This compendium of typical and most often asked questions is intended to provide you with answers to these question in the hope that they will save you time, reduce or eliminate confusion, and provide for a solid foundation to build upon.
If you don't find an answer to your question here, please access the support desk for further assistance.
These question/answers are grouped in the following categories:
::: General Questions :::
I have more than one domain/website, can I have them both on one account?
You may park up to ten domains on any account; however you may only have one website per account, excluding subdomains. If you wish to have more than one site, you will need more than one account.
I've received my setup E-mail, now what?
Login to the administrative interface at your domain registrar and change the name servers to point to ns1.mmshosting.com & ns2.mmshosting.com. You may begin uploading your content immediately by using the assigned IP address for your domain. Please refer to other FAQ's here for ways to view your website before your domain points to your account.
How long does it take for my domain to resolve to your server?
Typically, once you've changed your name servers with your registrar it will take 24 to 48 hours for the changes to take effect.
What methods of payment do you accept?
We accept Mastercard, Visa, Discover, American Express, and Paypal.com.
What kind of tech support methods are available?
We offer support through our support page or by sending an E-mail to support. We prefer support requests to come through our helpdesk for a variety of reasons. First, it provides an audit trail of communication so that all the facts can be passed on to whomever may be working your problem. Second, it allows us to focus on fixing problems instead of answering the phone.
Is it okay to use something like Movable Type, Greymatter, or B2 to maintain a journal/blog?
It certainly is fine to use such software on your hosting account. We also have all of the "extra" PERL modules installed and available for using Movable Type. We do though recommend against Greymatter for larger journals, as the rebuild time could potentially stress the webserver. We haven't had a problem thus far with anyone using Greymatter but on larger sites it may take up to twenty minutes to rebuild or perhaps longer. B2/Cafelog would be strongly recommended in this case as there is no rebuilding necessary.
Well, what about a forum?
We would ask that forum software only be installed on our higher level accounts (Personal or higher), but we currently do not have such a restriction (and likely never will.) Forums tend to be traffic and resource intensive and need to be carefully considered before implemented.
We do have a few requirement restrictions regarding forum software however. YABB and UBB are specifically prohibited from being used. See CGI Abuse Policy.
I still have questions, who can I contact?
To provide you with the quickest and most accurate answer, please e-mail us at sales@MMSHosting.com and a representative will get back to you as soon as possible.
::: Site Access :::
How do I access my account before my domain is transferred?
You may access your account by using your assigned IP address. Use it in place of your domain name for ftp or viewing your pages. To view your pages before your domain is transferred you may use:
http://YOUR_IP_ADDRESS/~YOURUSERNAME/.
I have just signed up and can not access my site with my domain name.
In order to access your website using your domain name, you must update your name servers with your domain name registrar first. Our name servers and IP's were supplied to you upon signing up. Please contact support if you need your account information resent.
After updating your name servers with your registrar, it takes between 24-72 hours for the global DNS tables to reflect the change. You may then access your site using your domain name. If we register your domain name for you, we will do this for you during domain registration.
Until your domain name resolves, you can access your pages by typing in your address as follows:
http://IP-address/~user_name/
(Replace 'IP-address' and 'user_name' with your 'IP-address' and 'user name' for your account.)
I can not reach my website (getting Cannot Find Server error) what should I do?
Provided it was working correctly (DNS setup correctly, etc) prior to this conditions, there are several potential reasons. Clearly there could be an issue with the server, the web server software (Apache) or a network issue either at the data center or upstream providers. Things like "denial of service" attacks can affect network node and servers.
While we strive to have 100% uptime there are contributing factor that prevent achieving that goal. System and network monitors are in place to monitor the "health" of the server and take corrective action when needed. While these conditions can occur, they should be extremely rare and if they do occur, please wait five minutes before reporting your site or server as "down" as these monitoring scripts run frequently and can correct server related issues independently.
How do I log into the control panel?
It is advisable to access the control panel securely via SSL. You may access the control panel via your domain (https://yourdomain.com:2083) or access the control panel via an unencrypted connection via port 2082.
https://yourdomain.com:2083
https://yourIP:2083
http://yourdomain.com:2082
http://yourIP:2082
http://yourdomain.com/cpanel
I received an error while trying to change my password, what is wrong?
This could mean that your password is too simple to be allowed as a password to your primary account. Please choose something more difficult that is not based upon a dictionary word. On our system, there are safeguards in place to prevent using a password that is too simple or easily cracked; you will receive that error until you choose a password that is not easily compromised. Admittedly it is somewhat of an annoyance, but it is important, by using a password that is not found directly within the dictionary it then makes a "brute force" type password crack attempt on the server much more difficult.
Can I TELNET or SSH into my account?
No, TELNET access is disabled as it is a very insecure protocol. You are also not permitted to access your account via SSH. It has been our experience that nearly all tasks that a user wishes to accomplish can be done through the control panel or FTP. In the rare instance a task needs direct account access, contact support and they will be able to address your needs.
How do I type my URL: http://mydomain.com or http://www.mydomain.com?
You may use either method. Either both http:// or http://www will work.
::: FTP and Front Page :::
I can not connect via FTP using any of the secondary FTP accounts I created via the control panel, do I need to do something special to make them work?
No, you do not need to do anything special to make them start working. As with E-mail, you need to include is the @domain.com portion as part of the username.
For example, if you created an FTP account for the "foo" directory, your FTP login would be foo@yourdomain.com. If you attempt to login with just the first portion (foo) you will either receive an error stating the account doesn't exist (most common) or a password error if there is actually already a primary account using that login.
We require the @yourdomain.com portion to log into E-mail and FTP secondary accounts so that you are not limited in your choice of account addresses. If we did not, you would then need to pick and choose between already existing system wide usernames.
How do I upload my pages to the server via ftp?
To upload your files via ftp, you will need a ftp client software. There are several popular ftp clients available for download. A search of Google with the terms "ftp" and "client" should prove helpful.
You can also upload your pages from within your control panel. Access your control panel and select File Manager. Click on the Public_Html directory. Click Upload Files and select the files to upload from your PC. Click Upload and you are done.
Please upload your pages to the public_html directory.
How do I upload my pages using Microsoft FrontPage™?
To upload with Microsoft FrontPage™, you need to have requested or installed the frontpage extensions on your account.
You may install and uninstall the extensions within your control panel by clicking the FrontPage™ Icon. Please contact support if you have any questions regarding this.
To publish your site after your domain name has resolved to our server (24-72 hours), you may upload your site to your domain name ie. http:// your.domainname.com
I cannot upload my files using FrontPage™ and some of my code is missing from the pages.
You receive the following error..."Server error: Cannot close file ".example.gif.tmp".
This is usually because you have exceeded your storage allowance for your account. Please note that the shopping cart and cgi-tools all take up space on the server if you install and use them. If you are not using your shopping cart, you can free up disk space by contacting support who will then reset your shopping cart for you.
::: E-mail :::
How do I access webmail without going through the control panel?
You may access webmail directly by using a URL such as http://yourdomain.com:2095 (Also see below). Use the full E-mail address and your password to login. The only instance you would use simply the username would be if you wanted to check your primary account based on your hosting account username. You then have a choice between several different webmail clients available.
Here are a couple of methods to access your mail through the web:
http://your_domain_name/webmail Choice of three webmail tools
or
http://your_domain_name:2095
I can receive E-mail but I cannot send, what's wrong?
Does your ISP require you to send E-mail through their SMTP servers? This is becoming very common, and particularly if you use a "large" national ISP like Earthlink or MSN; this is the primary reason most clients cannot send E-mail. You will need to send E-mail out via your ISP in this case, please consult with their tech support for any questions regarding how to set this up.
However, if sending E-mail out via a third party SMTP server is allowed by your ISP but you cannot send E-mail, you need to make sure that you are authenticating with our SMTP server prior to attempting to send E-mail. The SMTP server is secured against acting as an "open relay" and thus requires you to login to send just as you would to receive E-mail. Please consult the documentation for your E-mail application if you are unsure how to setup authentication on sending E-mail; due to the vast number of different E-mail applications out there it is virtually impossible for our support helpdesk to explain how to do this.
I get an error that says the E-mail account doesn't exist when I try to check the account via POP3, what's wrong?
Verify via the control panel that you have successfully created the E-mail account (if this is a new account you're checking. Also, remember that you must use the full E-mail address as your username when checking E-mail via webmail or POP3. Most commonly username errors result when using only the first portion of the E-mail address and not including the domain portion.
What is a 'catch all' pop E-mail account?
The 'catch all' pop E-mail address has the same name as the username of your hosting account. If you have not set up any e-mail accounts within your control panel, this will catch every e-mail sent to your domain ie. Anything@YourDomainName.com.
This default 'catch all' E-mail account will still work even when you create other accounts, which is especially useful if people incorrectly spell the first half of the e-mail address, as you will still get all of your e-mails. This is the one e-mail account that is set up with your e-mail client software (ie. Outlook express etc) with the hosting account username only (all other accounts use username@YourDomainName.com as the username in their mail software.) This is also the only web mail account that you have "instant" access to within your control panel without having to login first.
How do I set up my pop E-mail accounts with my E-mail software?
With Outlook or Outlook express (Other E-mail clients will be similar):
E-mail Address:
anyone@YourDomainName.com
Incoming Mail Server Type: POP3
Incoming Mail Server: mail.YourDomainName.com
Outgoing Mail Server: smtp.yourisp.com (preferred) or mail.YourDomainName.com
Account Name: 'anyone' (for catch all address) [or]
someone@YourDomainName.com for an address that you add.
Password: Your hosting account or added E-mail account's password
We do have outgoing SMTP servers, however, we recommend that you use your dial up or broadband network access account for the smtp function of your e-mail program. The reason is simple - our servers run faster with less E-mail being sent through them, and since you have an ISP to connect to the internet, you get an E-mail account from them. But, for many of you, you have AOL, or another large supplier. These have different rules. If you use AOL, you need to use mail.yourdomain.com in your e-mail program when it asks for your SMTP (outgoing) mail server, and you must check off "My server requires Authentication." If it asks for your outgoing mail server username and password, this is the username and password for your actual hosting account - not your E-mail account. If you use MSN, or one of several others, they will not allow you to use anything but them in that configuration line (this is a security measure to prevent SPAM.)
If you have MSN, or one of the others that gives you an error of: "Relay Denied", You must use YOUR dialup or network broadband account SMTP information, where you are asked for your outgoing SMTP account. You should obtain this information from your dialup or broadband network Internet Service Provider.
How many E-mail accounts am I allowed?
We currently do not restrict the number of E-mail accounts you may have. However, E-mail does consume space on your account and therefore your available space may limit the number of E-mail accounts you can really have.
Can not connect to my account to send mail.
When you have your E-mail client configured to use your hosting account as your "SMTP" outgoing server, you may have an error that is caused by your ISP (the service you use to connect to the internet). If you encounter an error that describes a failure to connect using a socket connection and port 25, you are most likely encountering an ISP restriction.
These ISP's do this so they can limit/control the amount of spam being sent and all E-mails will then be sent from their servers. There is no spam being sent from our servers, nor will there be (refer to our policy section.)
In this cases you must use your ISP's SMTP server for your outgoing main. You can use your MMSHosing account E-mail address as the return/sending address. Thus your sent mail will appear to the recipient to have been sent by your domain.
Here is a list (may be incomplete) of ISPs that are known to be blocking port 25:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
AT&T Bell Sympatico capecod.net
dstream.net early.com Earthlink
earthlink.net ezonline.net fgi.net
Flashnet fn.net gate.net
gowebway.com hit.net iag.net
igc.org indy.net infi.com
interserv.com ipa.net ix.netcom.com
jps.net ldd.net lightspeed.net
mac.com mcn.net MediaOne
midwest.net millcomm.com Mindspring
mindspring.com MSN msn.com
myneer.com neaccess.net nemonet.com
NetZero onemain.com palmnet.net
penn.com PeoplePC pipeline.com
powerbank.net radiks.net ramlink.net
rconnect.com rnet.com salamander.com
shianet.org southwind.net springmail.com
sprynet.com sunlink.net supernet.com
sympatico.ca teleport.com thegrid.net
tir.com together.net travelin.com
uplink.net usit.net usmo.com
Verizon virtual.capecod.net willowtree.com
zoomnet.net
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Block E-mail to non-existent address
We have all probably received E-mail addressed to info@mydomain.com or sales@mydomain.com --even though we have never created or used such E-mail accounts.
So, is it possible to stop or block E-mails addressed to such non-existent accounts?
The answer is "Yes" - and here are a couple of solutions that only requires a quick change using CPanel ...
Solution 1:
"I want all undefined mail addresses to be bounced"
To accomplished this, change your Default Address to either :blackhole: or :fail: by going to your Cpanel and selecting "Default address" from "Mail Management". Set you default address to either ':blackhole:' or ':fail:' (without the quotes.)
Although both options will end up solving the same problem, there are some differences in the way they work, and so we recommend using the :blackhole: option.
Solution 2:
"I only want a single address to be bounced"
In this case we will create a mail forwarder to forward the mail to either ':blackhole:' or ':fail:' (without the quotes.)
Access your Cpanel and select "Forwarders" form the "Mail Management" section. Create a forwarder for the mail address you want to bounce and set the "to" address to either ':blackhole:' or ':fail:'.
Fail -vs- Blackhole
:fail:
When an E-mail is sent to an address that is set to :fail: no such address here it is blocked from going to your inbox and a message is sent to the party which sent the mail to let them know that there is no one at that address by that name. If the sending party is a legitimate address that's the end of it but still notice that there are two messages involved-- the original message to you and the message going back to the sender.
A problem pops up when the sending party is a fake address. Now the incoming message is blocked and a message is sent back just as in the example above. The problem is the message going out cannot be delivered and stays in the mail queue to be tried again later and will be retried numerous times until it is deleted.
:blackhole:
If a message arrives to an account set to :blackhole: it is blocked from being delivered and deleted. No more action is taken. Only one message is involved and fewer resources are tied up. Multiply this by thousands of messages and it makes a difference.
::: CGI Scripts :::
Which directory do I place my cgi files in?
You should upload your .cgi files to your cgi-bin directory. *.cgi scripts will run anywhere within your public_html directory but *.pl (perl)files MUST be placed within your cgi-bin in order for them to function correctly.
What is the method for uploading .cgi files?
You should upload your .cgi or .pl files with your ftp client in ASCII format. This is important as your files will not execute if you upload them in BINARY format. You should also set your permissions for each file as specified by the software vendor. Permissions are referred to as CHMOD ie (CHMOD 755) and can be set within the control panel or with your ftp client after you have uploaded your files to the server.
What are the common server paths that I may need?
The most common server paths are:
Perl version 5.x: /usr/bin/perl
Absolute path for your files/scripts: /home/username/public_html/
Sendmail: /usr/sbin/sendmail
Date: /bin/date
Java: /usr/bin/java
Whois: /usr/bin/whois
Python: /usr/bin/python
::: Domains and Domain Names :::
What is a Domain Name?
A Domain Name is the word-version of a lengthy set of numbers that makes up an Internet address (called an IP address).
That address and corresponding Domain Name locates a computer that is connected to the Internet. Sometimes it is referred to as a Web address or a URL. An example would be http://www.DomainName.com
What is a TLD or gTLD?
There are two types of Top Level Domains. The most common type is Generic or gTLDs, such as .com, .net, .org. The second is the country or ccTLD and describes a specific country like 'fr' for France, 'is' for Iceland. TLDs such as .nom, .info and .biz are new or recent additions to the Generic TLDs.
We can currently register domains in these TLD's:
.com | .net | .org | .biz | .info | .us
What's the maximum number of characters for a Domain Name?
The maximum number of characters that can be placed in the global database for a Domain Name is 67 including the TLD. (e.g. .com)
What if the name I want is not available?
If the name you want is not available, you can try searching for a different name or a variation of the name you desire (sometimes a slightly different spelling or incorporating a hyphen will work). If it's extremely important to you to own a particular name, you can contact the owner of the Domain Name to try to negotiate purchasing it from them.
What information is required to register a Domain Name?
You must enter a mailing address, a telephone number, an e-mail address and company and/or your name's. We can administer your Domain for you unless you want to do this or have your web hosting or ISP to do it for you.
You also must provide DNS information about the servers that your Domain Name points to, unless you host your site with us or just free park your domain on our servers.
Once I've registered my Domain Name, what do I do now?
Once your payment clears and the global database alerts us that your name has been accepted, you own your name and the database should reflect the information within 24-72 hours. You can now access your website via your domain name if you have a hosting provider.
Please note: There are no refunds for domain names. Once purchased, they belong to you until they expire or ownership transfers.
Can I register a Domain Name without having a Web site?
Yes. Domain Names can be registered and "parked" on our server until you are ready to launch your Website. You do not have to provide DNS, we can do that for you.
Can I "park" my name at MMSHosting.com?
Yes. Domain Names can be "parked" at MMSHosting.com at no additional cost for as long as you like. Once you've registered a Domain Name, it will automatically be parked on the default server until you've chosen a hosting service and launched your Web site.
How long does the registration process take?
From the time you settle on a Domain Name that is available, to the moment you become the owner is usually a matter of minutes, for online registration (subject to payment processing completion.) Domain registrations with Hosting sign ups are usually completed within a few hours, with a guaranteed 24 Hour maximum.
Once my Domain Name is registered who owns it?
The "owner" is the legally binding holder of a Domain Name and in this case the person listed as the Registrant contact when the name was registered. The administrative contact is the person authorized to make changes to the information related to the Domain Name. The billing contact is responsible for billing issues and the Technical Contact is the one who is authorized to edit zone details etc. (Usually us or your web host)
How long is the registration period?
We currently register Domain Names for 1 - 10 years.
Are any fees incurred when changing contact or DNS information?
No. Once you've registered a Domain Name with us, you can make changes to the contact or DNS as often as necessary.
Can I transfer my Domain Name's to MMSHosting.com?
Yes. Contact sales@MMSHosting.com for .com / .net / .org / .biz / .us / and .info transfer requests. The cost is $15/domain per year.
How can I sell my Domain Name?
When you sell / transfer ownership of a Domain Name, the new owner will be required to pay for at least one year of registration at the time of the transfer. You just need to update the registrant details to be the new owners. Please contact us at sales@MMSHosting.com to help you with the transfer.
Should I be concerned about trademarks when registering a Domain Name?
There is no easy or simple answer to this question, however, as a general rule: if you are registering a Domain Name that is the same as a registered trademark for the purposes of trying to mislead that trademark holder's customers or profit from their name, you may be heading for legal trouble.
There are numerous legal issues involved with trademark and copyright infringement and how it relates to the Web, so you need to be educated.
If your business is called "Acme Business Computers" you wouldn't want to try and register "ABC" as a name.
