When will my domain be active? (propagation)

Once the InterNIC announces that your domain name has been registered (or transferred, if applicable), it usually takes about 72-hours before it is active. All internet providers must update their records (DNS tables) to reflect new site locations. This is called propagation.

How do I access my account Control Panel?

Once your domain is active, you can access your Control Panel in the following manner:

http://www.your_domain.com/stats/

If your IP address is: 123.12.123.12, then you would enter: http://123.12.123.12/stats/

How do I update my web pages?

You can literally create and maintain your web pages, images, and scripts locally and upload them to the web server at your leisure via FTP. You can overwrite existing files or transfer a new file.

What file names are acceptable?

netImpact uses Sun Sparc servers which runs a variation of Unix. All Unix machines are case sensitive. This means that if you upload your files with upper case letters in them, then your HTML's references must also match the case. The easiest way would be to keep everything in lower case. Spaces and special control characters are generally not a good idea.

How do I get my page to load automatically?

You must name your main loading file either "index.htm" or "index.html" . Be sure to name everything in lowercase, not "INDEX.HTM" . Also, this file must to located in your home directory, which is the first directory you see when accessing the web server via ftp.

What FTP host name do I use to access my web site(s)?

To update your web pages, FTP into ftp.yourdomain.com using your the USERID and PASSWORD provided on your account activation notice. Prior to domain registration (or transfer) you will need to use the IP address as the FTP hostname. (ie. 207.xxx.xxx.xxx vs. ftp.yourdomain.com)   The IP address associated with your domain is also included in the activation notice. If you create any links using the IP address, we suggest that you modify the HTML to reflect your domain name once active world wide. Using relative paths rather than absolute paths when linking web pages will eliminate the need to modify your links.

What are the various folders I see when I connect to my web site?

When you connect to the root or "home" directory of your account via ftp, you will see the following sytem directories/folders which are landmarks suggesting a successful connection:

    Parent Directory       14-Mar-96 22:13      -  
    bin/                   14-Mar-96 22:02      -  
    cgi-local/             10-Oct-95 18:07      -  
    dev/                   14-Mar-96 22:02      -  
    etc/                   14-Mar-96 22:02      -  
    lib/                   14-Mar-96 22:02      -  
    stats/                 14-Mar-96 22:05      -  

The only directory you may need to use is cgi-local; this directory is reserved for custom scripts. You can transfer files directly to the root level and/or create subdirectories.

How do I create sub-directories?

We recommend using the "make directory" feature in our recommended FTP client software, WS_FTP. Please note that subdirectories cannot be created under the cgi-local directory.

What is the function of the "cgi-local" directory?

This directory allows you to execute a CGI script written in Perl, Unix Shell, or C. Perl and shell programs are self-compiling and can be utilized immediately after transfer to this directory/folder. C programs must first be compiled by netImpact before they will function.

How can I simulate sub-websites within my account?

To simulate a sub-web site, you have to create a new directory (or folder to Macintosh users) and then upload the main loading page (index.htm). You can setup as many sub-web sites as you wish. netImpact only charges additional fees if you go over the allotted disk and data transfer limits that are established in your pricing plan.

How do I register with search engines?

We recommend that you register your web site with the major search engines beginning with Yahoo, WebCrawler, Lycos, and AltaVista. Look for an "add URL" option at each of these sites as well as links to other search engines. Currently, there is no charge to register with the aforementioned search engines. If desired, you can register with a site called, Submit-it!. This site allows you to enter your information one time and then submit to the many of the major search engines; however, a fee may be required.

How can I monitor web usage statistics?

Select View your web usage statistics & logs from your Control Panel to see what domains are accessing your web site, how many "hits" you are getting, how much data is being transferred and more. If needed, you can download the raw log files to your local computer for analysis.