ColdFusion FAQ
Q: Are there any references on Cold Fusion that would help me with my development?
A: Adobe's site is a great place for information about ColdFusion including coding references. The following link has a complete online CFML reference not just to the latest version, but also several older versions:
CFML Reference. They have plenty of information including many examples.
Q: What is Cold Fusion?
A: ColdFusion is a web application development platform. It is also a tag based programming language used by developers to create dynamic web page applications on corporate intranets and the Internet. ColdFusion gives developers a way to quickly build powerful Web applications that integrate with key server technologies such as relational databases and SMTP email.
Q: Do I need any special tools to use Cold Fusion?
A: No. The Cold Fusion language is tag based, just
like HTML. Therefore, any standard web
authoring tool that allows editing of HTML can be
used. As a result, all development and
debugging of a Cold Fusion application can take
place right on the Spiderlink servers. If you
plan to do heavy development work with
Cold Fusion, you may find it easier to purchase a
copy of Cold Fusion to do all your development
on your local computer, and only copy the
finished product to
our servers. Go to Adobe's website for more detailed information about ColdFusion.
Q: Do I have to buy Cold Fusion?
A: Our shared Windows servers support ColdFusion, so you do not have to purchase the software as long as you are a shared client. Dedicated clients will need to purchase ColdFusion or any other third party software as needed. With our managed plans we handle everything from the installation of ColdFusion to all administrative functions.
Q: What databases can I use with Cold Fusion?
A: You can use any ODBC-compliant database such as
Microsoft Access, Microsoft SQL Server, or even MySQL. We recommend MySQL or SQL Server for sites that require large volumes of data and query transactions. Contact our support team if you need help deciding on which type system to deploy.
Q: What version of Cold Fusion do you support?
A: We currently support version version 5.x, 7.x, 8.x and 9.x. on our servers. Please contact us if you have a specific preference so we can make sure and set up your website on the appropriate server.
Q: Do you support CFX tags?
A: Yes, we support both CFX tags and CFFile tags.
Some of the common tags we support are :
CFX_ACBUTIL
CFX_Cybercash
CFX_gifgd
CFX_INDEX
CFX_MAKE_TREE
CFX_PAYMENTNET (for use with Payflow Pro)
CFX_REPLACE_CHARS
CFX_SEARCH
CFX_directorylist
CFX_dirlister
CFX_IMAGE
CFX_INDEX
CFX_quickbar
CFX_Zip
If there is a special tag you would like us to include, please contact us and we will do our best to accommodate your request.
Q: When I need to update my database can I just FTP over the old one?
A: We always suggest first uploading a copy of your
new database under a different name. Then, you
can rename or delete the live database, and
rename your new database file to what it should
be. This process is important in order avoid
corruption to your database since it resides in a multi-user environment and is constantly being updated. We always un-check the "maintain database
connections" setting in the CF Administrator which helps to avoid database file locks.
Q: Where can I learn more about Cold Fusion?
A: Your best bet is to visit
Adobe.
We also have links to the ColdFusion Reference and sample code on our
Technical Support page.
Dedicated Server FAQ
Q: When should I upgrade to a dedicated server?
A: We will usually contact you with alternatives if
we feel you have outgrown a shared server. Web
sites that generate heavy traffic and use a great
deal CPU and disk resources are candidates for a Dedicated
Server.
Q: Do you handle all administration of the servers?
A: Our Dedicated Server proposal include 100%
setup and administration of your servers. This is
where we get very competitive. You need never
allocate your own resources for anything from
installing/upgrading software/hardware, to adding
mappings in IIS, permissions, SQL Server
admin, Windows or Linux updates, etc. You can rely on us for all your technical needs from the simplest day to day administration of
IIS/SQL Server, Cold Fusion, to third party software installation/configuration or anything in between. 24X7 support is included for any
technical/service matters. Full system and file based backups are included with all dedicated server plans. Our
years of experience managing Windows and Linux based web and database servers make it possible for us to
quickly carry out these type of requests and
troubleshoot any problems that
may arise. Unless you have someone very well
versed with these services, setting up and
administering this type of configuration can
quickly consume valuable resources. Even with a
technician in house who can perform these
tasks, their skills may be better utilized
elsewhere!
Q: Do we need to set up our own mail server with the dedicated server plans?
A: Email services such as email forwarding are
provided free of charge for Dedicated Server
customers. We also offer a limited number of Pop3
accounts as part of the service. Clients who have more demanding mail
server needs can also use our services in managing a dedicated mail server.
Q: Do you offer administration services for our box?
A: Yes. Our administration package gives Dedicated
Server clients an out-of-the-box solution
tailored to their web server needs. Spiderlink
will set-up, maintain and administer your
dedicated Web, Cold Fusion, and SQL server.
Q: What operating systems do you handle?
A: We have years of experience with all versions of Windows Server. We also deploy and support Linux CentOS Enterprise. Both are robust and feature rich platforms widely used to host public and private web and database servers.
Q: Do you handle load balancing for heavy traffic sites?
A: Yes. We support both hardware and software based load balancing solutions. Client sites that experience heavy traffic and resource consumption can rely on our qualified technicians to assess your current environment and recommend the best distributed solution for your online application.
Q: Can your staff handle SQL Server related issues?
A: Relational database systems such as Microsoft SQL
Server and MySQL is our specialty. Our technicians are database administrators with decades of experience who are eager to help.
Q: What happens the operating system on my server gets corrupted?
A: There are many things that can go wrong with Windows and Linux systems alike. We make sure to do full system backups at least once a week, as well as daily and weekly file level backups on a regular basis.
Q: Do you handle SQL Server replication for our
dedicated servers?
A: Yes. If you have two or more dedicated servers
that require replication, we will handle all the
setup and scheduling tasks. We will always make
sure that we have a good understanding of your
application needs so that we can suggest the most
suitable replication methods.
Q: What remote administration tools come with my virtual server?
A: You can perform several basic functions on your virtual server through our client login administration area. Once you log in, select "Virtual Server Administration", and you will see several administration tools. With the click of a mouse, you can reboot, pause, and shut down your server. Windows users can also use Remote Desktop to gain remote control access into their system. Likewise, Linux users can use any SSH client to access their system with root access. All of our Linux virtual servers also come pre-installed with the "Webmin" control interface for easy access various administrative tools for Apache, MySQL and other application and system functions.
Q: Do we need to have a Firewall for our dedicated
Web server?
A: Firewalls are mainly used by companies that want
to protect their Internal network or Intranet
from the outside world. A company network is
typically made up of several workstations, with
sometimes hundreds or even thousands of end users
managing these machines. Even one badly
configured workstation can give a hacker access
to all resources on the network. A Firewall can
help prevent hackers from entering the company
network even if one or more workstations have
security issues.
Web servers meant to server content on the
Internet do not need to be behind a firewall. In
fact, most companies that have firewalls setup
will put their Internet Web server outside the
firewall. The big difference is that a Web
server is usually managed by a System
Administrator who can setup permissions properly,
and stay on top of operating system and
application upgrades.
Q: How can we prevent a 'Denial of Service' attack from affecting our servers?
A: DOS and DDOS (Distributed Denial of Service) attacks
such as the ones that have brought down Yahoo, Amazon, and many other big name sites can be very difficult
to avoid. The attacker basically brings the network down by flooding it
with large amounts of traffic. If the attack is coming from one computer,
it's easy to determine the IP address and then deny access to that
particular address at the Web server level and restore service. If the
attack is coming from multiple servers, as was the case with Yahoo,
Amazon, and others, it's a different story. In this case certain types of
network packets are hitting the network from several different sources.
Basically, the way it works is the attacker installs a malicious program
on multiple servers which then send multiple requests to the target to
flood the network. Attackers can install these programs on hundreds of
compromised machines, which means that hundreds of unwitting
participants can be involved in the attack.
This kind of attack is usually detected at the router level. All the
network packets must pass through the router before hitting your machines,
so with properly set router rules, this kind of attack can be avoided. The
entire network is at risk in this type of attack, not just the target
machine. Although a firewall can detect this kind of attack to a specific
server(s), services may still be inaccessible because of flooding to the
network. The Network Operations specialists at our computer facility have
many years of experience in filtering out this type of nuisance.
Q: Do I need to be a system administrator to have a virtual server?
A: With our fully managed dedicated servers you can concentrate solely on your website content/development. We handle all aspects of your dedicated server from system updates, to day to day administrative functions like website setup, permissions, FTP settings and everything in between. As a Linux or Windows managed server client, you can rely 100% on our support team for all of your server technical requirements. Consider us an extension of your IT department in any server related matters!
Q: How often do backups take place?
A: All of our MySQL and SQL Server databases are backed up automatically on a daily basis and retained for several months. We also have system and file level backups scheduled weekly. Clients are also welcome to request ad hoc backups or other special content backups whenever necessary. Your website and database content safety is our priority.
Domain Name Registration
E-Commerce
Q: Do you support PayFlow?
A: Yes. Several of our shared servers have the necessary components
installed to work with your ColdFusion and ASP scripts. Please check
out the following
Payflow Pro
Guide for more information.
Q: What is Verisign Payflow Pro?
A: Payflow Pro a robust, versatile online payment processing solution
for e-commerce merchants that allows online stores to easily and
securely accept and process credit card, debit card, purchase card,
electronic check, and ACH payment.
Q: Who is LinkPoint and do you support this method for ecommerce?
A: Yes, we have the necessary Com object installed on our servers to
support the LinkPoint system. LinkPoint is a division of Card
Services which is one of the largest credit card companies around.
If you go to their site you will see a link to documentation:
http://www.linkpoint.com/support/index.html
The DLL file we registered on our shared servers is: LpiCom_5_4.dll
Email Services
Q: I cannot access my email. Error says - The POP3
server is locked by another session.
A: To remedy the situation. Do not try to access
this email account for approx 15 minutes ( or
longer ) and the email server will release the
connection.
This just means that
either a connection was dropped in the middle of
a download, or two mail
accounts were trying to access the mailbox at the
same time. Any attempts to download mail before
the 10 or 15 minutes is up "resets" that
time. This means that the session remains locked
for another 10 to 15
minutes. You may want to make sure her email
program is closed so that it
will not try polling for new email before that
period of time has expired.
Q: What is the difference between Pop3 and IMAP email accounts?
A: We support both Pop3 and IMAP which are the most common email protocols today. Unlike IMAP accounts, Pop3 accounts are meant to be temporary repositories for incoming email messages. When an email is sent to a Pop3 user, the message is deposited into this repository which is then downloaded on to your computer with a standard mail client application like Outlook or Windows Live Mail. Your mail program can be configured to either remove the message from the server immediately after it downloads it to your computer, or it can leave a copy on the server which can be deleted after a number of days or when manually removed.
IMAP accounts are much different... all of your emails and their respective folders (i.e. Inbox, Sent Items, etc.) reside on the server. Most mail client programs only download the email headers when synchronizing with your computer or mobile device instead of actually downloading your complete emails with attachments. This is why it is important to archive or periodically force your mail client program to download full copies of your IMAP emails so that you have a local backup.
Q: What is your policy on SPAM?
A: We have strict policies against the use of our mail servers for
sending out unsolicited mail. Generally, if we receive 2 or more
complaints regarding SPAM sent through our system, we take immediate
action and either warn our customers or block usage depending on the
severity.
Q: How much disk space do I get with my Pop3 Account.
A: Each Pop3/IMAP user account comes with standard with 1GB of disk space by default. There is a limit of 5GB's of disk space for each domain name with our shared accounts. Clients can enjoy an unlimited number of user accounts within their domain name. Clients with larger disk space requirements can also upgrade to higher limits as needed.
Q: What are the SMTP and Pop3 Server names for me Pop3 account?
A: Below is the information you will need to connect to our servers for
sending/receiving mail:
Pop3 Server Name: spider1.spiderlink.com
SMTP Server Name: spider1.spiderlink.com
Userid: xxxx
Password: xxxx
Email Address: userid@yourdomain.com
Q: Can I access my Spiderlink Email through a web browser?
Q: Can I create multiple aliases for my Pop3 account?
A: Yes. You can add as many aliases as you wish through our Email
Forwarding web page. You must first Log in using out Client Login
page, select Email Administration, and then Email Forwarding.
Q: Can I set up email forwarding to multiple addresses?
A: Our Mail server only allows you to map one alias to one email
forwarding address. You can however set up your Pop3 account to
forward copies of any messages received to multiple destination
addresses. You can do this through our Client Login Page.
Q: How can I customize my Pop3 Account further?
A: After you create a Pop3 account through our Client Login page, you
can subsequently log in directly to our mail server at
http://spider1.spiderlink.com:81 using the new Pop3 email address and password you created.
Once logged in, you can add vacation messages, change your finger
information, add multiple email forwarding addresses, etc.
Q: Can I create an auto reply vacation message?
A: Yes. you can log in directly to our mail server at
http://spider1.spiderlink.com:81 using your Pop3 email address and password. Once logged in,
you can add vacation messages, change your finger information, add
multiple email forwarding addresses, etc.
Q: How do I backup my IMAP emails?
A: Although our email server is backed up along with all of your configuration settings, we do NOT backup your actual email content. For this reason IMAP protocol users should always make sure to configure their client mail program to download complete emails with attachments. Many mail programs only download the headers when synchronizing your mail with an IMAP server, which is actually fine when using your mobile devices, laptops, etc. Just make sure your primary computer is set up to fully download your messages so you always have a local copy. Newer versions of Outlook now do this by default, but older versions should be configured manually. Here is a good link on how to do this using Outlook:
http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/microsoft-office/force-outlook-2007-to-download-complete-imap-items/
Windows Live Mail clients that use IMAP can be backed up using the Export feature on the main menu. This will allow you to select a folder on your local computer, and export your mailbox folders to this designated location. Refer to the following link for more details on Exporting and Importing mail through your Windows Live Mail program:
https://kb.wisc.edu/helpdesk/page.php?id=23802
General Database FAQ
Q: Can our file databases be uploaded to our home directories?
A: We designate a directory outside your web root folder specifically for
your database files. After you upload the
database file to your Web directory via FTP, we create
an ODBC datasource name which you can use in your
Cold Fusion/ASP scripts for querying your
database. We have all the necessary ODBC drivers
installed on our servers.
Q: Are databases in a secure directory, or can they
be accessed directly through the web?
A: Your database is not accessible through a Web
browser. We always setup your database folder
outside the web root, which means you can upload
your files via FTP to secure directory
inaccessible by a Web browser.
Q: What databases do you support. Specifically, what ODBC Drivers do you have installed on your server?
A: We support the following ODBC databases
Microsoft SQL Server
Microsoft Access All versions
dBase All versions
FoxPro All versions
Paradox All versions
Microsoft Excel Driver All versions
Microsoft Text Driver
Q: What is the limit of Access in terms of capacity. I mean how much info can it store?
A: There is a file size limit of 2GBs for a Microsoft Access .mdb file. Even with this 2GB limit on the physical file size, Access can store hundreds of
thousands of records... in some cases millions depending on what kind of data is being stored. From its inception, Microsoft Access was designed to be a desktop database system. Long running queries on
tables with large amounts of records can tie up
system resources especially in a multi user environment like a public website. This can cause system instability especially if your Web site receives a decent amount of
traffic.
Microsoft Access works fine when traffic is relatively low
and there are not too many queries running simultaneously. If your site
does not receive lots of traffic and your tables
are small and well indexed, you probably do not
need to be concerned with migrating to SQL Server or MySQL.
Q: After I've upload my Access database to the
server. How do I reference it in my scripts?
A: After you upload your database file to this
directory, send us email letting us know the
database file name, and what type of database it
is (e.g. Access, FoxPro etc.). We will then
create what's called a "Data Source Name". This
name will be the "alias" you use in your scripts
for referencing the database. This same alias can
be used with both Cold Fusion and ASP scripts.
Internet Security
Q: What is SSL?
A: The SSL security protocol provides data encryption, server authentication,
message integrity, and optional client authentication for a TCP/IP
connection. SSL stands for Secure Sockets Layer. Because SSL is built
into all major browsers and web servers, simply installing a digital
certificate turns on their SSL capabilities.
Q: How do I get started in acquiring a Digital ID?
A: We fill out all the online forms on your behalf when setting up SSL
for your website. Godaddy.com is our SSL provider of choice. In order to get started, you must provide us with the following
information:
1. Organization name. This must match the organization for your
domain name.
2. Organization Contact Name.
3. Organization Contact Title.
4. Address, City, State, Zip, Country.
5. Phone, Fax, Email.
6. Payment: We do not charge for this service, however, we do pass along the cost imposed on us by our SSL provider Godaddy.com. Prices vary from year to year, but as a service provider we are able to get discounts which are passed along to our clients. For more information you can visit Godaddy.com.
Q: What is a DDOS (Distributed Denial of Service Attack)?
A: A DDoS attack is a coordinated attempt by several computers to overwhelm a single victim computer with large volumes of HTTP and other resource consuming requests.
Q: What is a DOS (Denial of Service Attack)?
A: A Denial of Service (DoS) attack is a general term used to describe an exploit whose purpose is to deny somebody the use of an online service - namely to crash or hang a program or an entire system. For example, in the early days of the world wide web, the Ping of Death exploit crashed most machines vintage 1995 by sending illegally fragmented packets to a wide range of victims.
Q: Do you support SSL encryption?
A: Yes. Clients wishing to deploy a website that displays or accepts sensitive data can use Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) cryptographic protocols on their site. Regular HTTP traffic consists of clear text data which can theoretically be captured by a third party using networking utilities. Public Wifi hotspots such as coffee shops of airports are especially vulnerable. For this reason we recommend using SSL for those areas of your site that require password authentication or other data entry applications that need to secure their content from prying eyes.
Q: Do you support SSL?
A: Yes. Clients wishing to deploy a website that displays or accepts sensitive data can use Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) cryptographic protocols on their site. Regular HTTP traffic consists of clear text data which can theoretically be captured by a third party using networking utilities. Public Wifi hotspots such as coffee shops of airports are especially vulnerable. For this reason we recommend using SSL for those areas of your site that require password authentication or other data entry applications that need to secure their content from prying eyes.
Q: DES (Data Encryption Standard)?
A: In cryptography, DES (Data Encryption Standard) was a popular
algorithm for encrypting data in the late 1970's and on into the 1990s. It was standardized by the United States government (ANSI X9.17) as well as the ISO. DES used a symmetric-key block cipher method of encryption, one which has since been widely replaced with public key encryption algorithms.
DES ushered a new era of cryptography into the civilian application marketplace. Before DES,
strong encryption was only available to large governments and
military installations. Cryptography research was similarly limited. Anything
that the average person might use could easily be cracked by a major
government. DES created a well-defined, easily verifiable security
architecture that was available to anyone. DES-capable products
flooded the market. Beyond making encryption products available to
anyone, DES essentially created the cryptographic community. Before
DES researchers toiled away under government/big-business secrecy,
Since DES became mainstream, cryptography has evolved significantly and become a normal computer-science subject.
Linux CentOS Support
Q: How do you add the PHP_SQLITE extension in Linux CentOS?
A: One of our clients recently purchased a wonderful little application for creating custom WordPress Themes. It’s a PHP based application called Themeframe (themeframe.com) which allows you to visually format and configure your various WordPress pages, posts, and widgets. One look at the video demonstration on the website and I was sold. The big selling point is that there is little or no actual programming or manual CSS coding necessary in order to create a highly customized theme.
Themeframe runs on both Windows or Linux servers servers running PHP with the php-sqlite extension enabled. Configuring php_sqlite on Windows is straight forward. All that is required is a simple edit to the PHP.ini file. Specifically, adding the php_sqlite extension as follows:
extension=php_sqlite.dll
You will also need to make sure the php_sqlite.dll file is located in the extensions folder along with any other PHP extensions.
The convenient thing about running PHP on Windows Server is that every extension you can think of for a particular PHP version are provided in one package. The same can be said for Linux installations when it comes to the most common PHP extensions, but unfortunately that is not the case with extensions like php_sqlite in particular. In the case of our client's CentOS 6.2 Linux server, downloading the PHP/SQLITE source files and compiling it was necessary to get it working. Below are the steps:
First install the C compiler, and make utility if they are not already installed:
> yum install gcc
> yum install make
Then download your PHP distribution. Make sure you download the exact same version that is running on your system! You can check the following site for your version of PHP: http://php.net/releases/index.php. We were running PHP version 5.3.3 as showed in the commands below:
> wget http://museum.php.net/php5/php-5.3.3.tar.gz
This downloads php-5.3.3.tar.gz to the current directory. Next, extract the Tar File:
> tar zxvf php-5.3.3.tar.gz
Next, go to the /sqlite folder within the extracted PHP source files:
> cd php-5.3.3/ext/sqlite
Next, prepare the build environment for the PHP extension:
> phpize
Next, configure and compile:
> ./configure
> make
> make install
The extension is now compiled and ready. Last but not least, make sure to create the sqlite.ini file as follows:
> vi /etc/php.d/sqlite.ini (add the line: extension=sqlite.so)
Restart Apache:
> service httpd restart
The php_sqlite extension is now installed on your CentOS system. Red Hat Linux and CentOS are pretty much identical and the above steps will work in both environments. Best of luck!
Microsoft Scripting Languages
Q: What are Active Server Pages?
A: Microsoft's Active Server Pages also referred to as ASP, was the original server side scripting engine that allowed web developers to create dynamically generated web pages on IIS. IIS is the web server that ships will all versions of Windows Server.
With ASP, developers embed special programming code mixed with standard HTML. Like many of the modern scripting languages, ASP scripts can access external databases, interact with page objects such as Active-X or Java components, or create other types of dynamic output. The resulting HTML output appears as a static HTML page with the .asp extension.
Q: Are Active Server Pages the same as CGI?
A: They are similar from a programmers point of view. Active Server Pages and CGI scripts both produce dynamic output in the form of HTML pages.
Q: Do Active Server Pages Use Visual Basic?
A: This is one of the biggest misunderstandings about ASP. It is not Visual Basic nor is it its
own language. A programmer must think of it as a container to use other languages. For example, languages supported by ASP include VBScript, Javascript and PerlScript. Any one of these languages are available with your ASP pages.
Q: Are server side includes supported on your Windows servers?
A: Yes, server side includes are supported on our Windows servers. By default, IIS supports the server side include file extensions .stm, .shtm, or .shtml. If your deployment requires .htm, .html or some other extension to also process server side includes, you can contact our support staff with this request.
Q: What databases can I use with Active Server
Pages?
A: You can use any ODBC-compliant database such as
FoxPro, Access, Paradox, etc. We also
provide our clients with Microsoft SQL Server if
needed (additional setup and monthly charges
apply). Please contact
support@spiderlink.com for help
in setting up
your databases.
Q: You provide ASP and Cold Fusion. Can I use both?
Is one better than the other?
A: You can use both in your website, although not on
the same page. If you wish to discuss your needs
and what may be the best method of implementing
your particular Internet application, contact
support@spiderlink.com.
Q: Do you support ASP.NET, and if so which version?
A: We support the latest versions of ASP.net on our Windows servers. If your deployment requires an earlier version of ASP.net like version 1.x or 2.x, simply let our support team know which version you need and we will install it.
Q: How do I send email using an ASP script?
A: We have a component called ASPEmail installed on
the server. See the following sample code:
<%
Set Mail = Server.CreateObject
("Persits.MailSender")
Mail.Host = "smtp.smtp-server.com"
' Specify a valid SMTP server
Mail.From = "sales@veryhotcakes.com"
' Specify sender's address
Mail.FromName = "VeryHotCakes Sales"
' Specify sender's name
Mail.AddAddress "andy@andrewscompany.net", "And
rew Johnson, Jr."
Mail.AddAddress "paul@paulscompany.com"
' Name is optional
Mail.AddReplyTo "info@veryhotcakes.com"
Mail.AddAttachment "c:\images\cakes.gif
"
Mail.Subject = "Thanks for ordering our
hot cakes!"
Mail.Body = "Dear Sir:" & Chr(13) & Chr
(10) & _ ?????"Thank
you for your business."
On Error Resume Next
Mail.Send
If Err <> 0 Then
???Response.Write "Error
encountered: " & Err.Description
End If
%>
|
Microsoft SQL Server FAQ
Q: How do we make database changes to our tables
and indexes if we use SQL Server?
A: Customers using SQL Server as their back-end
database will need to use the "Enterprise
Manager" provided by Microsoft for managing your
database. The Enterprise Manager is a Database
management tool that is comes with Microsoft SQL
Server. If you do not own a copy of Microsoft
SQL Server, you can download the their 30 day SQL
Server 2000 evaluation software. You can download
this evaluation package from Microsoft's site.
Even after it expires, the Enterprise Manager
remains on your computer for you to use. FYI, SQL
Server 2000 Evaluation is quite large (over 300MB's), so hopefully you
have a broadband connection!
For more information on SQL Server 2000 visit
Microsoft SQL.
You can download the SQL Server 2000 evaluation
Here
.
Q: How can I implement the convertion from Access to
SQL Server.
A: Converting an Access database to SQL Server is
very straight forward. First we create your new
empty SQL Server database. After we create your
new database, we will assign you a
userid/password, along with instructions on how
to procede. You will need to use the "DTS Import
Wizard" to import all the Access tables into your
new SQL Server database using the SQL
Server "Enterprise Manager" on your computer .
The "Enterprise Manager is a tool that is
provided by Microsoft with their 30 day SQL
Server evaluation software. You can download this
evaluation package from Microsoft's site, and
even after it expires, the Enterprise Manager
remains on your computer for you to use. FYI, SQL
Server 2000 Evaluation is quite large... its over 300MB's.
For more information on SQL Server 2000 visit
Microsoft SQL.
You can download the SQL Server 2000 evaluation at
Here.
Q: How do I connect to your SQL Server with my Enterprise Manager?
A: Here is the info you will need to connect to SQL
server and manage your database remotely using
your SQL Server Enterprise Manager:
Instructions:
1. From the Program menu>Sql Server 2000>Client
Network Utility.
2. General Tab, Select TCP/IP from the Default
Network Libarary drop down box.
3. Click ADD. Enter in Server Alias box the
Server Name assigned by us ( example
spider6 ).
4. Enter the server name or IP Address for the Computer Name (example:
spider6.spiderlink.com)
5. Click OK.
--- Connecting with Enterprise Manager ----
1. Launch your 'SQL Server Enterprise
Manager'.
2. Click on 'Action' dropdown menu.
3. Click on 'New SQL Server Registration.
4. Type in the name of the server 'server_name'.
5. Click 'Add' & then 'Next'.
6. The SQL Server option should be
selected, 'Next'.
7. Select Login Automatically.
8. Enter your Login Info
9. Click 'Next' again.
10. Click 'Finish'.
11. You should now be able to remotely access SQL
Server and manage your database.
Q: SQL server registration times-out.
A: From Enterprise Manager, click on the Tools menu.
Select Options > Advanced Tab: Here you can change the log in timeout.
Try 10 seconds. Keep incresing until it works.
Q: Where can I get a Trial version of SQL Server.
A: SQL Server can be downloaded from:
http://www.microsoft.com/sql/productinfo/2000evaldownload.htm
This download is 324 mb.
You can also order the evaluation CD for $10 at the following location:
http://developerstore.com/devstore/product.asp?productID=7555
The Eneterprise Manager will continue to work after the Trial has
expired. This is the program you will use to connect with our SQL Server
and Manage your tables, fields, and indexes.
Q: How often do you backup our database?
A: All our client databases are backed up on a daily basis. If you need
to have the database restored, please email us and let us know the
date you wish to have restored. Keep in mind that all existing
database content is replaced with the restored databse.
Q: Can I use PHP on my Linux server to connect to SQL Server?
MySQL
Q: Do you notify us prior to upgrading MySQL?
A: Absolutely. MySQL version upgrades do not occur very often, but we do make sure to give our clients at least 1 or 2 weeks notice prior to performing an upgrade. We are flexible and can often delay upgrades if more time is needed.
Q: How do I transfer my Existing MySQL database to your server?
A: There are two ways to transfer your existing DB to our MySQL
Server:
1. Use the "mysqldump" utility available in your /bin directory
to transfer your db directly to our server:
mysqldump --user sourceUID --password=sourcePWD --opt existing_db |
mysql
--host=spider6.spiderlink.com -C target_db --user targetUID --
password=targetPWD
Where
a. sourceUID is the userid on your current system,
b. sourcePWD is the password on your current system,
c. existing_db is the database name on your current system,
d. target_db is the database name we assigned to you on our system,
e. targetUID is the userid we assigned to you on our system,
f. targetPWD is the password we assigned to you on our system.
2. Below are instructions on a second way to transfer your database.
The first method (above) is the recommended way to transfer your
database especially if your database is large:
a. At the command prompt of your existing MySQL Server, create a dump
of your database:
mysqldump –-user [user name] –-password=
[password] [database name] > [dump file]
b. Log in to the phpMySQLAdmin interface (through our Client Login
area),
select your database, click on SQL, and cut and paste the SQL code
from
the dump file you created into the "Run SQL query/queries" Window.
Click on "go" to complete the restore.
Q: How often do you back up our database?
A: All our client databases are backed up on a daily basis. If you need
to have the database restored, please email us and let us know the
date you wish to have restored. Keep in mind that all existing
database content is replaced with the restored databse.
Q: What version of MySQL and PHP are you currently running?
A: We run PHP version 5.3.3 on both our Windows and Linux machines. Our shared MySQL server is currently running version 5.1.66.
Spiderlink Billing
Q: How do I open an account?
A: You can open an account by filling out our online order form. Just click
on Sign-up from our Home page.
Q: How can I contact you about my billing questions?
A: You are welcome to call or email us anytime. You
can also view all your billing information and
prior invoices online by logging into our
Client Login Area.
Q: How do you bill your customers?
A: You will be billed by a Email Invoice at the
begining of every month.
Automatic payment can be set up for :
Mastercard,Visa, American Express or Discover.
Q: Can I upgrade from the Standard Hosting Plan to the Premium Plan?
A: You may upgrade your account at any time. The normal setup fee for
signing up applies.
Q: What are the fees for registering a Domain name.
A: The two most widely known Registrar's are Network Solutions and
Register.com. Both charge $35 for 1 year. There are discounts for
customers who register domain names for longer than one year.
Q: What are Verisign's fees for a secure
certificate?
A: If you wish to implement SSL for
your domain, you will require a Digital ID from
Verisign or another certification agency.
Verisign charges a one-time setup fee, and then a
yearly renewal.
Charges for a standard SSL Digital ID are $349 per/year,
and $249 renewal for each additional year.
Q: What are the payment terms for my account?
A: Payment is due 15 days from the time you receive our invoice.
Customers with credit cards on file will be
billed automatically at the beginning of each
month. Please see our billing policy at
Billing Terms for more
details.
Q: What happens if my account is delinquent?
A: We will always attempt to contact you prior to
taking any action on your account. If we are
unable to get in touch with you and your account
remains past due for longer than 30 days, we may
disable your FTP or Web account.
Spiderlink Services
Q: Do I need to have my own computer connected to
the Internet to have a Web Site?
A: With our shared web hosting solutions, you can rent space on our servers
so that your web site will be up and running 24/7.
Q: If I get a Web Site, how will people find it?
A: There are many ways to announce your new Web site
to the world. One way to get started is by visiting all the major search
engines and entering your URL manually. There are also services like
Sumbit.com that will submit your
listing to multipe search engines. Pay by click services are the best way
to reach a targeted audience. Try visiting Overture.com for more
information.
Q: Can we resell space on your server?
A: Yes. You can resell our server space and our
services as your own. For more details visit
Resellers. Discounts
are available for resellers with several sites.
Q: As resellers, will we have full control of our
client's web accounts?
A: Yes, if you are an existing customer and wish to
order a new Virtual Host account for your
customers, we will send you all the information
you will need to manage the new account. When you
fill out our on-line order form for a new
account, make sure you enter your client login information
in the form. Also, make sure to select that you are a
reseller. After we setup the account and email you the information,
you will have full control of your customer's
account Web accounts.
Q: I'm concerned about speed. How is your connectivity to the Internet?
A: We are connected directly to the backbone of the
Internet through mutliple carriers with in-building SONET ring (up to
OC48) and is composed of MCI Worldcom, PacBell, At&T, Level 3, Quest,
Nextlink, GST, and others. Our connection is burstable to 100 Megabits,
and there is always 60% left available for any unforseen bursts of traffic
or sudden growth.
The Internet is a complex and world-wide network,
which means that bottlenecks at any place between
two points can cause the site to download
slower for some depending where they are
connecting from. Many ISP's in Southern
California use very congested public pipes such
as MAE-West to connect to the Internet because it
is much cheaper. We pay much higher prices for
connectivity in order to give our customers the
fastest and less traveled pipes for the best
connectivity no matter where the customers are
coming from.
Q: How can I contact you?
A: Please visit our
Contact Us Page.
We can be reached by email and phone, and we can also be paged 24/7 for
any type of emergency.
Q: How long does it take to open an account?
A: It usually takes 24 hours to get the account
ready for the client unless there are special
features the client needs. Spiderlink will
also "rush" an account setup, if necessary.
Q: Can I transfer my domain name from another
provider to Spiderlink?
A: Yes. When you are ready to initiate the transfer, you will need to vist
the site of the registrar you used when you first registered your domain
name. After you log in, you will need to change the DNS server names to
the following:
Primary DNS Server: NS1.SPIDERLINK.COM
Secondary DNS Server: NS2.SPIDERLINK.COM
After you have successfully changed the DNS Server names, it takes between
24 to 48 hours for the modifications to propagate.
Q: How long does it take to register/transfer a
domain name?
A: It normally takes between 2-5 business days to
transfer a domain name.
Q: Do you offer dial-up access?
A: Spiderlink does not offer dial-up services. All
our bandwidth is reserved for web hosting.
Q: What operating system do you use?
A: We run Windows NT/2000 Server and Windows 2000 Advanced Server.
Q: Do your servers offer secure connections?
A: Yes, they do. All our servers are equiped to
handle SSL transactions. A secure server connection requires the use of a
digital certificate assigned by a company such as Verisign. In order to
acquire a certificate, a private/public key pair must be generated by the
server where the Web site will be hosted. Next, the interested party must
sign up with Verisign by give them the public key, company name, address
information, and domain name. This can all be done on-line using their on-
line Web form. After Verisign receives payment and approves the request,
they then need to assign the interested party a "digital ID", which is is
then installed on the server. This process is time consuming and costly,
but it is necessary in order to be able to use your own domain name for
performing secure transactions using SSL.
Q: How is my web space calculated?
A: We have a monitoring program that sums up the
total size of all your collective files on a
regular basis. Your desktop database's and
scripts are included as well.
Q: How do I upload and update my web files?
A: There are two ways to upload and maintain your
web content. You can use an FTP program to
upload your files/changes, or you can use
Microsoft FrontPage. Many web authoring tools
have FTP programs bulit in so that you can easily
update your site.
After we setup your web account, we will
send you an email with your user ID and password,
and detailed instructions on how to procede.
Q: Do my email accounts come with redirection and
alias capabilities?
A: Yes. Each mail account can be redirected to
multiple email addresses and can also have
multiple aliases. You can managed your Aliases through our Client Login
area.
Q: Do you do backups and, if so, what do I need to
do to have files restored?
A: We back up your WWW content on a regular basis.
If you need a file restored, please send email to
support@spiderlink.com letting
us know your domain name, the file to be restored, and the
date.
Q: Will the monthly bandwidth be enough for my site?
A: We define your bandwidth usage as the amount of
data transfered from your website, FTP site. This
does NOT include files you
copy to the servers, or email that is received or
sent. Our limit of 2GB for our Standardy Plan seems to be enough for 98%
of our customers. Our Premium Plan allows up to 5GB's of bandwidth
without any surcharges.
Q: What are the Spiderlink DNS server names?
A: The following Name Servers are needed when registering a new domain
name that will be hosted on our servers:
Primary DNS Server: NS1.SPIDERLINK.COM
Secondary DNS Server: NS2.SPIDERLINK.COM
Q: How do you perform a trace route?
A: 1. From your Dos Prompt, type:
tracert yourdomain.com > c:\trace1.txt
2. The trace can take up to a few minutes. Give
it time to finish. The c:\trace1.txt is the
output of the trace.
3. Run another couple of traces and call the
output file c:\trace2.txt, c:\trace3.txt, etc.
4. Send us an email with the following files as
attachments: c:\trace1.txt, c:\trace2.txt,
c:\trace3.txt, etc.
Please also try visiting
Traceroute.org. This site allows you to perform trace routes from
different locations on the planet.
Q: How do you protect yourselves from Viruses?
A: We have the latest version of Norton Anti-Virus installed on all our
servers.
Web Server FAQ
Q: How does the server know which one of my files is my home page?
A: You will need to name your home
page "default.htm", "index.htm" or "index.html".
When your customers type in
http://www.yourcompany.com, this file is the
first Web page they will see. Clients using scripting languages like PHP or ColdFusion can use index.php or index.cfm respectively. The default page for other supported scripting languages can usually be accessed as index.[extension].
Q: Is there a way to secure certain Web pages so
that visitors are prompted for a user ID and
password?
A: Yes. This can be accomplished by first creating
a sub-directory in your Web root, and
emailing us the name of that directory. We will
then "secure" this sub-directory with your
existing FTP user id and password. Any Web pages
you place in this directory cannot be viewed by a
Web browser unless they enter a valid id and
password. We do not charge a monthly fee for
this, however, we may impose a setup fee for
multiple secure directories with additional
userid/passwords.
Q: What kind of Web servers are you running?
A: All of our physical servers are high performance Intel based
machines. Our storage devices are mirrored with RAID1 for
fault tolerance. We have a mixed environment of both Windows and Linux based virtual servers. You are always welcome to ask us
about the specific configuration of the server
you occupy.
Q: What operating system and Web server software do
you use?
A: All our servers are running Microsoft Windows NT
Server 4.0 or Windows 2000. The Web server software we use is
Microsoft IIS.