FTP
FTP Maintenance (Uploading Your Files
to the Server)
The process by which files are transferred to the
web server is called "FTP" (File Transfer Protocol). You have unlimited
access via FTP 24 hours a day. As such, you can create and maintain
your web pages on your own computer and upload files to your web
site at your leisure.
Online services which offer an Internet gateway, such
as AOL, CompuServe, and Prodigy may have a built-in FTP interface.
If you have a PPP Internet account, you need an FTP program.
If you are using FrontPage, you must create your new
web on the "localhost" system. This is accomplished by selecting
"create new web," and then entering "localhost" in the line where
it asks for the web location. Once you have completed your web on
your computer, you can then select the "publish web" option from
the file menu in FrontPage Explorer. You will be prompted for your
IP address and web name and then it will send it to our servers.
Please note that you will be prompted for a user ID and password,
and depending on your system configuration it may be the one that
we issued you or it may be the one that you entered when you first
installed FrontPage. If one does not work, then simply try the other.
If you have forgotten what that password was, then you will need
to reinstall FrontPage and select a new one.
NOTE: If you are using FrontPage, you should NEVER
use regular FTP to upload your files. This will damage the extensions.
Stick with one or the other all the time.
For instructions for the most popular FTP client software
for both PC and Macintosh users, see the instructions to follow.
For PC Users (WS_FTP)
The following information is contained within your
account activation notice and is needed to connect you to your website
via FTP:
USERID
PASSWORD
FTP HOSTNAME
Each time you run WS_FTP the Session Profile window
will be displayed. A profile contains the information needed to
connect to your website. Creating a profile now will eliminate the
need for you to configure the software each time you wish to connect
to the web server via FTP. To create a profile, click the "New"
button and enter a generic profile name at the top of the Session
Profile window, such as "My Website." Next, enter your Host Name/Address
(yourdomain.com), User ID (yourdomain), and Password for your website
as illustrated in Figure 1A.
Figure 1A
Next you need to click "OK" to continue. This will
connect you to the webserver, where you will connect directly to
the root ("home") directory of your account. WS_FTP will display
a split screen where files on the left-hand side are within your
own computer. You will see several folders on the right-hand side
such as www, and infobots which are landmarks suggesting a successful
connection to your website, as illustrated in Figure 1B.
Figure 1B
You need to double click on www to get to your web
directory. This is where all your files will be downloaded, and/or
you will create subdirectories. The only system directory that you
may need to use is cgi-bin; this directory is reserved for custom
scripts. To make your home page load automatically, name the HTML
document "index.htm" in lowercase and upload it to the www directory
of your account. To upload a file or files, simply highlight the
file(s) on the left and click the right arrow button (->) in
the center of the window. Be sure to upload HTML documents and scripts
in ASCII mode and images in Binary mode. To transfer a file to a
subdirectory, double-click the appropriate subdirectory to open
it before transferring the desired file(s). To create a new directory,
click on the MkDir button when you are inside the www directory
or subdirectory.
As soon as a file is uploaded to the web server, it
is available for all to see. If, after uploading a file, you are
still unable to see the updated file via Netscape, try hitting the
"Refresh" or "Reload" button. If that fails, you need to clear both
disk and browser cache. This function can be found by selecting
Options>Network Preferences in Netscape. Remember that you must
first be connected to the Internet through your local Internet service
provider in order to connect to the web server.
For PC Users (Cute FTP)
This is a brief tutorial showing you how to set up Cute FTP in order
to connect to our server.
1. Start the application by double clicking on the program icon. After
the program starts, you will be in the Site Manager window. This is
where you set up all of your FTP connections.
2. Create a new connection site by clicking on the Add Site button.
3. You will then be given this window :
4. The Host Address :
- Basic Web site customers : Use "cihost.com" as
the Host Address as shown.
- Domain Web site customers : Use your IP Address
or your domain name as the Host Address.
Note : This will only work when your domain name has
been finalized with Network Solutions. In the meantime, you must
enter your IP number in the Host Address area.
5. Once you are connected, click on the "www" directory. This is
where all of your files are to be placed. You will now see a list
of the files in your current directory.
6. To transfer files to your account, select "Upload" from the "Commands"
menu, and choose which files or folders you wish to upload.
7. To download files from your account to your home computer, choose
the file you wish to download, and select "Download File" from the
"Commands" menu.
These are the basics to using Cute FTP. If you need more information,
please use the "Help" menu in the application or read any documentation
that came with the program.
For Mac Users (Fetch)
The following information is contained within your
account activation notice and is needed to connect to your web site
via FTP:
USERID
PASSWORD
FTP HOSTNAME
The hostname tells your FTP software to connect to
the web server upon which your web site resides.
Each time you run Fetch, the New Connection... window
will be displayed. A profile contains the information needed to
connect to your web site. Creating a profile now will eliminate
the need for you to configure the software each time you wish to
connect to the web server via FTP. To create a new profile, select
"New Connection..." from the File menu. Next, enter the Host (yourdomain.com),
User ID (yourdomain), and password for your web site as illustrated
in Figure 2A.
Figure 2A
Don't worry about the Directory option right now.
When you have your Host, User ID, and Password entered, click on
the OK button.
The next window which will pop up will look virtually
the same as Figure 2B, except that yourdomain will be in
the popup window.
Figure 2B
Bookmarking the Connection
You should take the time, now that you have established
your connection, to make it easier for you to get here next time.
Under the Customize menu, select New Shortcut. A window will pop
up called Bookmark Editor, as shown in Figure 2C. It will
already have your name, Host, and User ID filled in. Under Type,
choose File from the popup menu. If you would like Fetch to remember
your password so you won't have to type it in each time, type in
your password in the Password field. Now, under the same Customize
menu, choose Preferences, and under the General tab, make sure the
connection you just entered is selected as the default shortcut.
Next time you open up Fetch, your shortcut will be opened automatically
and all you'll have to do is click the OK button!
Figure 2C
How to Transfer Files
Refer again to Figure 2B. You need to double-click
on www to get to your web directory. This is where all your files
will be downloaded, and/or you will create subdirectories. The only
system directory that you may need to use is cgi-bin; this directory
is reserved for custom scripts. To make your home page load automatically,
name the HTML document "index.htm" in lowercase and upload it to
the www directory of your account. To upload a file or files, simply
drag them from your hard drive onto the Fetch window when you are
in the appropriate directory or subdirectory. Be sure to upload
HTML documents and scripts in Text mode and images in BINARY mode.
Or to make life easier, click on the Automatic button as shown in
Figure 2B, and Fetch will decide the proper format. To transfer
a file to a subdirectory, double-click the appropriate subdirectory
to open it before transferring the desired file(s).
To insure that the Automatic selection works properly,
make sure the selections under the Upload tab in the Preferences
window looks the same as Figure 2D below.
Figure 2D
As soon as a file is uploaded to the web server, it
is available for all to see. If, after uploading a file, you are
still unable to see the updated file via Netscape, you need to hit
the Reload button in the Netscape button bar. Remember that you
must first be connected to the Internet through your local Internet
service provider in order to connect to the web server.
Anonymous FTP Setup
Your anonymous FTP site is completely different from
your website. When people FTP to your domain anonymously, they will
see the following directories:
bin
dev
etc
incoming
lib
pub
"Pub" is where you should put all your anonymously
accessible files. "Incoming" is for the anonymous users to upload
files. You are responsible for any "pirated" software uploaded by
the anonymous users. The anonymous FTP sites will be periodically
monitored for any abuses. You may ignore the other directories (bin,
dev, etc, and lib).
You may tell your visitors that they can visit your
anonymous FTP site by typing "yourdomain.com" as the hostname, "anonymous"
as their username, and their complete email address as the password.
To access the anonymous FTP site via the web, use
the following address:
ftp://yourdomain.com/pub/
Your HTML to download a file called mirc511s.exe from
a webpage would look like this:
<A HREF="ftp://yourdomain.com/pub/mirc511s.exe">Download
Mirc Now</A>
You should tell your visitors that they may need to
right-click on the link if they are PC users, or if they use a Macintosh,
they need to hold down the mouse button on the link, then select
the appropriate option from the Pop-up menu.
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