We-Host Support - Creating your first web site

Web Development
Support

Creating Web Site
The Basics

Go to Beginning

The Basics

Please note that some of the information contained within this support documentation is specifically for our Virtual Server customers. Should you have any specific questions, please e-mail support@we-host.com

Easy Steps For Using Your Virtual Server
The fundamentals necessary to creating a functional Internet presence with your new We-Host Virtual Server System are outlined below.

Design a Web site
Upload Content to your Server
Use an FTP Client
Use Windows File Share to "Drag and Drop"
Create E-mail Aliases and E-mail Mailboxes
Using E-mail Aliasing
Setting up an E-mail Mailbox
Accessing your E-mail Mailbox
Build Your FTP Site
Consider Additional Help
1. Download the Virtual Server Handbook

1. Design a Web site
Having a powerful Internet presence is essential for companies that seek to compete in the future. The first step in creating a powerful Internet presence is designing an equally powerful Web site. There are basically three ways to create great Web pages:

Get a Web publisher program and do it yourself
There are numerous Web publisher programs available on the Internet today. Many of the more popular publishing programs include Netscape Composer, NetObjects Fusion, Sausage Software HotDog, AOLpress, Adobe PageMill, Allaire HomeSite, GoLive CyberStudio, Galt Technology webMASTER PRO, and Microsoft FrontPage. This is only a small sample of Web publisher programs. You can find additional programs by typing "HTML editor" into any good search engine.

Hire someone with Web know-how
There are numerous consultants, ad agencies, and web design firms who have the technical know-how to construct a Web site; however, a good Web site is much more than just HTML code. The consultants you retain should design your Web site from a marketing point of view, to ensure that the proper message is being communicated to its potential and existing clients. For this reason, you should be wary about simply turning over its Web site to someone who has the technical know-how without considering the marketing and design side of your Web site.

Learn HTML and build from the ground up
Many people learn HTML and build web content by hand. Though there may be a significant time investment involved, the power and flexibility you command by manipulating the raw HTML code cannot be matched (only mimicked) by graphical publishing programs.
The best way to learn HTML (or Hyper Text Mark-up Language - the language used for constructing web pages) is to look at the "source" of documents you find appealing. The HTML source code can be viewed using most popular Internet browsers (look under the "View" menu in Netscape or MSIE), consult your browser documentation for specific information about viewing HTML source code.

You may also want to refer to other HTML resources such as online guides or books.

[top]

2. Upload Files to your Virtual Server
Now that your HTML and graphic file design is complete, you are ready to upload the files to your Virtual Server. There are several methods to upload content to your Virtual Server, some of which are discussed below.

Uploading files via an FTP Client
In order to upload your content via FTP, you will first need to choose an FTP client. Freeware, Shareware, and Commercial FTP clients are available. You can find a good number of FTP clients by searching Yahoo or c|net download.com for "FTP client".
If you are using the Windows 95/NT operating system, you can use the FTP client that is built into the TCP/IP stack. The We-Host Support Staff has also found the graphical FTP client, WS_FTP to be very useful. Another one of our favorite FTP programs is CuteFTP. If you are using a Macintosh, Fetch is probably the most popular FTP program available and is quite easy to use.

Since each FTP program is unique, it is impractical to give a step by step description about how to use each FTP program. However, despite this, there is some common information required by all FTP programs. This information includes your Host Name, your User ID, and your Password. The e-mail configuration letter you received from the We-Host Order Processing department includes this information.

We have included specific instructions about how to use both WS_FTP and Fetch below.

Using WS_FTP (Windows)
1. Establish a connection to your Virtual Host/Server by selecting the "Connect" button. Specify your company name as the "Profile Name", your domain name (or temporary domain name if your domain name has not yet been registered) as the "Host Name/Address", your login name as the "User ID", and your login password as the "Password".
2. Once a connection is established, two columns will appear on your screen. The column on the left displays files on your computer while the column on the right represents directories and files on your Virtual Server.
3. You will want to navigate to the "www/htdocs" or "usr/local/etc/httpd/htdocs" folder on your Virtual Server (the right side of the dialog). This is the directory where you will store your web content.
4. Select the appropriate files or directories that you want to transfer from your computer (the left side) to your Virtual Server (the right side) by selecting them with your mouse. You can select more than one by holding down the shift key.
5. Once these files are selected you simply hit the arrow "-->" pointing toward the right or toward the Virtual Server directory window. Be sure that all HTML documents and cgi script are transferred in ASCII mode. Graphics should be transferred in Binary format. The latest versions of WS_FTP provide an "Auto" toggle button you can select- WS_FTP will then automatically determine which mode to transfer the file (we recommend you use the "Auto" mode).
Using Fetch (Macintosh)
1. Establish a connection to your Virtual Server by selecting the "New Connection" button under the "File" menu. Specify your domain name (or temporary domain name if your domain name has not yet been registered) as the "Host", your login name as the "User ID", and your login password as the "Password".
2. You will want to navigate to the "www/htdocs" or "usr/local/etc/httpd/htdocs" folder on your Virtual Server. This is the directory where you will store your web content.
3. To upload content to your Virtual server you can either drag files and folders from your desktop to the Fetch window or select the "Put File..." button and select files and folders.
4. Be sure that all HTML documents and cgi script are transferred in ASCII mode. Graphics should be transferred in Binary format. Fetch also has a setting, "Automatic", that you can select- Fetch will then automatically determine which mode to transfer the file (we recommend you use the "Automatic" mode).

Uploading files via Windows 95/NT File Sharing
The Windows Fileshare support allows you to map your Virtual Server's home directory to your Windows 95 or NT desktop over the Internet. This is very nice interface for maintaining your Web site. After your Virtual Server's network drive is mapped, you simply need to "drag-and-drop" files to your Virtual Server. This feature also allows you to delete, copy, and move files on your Virtual Server as if it were a local drive.

[top]

3. Create E-mail Aliases and E-mail Mailboxes
(Virtual Server clients only)
Each of the We-Host Virtual Server Systems allow you to create unlimited e-mail aliases. If you ordered a Fully Functional Virtual Server (70+mb Virtual Server) you have the additional capability of adding unlimited individual e-mail mailboxes. The Basic Virtual Server (70mb) is only allowed one (1) e-mail mailbox. The POP bos will be named the same as your login name.

Using E-mail Aliasing
Each Virtual Server is configured with e-mail aliasing capability. You can test your e-mail aliasing by setting up a "webmaster" alias to forward e-mail sent to the address
```
    webmaster@your_domain.name
```
to actually deliver to
```
    your@current_isp.address
```
You can add the alias manually by including the following line somewhere in your etc/aliases file:
```
    webmaster: your@current-isp.address
```
You can edit the etc/aliases file on the server itself by connecting to your server via telnet and using any of the many editors available such as pico, vi, or emacs. Or if you would rather, you can download the file using FTP, edit it locally on your machine, and then FTP it back up to your Virtual Server.

After the etc/aliases file has been edited, run the program "vnewaliases"

You have the freedom to add any number of e-mail aliases that you desire. There is no limitation. After you are comfortable with the basic capability of e-mail aliasing on your Virtual Server, you may find the need to manage and maintain a "mailing list". Other popular mailing list software such as listserv can also be easily supported.

Setting up an E-mail Mailbox
The Basic Virtual Host (Package C) is configured with one (1) e-mail mailbox. This single mailbox shares the same name as the login name that you selected as part of your Virtual Server order process. If you are reading this as a Basic Virtual Server administrator, skip down to the next step "Accessing your E-mail Mailbox".
E-mail mailboxes are different from e-mail aliasing. E-mail aliasing simply configures an e-mail address to forward to an existing (off-site or on-site) e-mail mailbox. The e-mail mailbox stores the mail until it is "popped" or removed.

You can manually add mail boxes by connecting to your server via telnet and running the command "vadduser". Other mailbox utilities include "vrmuser" to remove e-mail mailboxes and "vlistuser" to list all of your current e-mail mailboxes.

You are at liberty to create as many e-mail mailboxes as you desire. There is no extra charge for additional mailboxes.

Accessing your E-mail Mailbox
Any number of e-mail clients can be used to access e-mail stored at an e-mail mailbox on your Virtual Server. If you are using the Post Office Protocol (POP) to "pop" mail off of your Virtual Server e-mail mailbox (i.e. download the mail to your local computer) then you should consider Qualcomm Eudora, Netscape Communicator, Pegasus Mail by David Harris, or the Microsoft Internet Explorer. If you are using the Internet Mail Access Protocol (IMAP) to read mail from your Virtual Server e-mail mailbox then Netscape Communicator or Qualcomm Eudora 4.0+ are good choices.
Each mail client, though different, will require essentially the same information, namely: the mailbox location, your identity, your e-mail address, and the SMTP relay host. Some sample configuration parameters for several e-mail clients are given below:

Qualcomm Eudora Configuration Settings (POP)
Under the Tools menu, select the Options menu item.
   In the "Getting Started" section:
      POP account: username@pop.your_domain.name or
      POP account: username@pop.temp_domain.name
      Real name: your full name
   In the "Personal Info" section:
      Return address: username@your_domain.name or
      Return address: username@temp_domain.name
   In the "Hosts" section:
      SMTP: smtp.your_domain.name or
      SMTP: smtp.temp_domain.name

Pegasus Mail Configuration Settings (POP)
Under the Tools menu, select the Options menu item.
   In the "General settings" category:
      Personal name: your full name
      Reply address: username@your_domain.name or
      Reply address: username@temp_domain.name
   In the "Network configuration" category:
      POP3 host: pop.your_domain.name or
      POP3 host: pop.temp_domain.name
      User name: username
      Password: your mailbox password (optional)
      SMTP host: smtp.your_domain.name or
      SMTP host: smtp.temp_domain.name

Netscape Navigator 3.x Configuration Settings (POP)
Under the Options menu, select the Mail and News Preferences menu item.
   Under the "Servers" tab:
      SMTP server: smtp.your_domain.name or
      SMTP server: smtp.temp_domain.name
      POP3 server: pop.your_domain.name or
      POP3 server: pop.temp_domain.name
      User name: username
   Under the "Identity" tab:
      Your name: your full name
      Email address: username@your_domain.name or
      Email address: username@temp_domain.name

Netscape Navigator 4.x Configuration Settings (POP)
Under the Edit menu, select the Preferences menu item.
Click on the Mail & Groups Category.
   Select the "Identity" item:
      Your name: your full name
      Email address: username@your_domain.name or
      Email address: username@temp_domain.name
   Select the "Mail Server" item:
      Mail server user name: username
      Outgoing mail (SMTP) server: smtp.your_domain.name or
      Outgoing mail (SMTP) server: smtp.temp_domain.name
      Incoming mail server: pop.your_domain.name or
      Incoming mail server: pop.temp_domain.name
      Mail server type: POP3

Netscape Navigator 4.x Configuration Settings (IMAP)
Under the Edit menu, select the Preferences menu item.
Click on the Mail & Groups Category.
   Select the "Identity" item:
      Your name: your full name
      Email address: username@your_domain.name or
      Email address: username@temp_domain.name
   Select the "Mail Server" item:
      Mail server user name: username
      Outgoing mail (SMTP) server: smtp.your_domain.name or
      Outgoing mail (SMTP) server: smtp.temp_domain.name
      Incoming mail server: imap.your_domain.name or
      Incoming mail server: imap.temp_domain.name
      Mail server type: IMAP

[top]

4. Build Your FTP Site
The Fully Functional Virtual Servers 200 MB and over include the Virtual FTP Service or the capability of providing anonymous and non-anonymous FTP access. All Virtual Hosting accounts are also set-up with FTP access, however, username and passwords are configured by the We-Host Support Staff. The non-anonymous FTP access is configured by using the "vadduser" command (as described in the previous section about creating e-mail mailboxes). This allows you to grant users access to a specific directory provided they supply the correct username and password pair.

Your anonymous FTP site is used to grant indiscriminate access to your "ftp" directory of your Virtual Server (this directory is located in your Virtual Server's home directory). An anonymous FTP site is primarily used to distribute software, disseminate information, or to allow your clients and customers to upload data to your site.

In the "ftp" directory of your Virtual Server you will find two directories, "bin" and "pub". Your "bin" directory contains some executables necessary for your FTP site to function. Your "pub" directory (short for public) is ideal for you to use to store content and create additional directory structures.

You can create a "welcome message" which will be displayed to all your anonymous ftp visitors when they connect to your site. For example, you may create a file like this:

******************************************************************

  Welcome to our Anonymous FTP Archive

  Download demo versions of our products.  We support several 
  platforms:
      Macintosh       pub/software/macintosh
      Windows 3.1     pub/software/win31
      Windows 95/NT   pub/software/win95_NT

  If you are a registered user, please download the latest
  patches:
      Macintosh       pub/software/patches/macintosh
      Windows 3.1     pub/software/patches/win31
      Windows 95/NT   pub/software/patches/win95_NT

  You will find our documentation in pub/docs

  If our technical support department has asked you to upload 
  files, please do so in the incoming directory

  Thank you for visiting.  If you have any comments about our 
  ftp site, you can send them to suggest@our_domain.name

******************************************************************

Each time someone connects to your FTP site they will see this very informative welcome message. The welcome message must be stored in your ftp directory under the name of ".welcome".

You may want to create a special directory to allow people to upload files to your FTP site. You indicate that a directory is for upload only by creating a ".incoming" file in that directory. For example, create an "incoming" directory in your ftp root directory:

    mkdir incoming

Change your current working directory to the incoming directory:

    cd incoming

Then create a blank ".incoming" file:

    touch .incoming

This will mark the directory as an "incoming" directory which will allow your FTP site visitors to upload files for your review.

Each subdirectory of your FTP site may contain an individual message. This message must be stored in the directory under the name of ".message".

[top]

5. Consider Additional Help
The We-Host web site is laden with resources that will help you become more familiar with your Virtual Server. For example, this Getting Started section includes detailed tutorials created specifically to help you upload files to your Virtual Server, connect to your Virtual Server via telnet or SSH, and become acquainted with some simple UNIX commands.

As always, if you encounter a problem or have a question that you cannot resolve do not hesitate to contact our We-Host Support Staff.

Download the Virtual Server Handbook
We-Host has created a Virtual Server Administrative Handbook for you to review. Please become familiar with the contents of the Handbook as many of your questions will likely be answered by this document. You are welcome to download and print out this Handbook for your personal use. Upon purchase of a Virtual Server package, you may download the Virtual Server Handbook.

Last Updated: 11 June, 2000 · Email support web site errors to webmaster@we-host.com