

6. Test the script. The cgiecho script is designed for testing online, so you do not have to wait for email to be sent or received.

Form Mail Clone

One of the most popular form to e-mail scripts available is FormMail, by Matt Wright. The script can be setup very quickly, and provides a number of customization options. cPanel was written a clone of FormMail which operates in the same manner.

Refer to the FormMail documentation for more information about customizing the FormMail clone script.

Entropy Search

This script enables a nice, quick search engine that can help your visitors find information that they are interested in more easily. The larger the site, the more important the search engine becomes.

Warning: This search engine searches all of the ASCII (text) files on your site. This includes HTML, PERL, plain text files, etc. Since there is no way to limit the search engine, if any of these files contain sensitive information, either encrypt the files or remove them from your site. This is a smart move anyway - you should not store sensitive information on your web site without encryption.

To create an Entropy search engine:

1. Click on the CGI Center link in the Pre-installed Scripts section on the main menu of the control panel.

2. Click on the Rebuild Search Index link under Entropy Search in the CGI Center area. This creates (or recreates) the index file that the search engine uses to find information.

3. Click on the Back button on your browser and click on the Setup Search Engine link.

4. Copy and paste the HTML code into your web page.

5. Use the Search Query field to test the script.

6. This is the minimum you need to do to get the script working - upload the file, and you're finished.

Editing the search engine template

You can alter the appearance of the search engine template at any time.

To edit the search engine template:

1. Click on the CGI Center link in the Pre-installed Scripts section on the main menu of the control panel.

2. Click on the Setup Search Engine link in the CGI Center area.

3. Click on the Edit Search Results Template link.

3. Copy and paste any HTML code that you want into the template to alter it's appearance.

Warning: Make sure you do not delete the tag. This will cause the script to stop working.

4. Click on the Save button.

5. Use the Search Query field to test the script.


6. Upload the finished HTML page.

Rebuilding the search engine.

You need to rebuild the search engine index whenever you make changes to your site, otherwise the search engine will not be able to find the new material.

To rebuild the search index

1. Click on the CGI Center link in the Pre-installed Scripts section on the main menu of the control panel.

2. Click on the Rebuild Search Index link under Entropy Search in the CGI Center area.

Entropy Banner

The Entropy Banner script allows you to create a set of revolving banner images, normally used for advertising. You can upload and delete files, set priority on the images, and set URLs to which each image points.

To set up an Entropy Banner:

1. Click on the CGI Center link in the Pre-installed Scripts section on the main menu of the control panel.

2. Click on the Entropy Banner link in the CGI Center area.


3. Copy and paste the indicated tag into your web page.

4. Change your web page extension from .htm or .html to .shtml. This is the required file extension to use SSI (Server Side Includes).

5. Click on the Add Banner(s) button.

6. Search for and enter each banner that you want to upload in the available fields using the Browse buttons.

7. Click on the Overwrite existing files tick box if you want to overwrite existing files of the same name.

8. Click on the Upload button.

9. If you need to alter the URLs or priority of the images, go to the next step. Otherwise, upload the web page and test the script.

10. Click on the Modify Rotation button.

11. Click on the High, Medium, or Low radio buttons for any banner that you need to change, and click on the Save button. You need to do this for each banner that you need to alter.

12. Enter the URL for each banner image in the Linked to field, and click on the Save button button. You need to do this for each banner.

13. You are now finished. Upload the web page and test the script.

Uploading new banners.

You can upload banners whenever new banners need to be added to the rotation. You can specify whether you want the new banners to overwrite the old ones or not.

To upload new banners:

1. Click on the CGI Center link in the Pre-installed Scripts section on the main menu of the control panel.

2. Click on the Entropy Banner link in the CGI Center area.

3. Click on the Add Banner(s) button.

4. Search for and enter each banner that you want to upload in the available fields using the Browse... buttons.

5. Click on the Overwrite existing files: tick box if you want to overwrite existing files with new files of the same name.

6. Click on the Upload button.

7. If you need to alter the URLs or priority of the images, go to Modifying the rotation and URLs of banners. Otherwise, upload the web page and test the script.


Modifying the rotation and URLs of banners

Modify the rotation of banners, and change their URLs, as you add and remove banners from your site.

To modify banners:

1. Click on the CGI Center link in the Pre-installed Scripts section on the main menu of the control panel.

2. Click on the Entropy Banner link in the CGI Center area.

3. Click on the Modify Rotation button.

4. If you need to delete a banner, click on the Delete button. Deleting and re-uploading banners is the only way to change their rotation order.

5. Click on the High, Medium, or Low radio buttons for any banner that you need to change, and click on the Save button button. You need to do this for each banner that you need to alter.

6. Enter the URL for each banner image in the Linked to field, and click on the Save button button. You need to do this for each banner.

7. Upload the web page and test the script.

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4. Error Logs

The error log contains all HTTP errors that occur when visitors attempt to view your site, such as requested files not found, etc. The Error Log tool is a presentation of the last 300 entries in your error log. A central use of this tool is to locate suspicious server activity, such as attempted virus attacks. Please contact your hosting administrator if you have concerns about activity in your error logs.

To check your error log:

1. Click on the Error Log link in the Analysis and Log Files section in the main menu of the control panel.

2. Browse the results.

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5. Chat scripts

Entropy Chat
Entropy Chat is a simple chat script that offers basic features.

To install Entropy Chat:

1. Click on the on the Chat Room link in the Pre-installed Scripts section on the main menu of the control panel.

2. Copy and paste the displayed HTML code in the Install Entropy Chat section into your web page. Feel free to alter the appearance of the form as required.

3. Upload your page and test the script.

Melange Chat

The Melange Chat System is a Java chat script that offers a number of advanced features. The steps below are only for installation - for more information detailed information about using the Melange Chat System, please refer to the user guide.

To install Melange Chat System:

1. Click on the on the Chat Room link in the Pre-installed Scripts section on the main menu of the control panel.

2. Copy and paste the displayed HTML code in the Install Java Chatroom section into your web page as a link.

3. Upload your page and test the script.

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6. Cron Job Manager

Cron Jobs Overview

Cron jobs allow you to automate repetitive tasks on the server that hosts your web site. This is a powerful tool that allows you to take a hands-free approach to repetitive tasks. For example, you could add a cron job that automatically copies a mySQL database to a separate location on your site as a backup.

Warning: You need to have a good knowledge of Linux commands before you can use cron jobs effectively. Check your script with your hosting administrator before adding a cron job.

To add or modify a cron job:

1.Click on the Cron Jobs link in the Advanced Tools section of the main menu in the control panel.

2. Enter the times for the cron job in the Minute, Hour, Day, Month, or Weekday fields. Refer to the following page to check exactly how to enter values in these fields - http://www.redhat.com/support/resources/tips/cron/cron.html.

3. Enter the cron job script in the Command field.

4. Click on the Commit Changes button. Your cron job has now been added or updated.

Note: You can always click on the Reset Changes button to change the cron job back to whatever it was before you started entering information.

Removing a cron job

You can delete any cron job at any time. If you are unsure what a cron job is doing it is safer to delete it and check the code with your hosting administrator.

To delete a cron job:

1. Click on the Cron Jobs link in the Advanced Tools section of the main menu in the control panel.

2. Click on the Delete button next to the required cron job.

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7. Custom Error Pages

Error pages are served to Internet users when any one of a variety of errors occur, such as when a user enters an incorrect URL or is not authorized to access a specific directory in your web site. Companies often customize error pages to brand them with a specific corporate image and a link to their home page. You do not have to customize these pages - the error page is always available, whether customized or not.

To create or modify a customized error page:

1.Click on the Error Pages link in the Account Settings area.

2.Click on the button of the required error page, such as the 403 button button.

3.Enter the HTML code for the error page. You can use the buttons at the top of the page to insert variables into the displayed code.

Example:

<h1>404 Not Found</h1>
<p>The requested page, <!--#echo var="REQUEST_URL" --> ,is not available.</p>

4.Click on the Save button button.

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8. File Manager

File Manager Overview

The File Manager allows you to manage your site through HTML, rather than an FTP tool or other third-party application. You can upload, create or delete files, organize files in folders, and change file permissions. While not as sophisticated as most FTP tools, File Manager is free and gives you all the basic functionality necessary to manage your site.

Note: All of the other topics in this section assume that you are already in File Manager.

To open and navigate in File Manager:

1. Click on the File Manager link in the Site Management Tools section of the main menu in the control panel.

2. Navigate by using the following:

Open a folder by clicking on the folder icon.

Go up a level by clicking on the Up one level link.

Use the path links at the top of the window to move up and down the path.

Select a folder, so as to view or modify its properties, by clicking on the folder name link.

Creating a new folder

Folders are a very useful way of adding organization and structure to your web site. They make maintenance of the site much easier, as you can easily see what files are in which folder. Most web sites include at least an /image folder to keep all the image files separate from the HTML files.

To create a new folder:

1. Navigate to the area in which you will create the new folder.

2. Click on the Create New Folder link.

3. Enter the name of the new folder in the available field in the top-left corner of the window.

4. Click on the Create button button. The new folder will appear in the main display area.

Uploading Files

You can use File Manager to upload files to your web site, up to 12 files in one go. Although useful, a third-party FTP client has many more features and does not limit you to the number of files you can upload at one time. Refer to the FTP section for more information.

To upload files in File Manager:

1. Navigate to the folder where you want to upload your files.

2. Click on the Upload file(s) link.

3. Click on the Browse button button next to one of the top fields.

4. Search for and double-click on the first file to upload.

5. Repeat the above steps for each file you want to upload.

6. Click on the Overwrite existing files tick box if you want to overwrite existing files of the same name.

7. Click on the Upload button button when you have finished selecting files. The status of the upload will appear in the top-right corner of your window. The contents of the folder is displayed in the main area, including your uploaded files.

Creating a new file

For small text files it can be easier to create them online, rather than on your home computer and uploading the file. You can create text files, such as HTML, PHP, or plain TXT, but not binary files.

To create a new file:

1. Navigate to the folder where you want to create your text file.

2. Click on the Create New File link.

3. Enter the name of the file to be created in the available field in the top-right corner of your window. You do need to add the file extension to the name, for example script.pl for a Perl script, not just script.

4. Select the type of document from the drop-down list. Each type of file adds specific information to the text file:

Text Document - No text is added to the file.

HTML Document - No text is added to the file.

Perl Script - Automatically adds the path to Perl to the top of the file. Make sure to double-check that the path is correct.

Shell Script - Automatically adds the path to the Shell executable to the top of the file. Make sure to double-check that the path is correct.

5. Click on the Create button button. The file has now been created and the display updated to show the new file. Refer to Editing a file to add text to these new files.

Editing a file

Editing a pre-existing file through File Manager allows you to make immediate changes to your web site, without having to upload a new version of the file. This is useful for small changes, but would be inefficient for large amounts of coding.

To edit a file:

1. Navigate to the folder where the file is located.

2. Click on the name of the file.

3. Click on the Edit File link in the top-right corner of your window. This will open a new window with the contents of the file displayed.

Note: Clicking on the Show File link will display the contents of the file. However, you will not be able to make any changes to the file.

4. Alter the text of the file as you wish.

5. Click on the Save button button when you have finished altering the file. The file has been saved and any changes will take effect from now on.

Renaming a file

You can quickly rename a file or folder if you originally labelled a file or folder with the wrong name, or if the name needs to be updated. This is useful if a small number of files need to be changed, since you do not need to upload any files for the changes to take effect, but inefficient if you needed to rename your entire site.

To rename a file or folder:

1. Navigate to the file or folder.

2. Click on the Rename File link in the top-right corner of your window.

3. Enter the new name for the file or folder in the text field. You need to enter an extension if it is a file, such as .html for HTML files.

4. Click on the Rename button button. The file name has now been changed and the display updated to show the modified file.

Changing file or folder permissions

All files on UNIX (including Linux and other UNIX variants) machines have access permissions. These tell the operating system how to deal with requests to access these files. There are three types of access:

Read - Denoted as r, files with read access can be displayed to the user.

Write - Denoted as w, files with write access can be modified by the user.

Execute - Denoted as x, files with execute access can be executed as programmes by the user.

Access types are set for three types of user group:

User - the owner of the file.

Group - other files which are in the same folder or group.

World - everyone else.

The web server needs to be able to read your web pages in order to be able to display them in a browser. The following permissions need to be set in order for your web site to function properly.

All HTML files and images need to be readable by others. The setting for this is 644 (readable by User, Group, and World, and writable by User), and is set automatically when you upload files.

All folders need to be executable by others. The setting for this is 755 (readable by User, Group, and World, writable by User, executable by User, Group, and World), and is set automatically when you create a folder.

All CGI files (all files in the cgi-bin folder) need to be executable by other. The setting for this is 755 (readable by User, Group, and World, writable by User, executable by User, Group, and World), and is not set automatically when you upload files. You need to change file permissions manually. Refer to the Introduction to CGI topic for more information.

Warning: It is important that none of your files or folders are writable by anyone else. Any file or folder which is writable by others can be erased by them. Generally there is no problem, just be careful in how you set your permissions.

To change file or folder permissions:

1. Navigate to the file or folder that you need to change.

2. Click on the name of the file or folder.

3. Click on the Change Permissions link in the top-right corner of the window.

4. Click on as many tick boxes as you require to create the right permission. The permission numbers underneath the tick boxes will update automatically.

5. Click on the Change button button when you have finished setting the permission. The new permission level has now been saved and the display updated to show the modified file.

Deleting a file or folder

cPanel includes a Trash folder, which operates the same way as the Windows Recycle Bin. All deleted files are automatically placed in the Trash folder and can be restored to their original positions by a simple click. However, once you empty the Trash folder, the files are permanently deleted. Refer to Emptying the Trash for more information.

To delete a file or folder:

1. Navigate to the file(s) or folder(s) that you want to delete.

2. Click on the name of the file or folder to display the item's properties in the top-right corner of your window.

3. Click on the Delete File link. The deleted file or folder is now displayed in the Trash area. Refer to Restoring an item from the Trash if you deleted the wrong file or folder by accident.


Restoring an item from the trash

You can easily restore a deleted file from the Trash by moving it from the Trash to another folder. Restored folders are automatically moved back to their original location. However, you will not be able to restore the item if you have emptied the Trash since deleting it - it has been permanently destroyed.

To restore an item from the Trash:

1. Click on the icon of the item that you want to restore in the Trash area on the bottom-right of the window. The folder or file will be automatically returned to its original location.

Emptying the trash

Warning: Make sure you do not need any of the files or folders in the Trash before you empty it, because the files are deleted permanently once the Trash is emptied.

To empty the Trash:

1. Click on the Empty trash link in the Trash area. All of the files in the Trash have now been permanently deleted.

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9. FrontPage Extensions

Frontpage? Extensions allow you to publish your web site using Microsoft Frontpage?. These extensions can occasionally become corrupted, so you can uninstall and then reinstall Frontpage? Extensions whenever required.

To (re)install Frontpage? Extensions:

1. Click on the FrontPage icon under the Site Management Tools section in the main menu of the control panel.

2. Click on the (Re)Install Extensions button.

Uninstalling Frontpage? Extensions

If you are having problems publishing your site using Frontpage?, the first test is to uninstall and then reinstall your Frontpage? Extensions. If you are still having trouble with Frontpage? after that, contact your hosting administrator for help.

Note: The password protection on any protected directories will be removed. Refer to Web Protect Directories for more information about reapplying password protection.

To uninstall Frontpage? Extensions:

1. Click on the FrontPage icon under the Site Management Tools section in the main menu of the control panel.

2. Click on the Uninstall Extensions button.

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10. FTP Manager

FTP Manager Overview

The FTP manager includes the tools used for setting up and managing FTP accounts, as well as managing FTP sessions. You can set up FTP accounts so that certain external users can access a restricted part of your system. You can also set up an anonymous FTP account so that anyone can access a restricted part of your system. You can also manage these FTP sessions, cutting them off if they go on for too long.

Adding an FTP account

An FTP account creates a folder on the www level of your site that allows external users that know the password to upload and download files from that location. Change your password if you think that your account is being used incorrectly.

To add an FTP account:

1. Click on the FTP Manager link in the Account Management Tools area of your control panel.

2. Click on the FTP Accounts button button.

3. Click on the Add Account link.

4. Enter the name of the FTP account in the Login field and the password for the account in the Password field.

5. Click on the Create button button.

Changing an FTP account password

To change a password on an FTP account:

1. Click on the FTP Manager link in the Account Management Tools area of your control panel.

2. Click on the FTP Accounts button button.

3. Click on the Change Passwordbutton.

4. Enter the new password in the New Password field.

5. Click on the Change button button.

Deleting an FTP account

Deleting an FTP account is as simple as creating the account. Deleting the account does not delete the folder or its contents, but it does prevent anyone from accessing that folder through FTP.

To delete an FTP account:

1. Click on the FTP Manager link in the Account Management Tools area of your control panel.

2. Click on the FTP Accounts button button.

3. Click on the Delete button.

Setting Anonymous FTP

Anonymous FTP access allows anyone to access your public_ftp folder. There are two options available:

Allow anonymous access to ftp://ftp.yourdomain.com - This allows to view, download, and delete files from your public_ftp folder.

Allow anonymous upload to ftp://ftp.yourdomain.com/incoming - This allows to view, upload, download, and delete files from your public_ftp/incoming folder.

Warning: Anonymous FTP allows anyone access to a restricted area of your site. It is generally safest to not enable Anonymous FTP. If you do enable it, you are responsible for the bandwidth and space used.

To set Anonymous FTP access:

1. Click on the FTP Manager link in the Account Settings area.

2. Click on the Anonymous FTP Controls button button.

3. Click on the Allow anonymous access to ftp://ftp.yourdomain.com tick box or the Allow anonymous upload to ftp://ftp.yourdomain.com/incoming tick box. You must click on both tick boxes to enable uploads.

4. Click on the Save Settings button button.

Adding a custom Anonymous FTP message

You can add a message that appears in all FTP clients that access your public_ftp folder. This is usually used to add copyright notices or other warnings or comments based on the available files.

To add an Anonymous FTP message:

1. Click on the FTP Manager link in the Account Settings area.

2. Click on the Anonymous FTP Message button button.

3. Enter the message that you want visitors to see in the text area. You can not enter HTML code - plain text only. This is created as a welcome.msg text file.

4. Click on the Save Message button button.

Removing Anonymous FTP

Removing access does not delete your public_ftp folder or its contents (you should not delete this folder anyway), but it does prevent anyone from accessing that folder through FTP.

To remove Anonymous FTP access:

1. Click on the FTP Manager link in the Account Settings area.

2. Click on the Anonymous FTP Controls button button.

3. Remove the tick from the Allow anonymous access to ftp://ftp.yourdomain.com tick box or the Allow anonymous upload to ftp://ftp.yourdomain.com/incoming tick boxes.

4. Click on the Save Settings button button.

Controlling FTP sessions

You can view and terminate FTP sessions using the provided FTP session controls. This is useful for general information and stopping unwanted FTP activity.

To control FTP sessions:

1. Click on the FTP Manager link in the Account Settings area.

2. Click on the FTP Session Controls button button.

3. All active FTP sessions (FTP connections that are actively uploading or downloading files) are listed. Click on the Deletebutton next to a session to terminate that session.

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11. Hotlink Protection

Hotlink Protection Overview

Hotlinking is when another web site owner links directly to one or more of your images or multimedia files and includes it on their web page. Not only is this theft of your intellectual property, you are paying for the bandwidth used by that site. Refer to this article for more information on hotlinking.

cPanel can prevent hotlinking by only allowing named sites (such as your own web site) to access files on your site.

To prevent hotlinking:

1. Click on the HotLink protection link in the Site Management Tools section of the main menu in the control panel.

2. Enter any other addresses that you will allow to access your site other than the provided defaults in the central area.

3. Enter the protected extensions in the Extensions to allow field. Make sure you separate each extension with a comma.

4. Enter the address to redirect any hotlinking to in the Url to Redirect to field.

5. Click on the Activate button.

Disabling Hotlink Protection

You can disable hotlink protection at any time.

To disable hotlink protection:

1. Click on the HotLink Preventor link in the Site Management Tools section of the main menu in the control panel.

2. Click on the Disable button button.

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12. Mime Type Manager

Mime Type Overview

Mime types tell browsers how to handle specific extensions. Most Mime types are set globally on the server. For example, the text/html Mime type equates to htm, html, and shtml extensions on most servers, and this tells your browser to interpret all files with those extensions as HTML files. You can alter or add new Mime types specifically for your site (note that you can not alter the global Mime type values, only add to them). Mime types are often used to handle new technologies as they appear. When WAP technology first appeared no-one had these extensions set up on their server. With Mime types, however, you could have set it up yourself and begun serving WAP pages immediately.

Warning: Make sure you check the list of pre-existing Mime types before adding new ones. Check with your hosting administrator before adding a Mime type, as they can easily alter the correct functioning of your web site.

Note: People often get confused as to the difference between Mime types and Apache handlers. Basically, Mime types tell your browser how to handle files, while Apache handlers tell the server how to handle files.

To add a Mime type:


1. Click on the Mime Types link in the Advanced Tools section of the main menu in the control panel.

2. Enter the Mime type that you want to add in the Mime Type field. Have a look at the list of system-wide Mime types to show you how to add a new one or add to a pre-existing one.

3. Enter the file extension in the Extension(s) field.

4. Click on the Add button.


Deleting a mime type

You can delete any custom Mime types at any time. However, you can not delete system-wide Mime types - please contact your hosting administrator if you have a problem with one of these.

To delete a Mime type:

1. Click on the Mime Types link in the Advanced Tools section of the main menu in the control panel.


2. A list of customized Mime types is displayed underneath the User Defined Mime Types area. Enter the details of one of these in the Mime Type and Extension(s) fields.

3. Click on the Delete button

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13. MySQL

MySQL Overview

SQL stands for Structured Query Language. SQL is a international standard in querying and retrieving information from databases. mySQL is essentially an SQL server - it responds to requests for information that are written in SQL. You can communicate with mySQL using a wide variety of programming languages (PHP being one of the most common). mySQL is Open Source software and generally free for use.

Refer to the following links for more information about mySQL :

mySQL FAQ - a good place to start.

mySQL and PHP tutorial - a good introduction to using the two Open Source technologies together.

Creating a MySQL database

To create a mySQL database:

1. Click on the SQL Database link in the Site Management Tools section of the main menu in the control panel.

2. Enter the name of the database in the Db field.

3. Click on the Add Database button button. The database will be added to the /var/lib/mysql folder.

You need to create at least one database user and grant that user permission to use the new database. Refer to Creating a mySQL user and Grant a user's permissions to a mySQL database for more information.

Removing a MySQL database:

Removing a database will delete that database from it's online location. Be sure that you have saved a copy of the database if you want to keep any of the information in the database. Removing a database will not remove any user's but it will remove all user's permissions to that database.

To remove a database:

1. Click on the SQL Database link in the Site Management Tools section of the main menu in the control panel.

2. Click on the Delete button next to the specific database.

Creating a MySQL user

You need to create a mySQL user before that user is able to use the database. This does not automatically allow the user to use a database - you need to grant that user permissions to the specific database first. Refer to Grant a user's permissions to a mySQL database for more information.

To create a mySQL user:

1. Click on the SQL Database link in the Site Management Tools section of the main menu in the control panel.

2. Enter the user's name in the Username field and the user's password in the Password field.

3. Click on the Add User button button.

Removing a MySQL user

Removing a user deletes that user - it removes all database permissions that the user has and does not allow that user access to any mySQL databases.

To remove a user:

1. Click on the SQL Database link in the Site Management Tools section of the main menu in the control panel.

2. Click on the Delete button next to the specific user in the Users area.

Granting a user permissions to a MySQL database

Once you have created a user to use a database you need to grant that user permission to use the database. If you have not yet created a user, refer to Creating a mySQL user for more information.

To grant user permissions to a mySQL database:

1. Click on the SQL Database link in the Site Management Tools section of the main menu in the control panel.

2. Choose the specific user from the User drop-down list and the specific database to grant permissions to from the Db drop-down list.

3. Click on the Add User to Database button button. The user now has permission to use that database and sample connection strings are shown in the mySQL window.

Removing a user's permission

A user will no longer be able to access a particular database when you have removed their permissions to that database.

To remove a user's permissions:

1. Click on the SQL Database link in the Site Management Tools section of the main menu in the control panel.

2. Click on the Delete button next to the specific user underneath the name of the database in the Databases area.

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14. Network Tools

Network Tools

The Network Tools area has two available functions:

Domain Lookup - Allows you to look up information about a particular domain.

Trace Route - Allows you to trace the IP (Internet Protocol) route taken by your server to reach your current ISP (Internet Service Provider).

There are a number of free sites that offer similar functions. A couple of popular sites are http://www.network-tools.com/ and http://samspade.org

Domain Lookup

The Domain Lookup tool allows you to look up information about a particular domain. It does this by using a DNS (Domain Name System) lookup, which is a general-purpose replicated, data query service used for translating hostnames into Internet addresses. DNS details are published for public use.

To lookup a domain:

1. Click on the Network Tools link in the Advanced Tools section of the main menu of the control panel.

2. Enter the domain that you want to find out more about in the Enter a domain to lookup field.

3. Click on the Lookup button button.


Traceroute

The Trace Route tool allows you to trace the IP (Internet Protocol) route taken by your server to reach your current ISP (Internet Service Provider).

To use the Trace Route tool:

1. Click on the Network Tools link in the Advanced Tools section of the main menu of the control panel.

2. Click on the Trace Route link.

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15. Parked domains

What is a parked domain?

A parked domain will display the identical content as the main site when visited. For instance, the domain hostingmatters.com is parked on top of hostmatters.com. When either site is visited, the same content is shown, and the address bar reflects the URL that was typed in by the visitor.

To park a domain, select the domain parking option from the control panel. Enter the name of the domain to be parked and click add. Domains must be registered before they can be parked.

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16. Raw Access Logs

You can download the raw access logs that contain all the recorded hit information that your site has received. These logs are only really useful if you have a preferred reporting tool that you prefer to use, rather than the variety of reporting tools presented in this section.

To download the raw access logs:

1. Click on the Raw Access Logs link in the Analysis and Log Files section on the main menu of the control panel.

2. Save the file to disk.

Note: The access logs are in .gz (GZIP compression) format.

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17. Site Statistics

Web/FTP Statistics Overview

The Web / FTP Statistics tools presents you with a wide variety of information about your web site, from the latest visitors to a detailed monthly summary of hits, as well as providing an error log. Use the Statistics tools to keep track of what pages are being visited most often, and where they are being referred from.

For more information about exactly what these web site statistics actually mean, refer to the following excellent articles:


Measuring Web Site Usage

How the web works

Analog

The Analog reporting tools presents the most comprehensive coverage of web server statistics available for your web site using cPanel. Refer to the following links for more information about the Analog tool:

Analog documentation - All available Analog documentation.

Analog reports - A detailed description of all available Analog reports.

To use the Analog tool:

1.Click on the Web / FTP stats link from the Analysis and Log Files section on the main menu of the control panel.

2. Click on the Analog link.

3. Click on the month that you are interested in.

4. You are now presented with the Web Server Statistics page for your web site. You can browse the report online, or print it for more detailed perusal offline. Take your time - there is a lot of information available.


AWSTATS

AWSTAT (Advanced Web Statistics) generates advanced web server access statistics graphically.

AWSTATS documentation - All available AWSTATS documentation.

To use AWSTATS:

1. Click on the Web / FTP stats link from the Analysis and Log Files section on the main menu of the control panel.

2. Click on the AWSTATS link.

3. Browse the results.

Webalizer

The Webalizer tool creates a graphical summary display of usage of your site. This is useful to give you a quick and clear overview of your web site activity.

To use Webalizer:


1. Click on the Web / FTP stats link from the Analysis and Log Files section on the main menu of the control panel.

2. Click on the Webalizer link.

3. Browse the results.

Latest Visitors

This quick tool lists the last 300 visitors that have visited your site in the last 24 hours. Note that visitors are defined as requests from servers, not individual people.

To view the most recent visitors:


1. Click on the Web / FTP stats link from the Analysis and Log Files section on the main menu of the control panel.

2. Click on the Latest Visitors link.

3. Browse the results. You can click on the Referrer link to open the referring site page, or click on the URL link to open the file that was requested.

Bandwidth Tool

The Bandwidth tool generates an overall summary of the amount of bandwidth that your site is using. This is generated from HTTP traffic (looking at your web site, downloading files, etc.) and possibly FTP traffic. However, this does not include any other type of traffic, the most notable of which is POP3 - email. Depending on what files you send and receive through e-mail, this amount could be considerable. Contact your hosting administrator if you want to check how much bandwidth you are using.

To check how much bandwidth is being used:


1. Click on the Web / FTP stats link from the Analysis and Log Files section on the main menu of the control panel.


2. Click on the Bandwidth link.

3. Browse the results.

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18. Subdomains

Subdomains Overview

A subdomain is a further breakdown of your existing domain name and is generally used to separate content on a web site. A photographer, for instance, might have their main site, called domain.com, and then a subdomain for a gallery of work, called portfolio.domain.com. The content for the subdomains would be placed into the folder of the same name under the main site contents.

Practically, a subdomain is a sub folder within the public_html level of your account that has it's own cgi-bin directory. The "portfolio" example above creates a new top-level folder called portfolio, with a cgi-bin sub-folder. Upload your files for the subdomain to this location, including a separate index file (such as index.htm).

Adding a Subdomain

To add a subdomain:

1. Click on the Sub Domains link in the Account Management Tools area of your control panel.

Note: You can only successfully create a new subdomain once your DNS number has successfully propagated for this account.

2. Enter the text for the new subdomain in the field in the available field. You must conform to domain name conventions for the addition to the name.

3. Click on the Add button button. Click on the Sub Domains link to return to the Subdomains window to confirm that it has been added. A folder with the same name as the subdomain has now been added to your public_html folder, with a cgi-bin sub-folder (if CGI scripts are enabled on your account)

Removing a Subdomain

Deleting a subdomain does not delete the subdomain folder - you will need to do this manually.

To delete a subdomain:

1. Click on the Sub Domains link in the Account Management Tools area of your control panel.

2. Select the required subdomain from the "Delete subdomain" drop-down list.

3. Click on the Delete button button. Click on the Sub Domains link to return to the Subdomain window to confirm that it has been deleted.

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19. URL Redirects

Redirects Overview

The Redirects tool allows you to redirect Internet traffics from one web page to another. This is usually used when a web page has been moved to another location.

To set up a redirect:


1. Click on the Redirects link in the Advanced Tools section of the main menu in the control panel.


2. Enter the address of the web page to move in the first field.

3. Enter the redirection address in the second field.

4. Choose one of the following options in the drop-down list:

Temporary - This tells Internet traffic agents (browsers, search engines, etc.) that this is only a temporary redirection, and that they should return to this initial location again in the future for the same page.

Permanent - This tells the Internet traffic agents to go to the redirection address in the future, as the old address will never be used again.

5. Click on the Add button.

Removing a redirect

You can remove a redirect at any time. There is no way to modify a redirect - if you need to change the details of an existing redirect, you need to delete the existing one and start again.

To remove a redirect:

1. Click on the Redirects link in the Advanced Tools section of the main menu in the control panel.

2. Click on the required redirect in the Remove Redirect drop-down list.

3. Click on the Remove button.

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20. Web Protect

Web Protect Overview

You can protect directories within your site from browsers by using a password to protect them. This allows you to restrict material to only authorized users.

To password protect a directory:

1. Click on the Web Protect link in the Site Management Tools section of the main menu of the control panel.

2. Navigate to the directory that you want to protect. Select a folder by clicking on the folder name link, or open a folder by clicking on the folder icon.

3. Click on the tick box next to the Lock icon icon.

4. Enter the name that you want to appear in the Protected Resource Name field. This is optional and purely for the user's benefit.

5. Click on the Save button.

Generally, you now need to add at least one authorized user to enable access to the directory. Refer to Adding an authorized user for more information.

Adding an authorized user

To add or modify an authorized user:

1. Click on the Web Protect link in the Account Settings area.

2. Navigate to the required directory. Select a folder by clicking on the folder name link. Open a folder by clicking on the folder icon.

3. Enter the user's name in the Username field, and their password in the Password field.

4. Click on the Add New User button.

Changing an authorized user's password

To change an authorized user's password:

1. Click on the Web Protect link in the Account Settings area.

2. Navigate to the required directory. Select a folder by clicking on the folder name link. Open a folder by clicking on the folder icon.

3. Enter the user's name in the Username field, and their new password in the Password field.

4. Click on the Change Password button.

Removing a user

Remove authorized users when they should no longer have access to a particular directory. This maintenance task is often forgotten and leaves a hole in your security, so remember to perform this procedure as soon as it is required.

To remove an authorized user:

1. Click on the Web Protect link in the Account Settings area.

2. Navigate to the required directory. Select a folder by clicking on the folder name link. Open a folder by clicking on the folder icon.

3. Select the required user in the Active Users list.

4. Click on the Delete User button.

Removing password protection

To remove password protection from a directory:

1. Click on the Web Protect link in the Account Settings area.

2. Navigate to the protected directory. Select a folder by clicking on the folder name link. Open a folder by clicking on the folder icon.

3. Untick the tick box next to the Lock icon icon.

4. Click on the Save button.

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