How to find Raw Access Logs:
Let’s take a look at the access logs. To access raw logs, click on the Raw Access Logs icon from the main cPanel account page:

This will take you to the Raw Access Logs detail screen: (see image below)
Click on the first checkbox under configure logs title and then click the Save button.
This will allow the logs to be updated and added to the archive file, which you can download later to see activity for a period of up to a month.
You can see the archive file with under Archived Raw Logs link at the bottom of the screen. (see image below) Archive file name will have the domain name (grayed out in the image) with a date suffix and a .gz extension.
Once you click on any of the archives, you should be able to save it on you local disk and extract the content using either (winzip, 7-zip or any similar software)

Raw Access Logs Layout ( good example):

Raw access log entries starts with the ip address of the visitor followed by date of the visit. Next you can see the http request “Get” meaning the visitor accessing your site’s login form in this example (see image above). Following the Get request, we see the relative file name followed by the version of the HTTP request (1.1)  Note: The 2 most popular requests you’ll find in the log file are “Get” and “Post”.
Next, you’ll find a numerical value 200, in this case it specifies the resulting status of the request. Typical values for this code are 200 (OK). Another known number is 404 (Not Found) and 403 (Forbidden). To learn more about HTTP Status codes, refer to the whole list in wikipedia.

The next numerical is 2125, a number indicating the total size (in bytes) of data transmitted for the request.
The next portion of our access log entry specifies the referrer, showing the URL of the referrer (grayed in the image sample).
Finally, the formal identity of the user-agent is specified at the end of the log raw.

Example of a suspicious Access Logs:

(click image to enlarge)

Here someone has tried to exploit the site via URL attack. Usually these attempts fail due to limited site access setup. Also a firewall running on the server should prevent such attacks. For you it is a good thing to know what is happening on your site, so you can either block the ip or it will alert you to keep a closer eye on your site in general.

Another example of a suspicious Access Logs:

(click image to enlarge)

Here someone has tried to exploit the site via sql injection. You can see “Union” and “Select” database statements that will give the user unauthorized information. This kind of attack can be prevented by the software and it’s capabilities to sanitize the query. Wordpress is now a lot more secure than the earlier versions, however be careful of plugins or themes that could not be safe enough to block this kind of attack.

Regards.

I think the message should say ‘Not hosted here, please park the site by us first if you need to access total dns configurations’. I have been asked about it numerous times and generally find messages that show next action steps easier, than just telling ‘Not hosted here’.

If you follow the instructions from Google ( click here for the instructions ) and don’t find the link to setup the total DNS. Instead it says: DNS: (Not hosted here).  Then click on the ”Manage” link under Nameservers setup  (just on the left) and pick the radio button for “I want to park my domain” and click okay. This action will take a little and first display Total DNS: (Temporarily unavailable). After a little while, it should show a link “Total DNS Control” as in the image.

By then you can continue with step 5 to set up a cname and then setup a record for your domain.

Regards.

The new version has memory usage improvements, you will notice faster loading speed. It is also Ajax enabled, and will make it easier for you to organize your main page boxes if you use the rv theme. You will see some other areas like using file uploads using Ajax as well.

If you are using the x theme, the icons on the main page will be confusing to find in the beginning. When you get used to it, you will find it saving some extra clicks. You can get to phpmyadmin with one click from the main page. Also awstats is one click away from the main page.
A great new feature that will save you time is the section showing “Frequently Accessed Area” links.

If you manage more than one site, you can change the style of each site to a different style sheet. This can avoid you being confused when working on both sites at the same time. I like the sundaymorning style.
What style or theme do you like most?
Regards.

2 – No matter how a webhost providers promise to backup your data, there is no assurance that you will get it all back. Remember the terms of service that you have read and signed. You have to understand that in order for webhost providers to bring the prices down, they have to host hundreds if not thousands of sites to make up for the cost.
There is no way that they can provide a backup/restore plan for each site on the serve. Luckily there are simple and free tools that you can use and will help you backup all your sites.

All you need to do is schedule a backup either on a regular basis, or on the basis of updating your website. Assuming you have cPanel, the simplest way to backup your site would be using the cPanel tools.

Follow these steps to start a backup:

1- Click on the backup icon from the cPanel main page.

2- Once in the main backup page, click on link to “Generate/Download a Full Backup”

3- This will bring you to “Full Backup” form.

You will see a list of older backups, if any. Just fill the following: Make sure you choose Backup Destination “Full Backup”,  enter your email for notification confirmation, and click the “Generate Backup” button.

4- After clicking “Generate Backup”, you will see a progress message as the one below. You can exit the page.

5- When the  backup is done, you will receive an email confirmation:

Backups are kept in the home directory to keep it safe from the internet. No one usually has access from the internet to your home directory where the backup files are kept, however make sure you always keep a copy of your backup files on your local laptop or computer using your ftp software of choice.

To delete older backup files:

1- From the main cPanel page, click on the File Manager icon.

2-This will take you to your home directory / (Current Folder). Note: this is not your /www directory where you home site is.

3- Scroll down to see your backup files, click on the desired file to delete, and then go to the top right on the screen to delete the file.

4- Click on the trash container to physically delete you backup file.

Pros:

1- Easy, the steps are easy and quick to perform.

2- A Full Backup includes more then just files, it includes databases, unread emails, and more. This copy of the backup makes it easy to move your site from server to server or webhost to another webhost, if you wish so.

Cons:

1- Manual, we sometimes forget about it.

2- You may need your webhost to restore for you.

I will share other backup options next week. Stay tuned and make sure you backup your sites regularly.

Regards.

So, you’ve decided to go ahead and create a Web site and/or blog for your business but you’re not sure how to go about choosing the domain name that will be most beneficial for you and your business’ needs.

Following are a few tips that will make choosing a domain name a much smoother process:

- Avoid dashes. You don’t want to try to explain your domain name to a potential client or customer as “business dash name dash so-and-so dash dot com” when they ask you your Web site or blog address.
Not only is it confusing, but it can be frustrating to some Internet users when they have to remember the dashes between each word – especially if they’re jotting down the URL in person.

- Keep it short. When coming up with your domain name, you want to stay away from extraordinarily long titles.
Shorter, creative domain names are easier for readers to remember. Something like “BuyitNow.com” clicks with readers’ minds a lot quicker than something like “ClickHeretoPurchaseAwesomeProductsNow.com”. Think short; think success.

- Think about branding. Do you already have a short, catchy business name? If that domain is taken, remember to keep away from those dashes and just try to find a similar domain that’s available and go with that. Try to stay with a name that will stay true to your business and reflect what you’re trying to accomplish.

- Make sure it’s easy to pronounce. Don’t use big words that your potential clients or customers won’t relate to. Unless they’re part of your initial business name, steer clear of them all together.
Remember, you want your domain name to stick in the reader’s mind.

- Make it fun! If you can at all, keep your domain name fun and creative.
There’s no need it has to be boring – even if you feel your business is.
Ever hear the saying “think outside of the box”? It rings true for domain names, too.
The more fun it is, the more appealing it will be for folks to click on it and bookmark it for future reference.

- Be unique. You’re unique, your business is unique, so your domain name should be unique as well.
No one can be you. No one can do business exactly the way you do business.
And, no one thinks exactly the way you do. Uniqueness is an asset for any domain name.

Lastly, relax.  Choosing a domain name should be an exciting part of your business adventures.
Be yourself and let your imagination run wild. Your business will thank you for your creativity.

If you follow these simple steps you’ll be passing out business cards with your fabulous domain name on them soon. You can easily register your domain names with any hosting plan at  tdothost.com.

Regards.

Here is the deal:
You buy one domain name from domainalley.net.
I will give you 2 months of free hosting ( blog plan at tdothost.com )

If you decide to buy a domain name, here is what you need to do:
- Sign up to register a domain name at domainalley.net
- Sign up at tdothost.com for a blog plan hosting account.
I will give you 2 months free hosting, which includes all the features that are pretty unique at tdothost.
- Unlimited addon domains, subdomains, email accounts…
- Email support through a ticket system.

Regards.

I usually go through some steps to troubleshoot the issue.

I am assuming that you have an internet connection and you can access other sites. If you can not, then you need to check your internet connectivity first.

Your first step here is to open a command session and check ipconfig. Your DNS suffix, IP address, and related info will be returned to you. If you receive no data, then you might have an issue with your router setup or with your ISP.

Check your access to the internet with ipconfig

Click Start, Run and type “command” in the input text field labeled Open.
Click OK.
At the prompt type: ipconfig
Hit Enter on your keyboard

Make sure your domain DNS is configured properly with whois

Check the domain name you are trying to troubleshoot with whois.
Whois checks that the domain name is registered and will show you where the DNS domain name servers are pointing to. Domain name servers should be pointing to the correct hosting provider.

If you are just starting a new website, you might have to wait for some time till your domain propagates through in internet. It can generally take up to 72 hours for all the servers around the world to update any changes in your DNS.

Registrar sites like godaddy.com provide whois lookup when you enter a domain name for searching. Just go to the registrar where you registered you domain name and do a lookup check there.

Try to access your site from a different locations

Go to a proxy network (proxy.org). Pick a proxy site from a different country, and enter your URL there. This can be a good indication as to whether the your site is loading fine.

Ping your site

One of the most popular utilities that checks if your site is responding. Ping will attempt to contact your host server, and will tell you how long it takes to get a response.

To ping your site:

Click Start, Run and type “command” in the imput text field labeled Open.
Click OK.
At the prompt type: ping yoursite.com (where yoursite.com is your actual domain).
Hit Enter on your keyboard. The results will show 4 attempts to send a packet to your site. If your site is reachable, it will display a reply on each line and ping statistics at the end.

Traceroute your site

Traceroute is another great utility that allows you to literally trace your connection to the host server.
It traces the route from your computer through your ISP till it reaches your requested hosting provider server.
It will also provide you the time it takes to reach each point needed for the connection from your local computer to you site’s server, and can give you a good indication, if there is any disruption along the way.

To traceroute your site:

Click Start, Run and type “command”.
Click OK.
At the prompt type: tracert yoursite.com (where yoursite.com is your actual domain).
Hit Enter on your keyboard.

Alternatively you can go to Network tools (http://network-tools.com) and check whois, ping, and tracerount more conveniently from the browser.

Spot check your site:

One of my favorite tools to check if your site is loading properly from different parts of the world.
I check with Alertra.com’s SpotCheck utility (http://www.alertra.com/spotcheck.php) which shows that the domain is loading fine from different parts of the world. It provides an easy way to check and gives your the time it takes to load as well.

If you know about any useful tool, let me know about it.

Regards.

Usually hosting providers limit the number of addon domains you can use. At tdothost.com, we allow unlimited number of addon domains.

Theoretically an addon domain is build as subdirectory of you current hosting main folder. To your visitors, your added site will appear as a seperate and independand website.

I think addon domains can be a perfect choice, if you have many mini sites and want to manage them with one cpanel account. Or you can just offer it to friends and family who are starting out and are not sure yet of what site they want to build.
All your sites will share the same space and bandwidth. You will benefit from the savings of having multiple websites.

Here are the Pros and cons of addon domains the way I see it:

Pros

• Creating multiple independent addon sites with one shared hosting account.
• Savings. The more the sites, the more the savings.
• Easy manage you account with one cPanel account. No need for a userid and password for each site.
• Seperate ftp account for each site.
• If addon site is for someone else, he/she will not be able to use your cPanel account.

Cons

• All your sites are sharing the same ip address, not so good for a linking strategy.
• Space and Bandwidth is limited by your account limitation.
• Only one cPanel account, will make it more difficult to track statistics. You can use Google webmaster tools to track statistics and make up.

How to addon a domain:

First make sure that your hosting provider has the addon feature. Some allow 5 addons and some allow more. We are still one of the few that allow unlimited addon domains. This is limited only to the space that your main account has got.

Before you add a domain, make sure your new domain is registered and that you already have configured it to point to your web site’s servers. In other words you set up the name servers given to you by the hosting provider.

To add a domain to your web site:

1. Log into cPanel.
2. Click the Addon Domains icon. This will take you to the Addon Domain Maintenance form.

3. Type your domain name without the http://www. in the ‘New Domain Name’ text box and press the tab key. When you press the tab key the ‘Username/directory/subdomain Name’ box will automatically be filled with the domain name.

4. Change the ‘Username/directory/subdomain Name’ that was automatically filled out when you completed the previous step to the desired folder name. For example, if it is a long name, you can shorten it. I left mine here the same.

5. Click the Add Domain button.

Note: When you add a domain, cPanel does a lot under the hood. cPanel will add the new domain as a subdomain and create the directory for it. It will get the nameserver info and create a DNS entry for the new domain…

Because of this, something might go wrong. Just contact your support at the hosting provider and they will help.

As always, you are welcome to post your questions and/or comments below.

Regards.

This installation is simple, more secure, and will make your future upgrades a lot easier.

All you need is a hosting provider that offers cPanel to follow these steps.

Now, if you haven’t already installed WordPress, here are the five steps you can do right now to get your new WordPress blog installed.

These 5 minutes Install are inspired from the wordpress site, however I will show you here how I use it without FTP software and put some emphasis on better securing your install.

It takes me a little over 5 minutes, however it is time well spend and I recommend it over the 3 click install, that can cause you a lot of headache down the road.

So, here we are:

1. Download the latest WordPress package, if you haven’t already.

You can download the latest version from http://wordpress.org/download/ , however the zip file contains a top directory wordpress that you might not need when you deploy to your web hosting. In other words when you unzip the files under your domain, you will need to type something like http://yourdomain.com/wordpress to get to your blog. To avoid this, I created a zip file for WordPress that you can use.

Click here to download it. This should be for version 3.0. (disclaimer: I did my best in creating this download for you and will accept no liability for it’s content or any consequences from using it)

2. Create a database for WordPress on your web server, as well as a MySQL user who has all privileges for accessing and modifying it.

- Log into your cPanel account.

- From the main cPanel screen, click on MySQL databases icon.

This will take you to the MySQL Account Maintenance screen.

Under current databases, type the desired name of a database and then click on “Create Database” button.

You will get a confirmation screen that the database has been created.
Click the “Go Back” link.

Under “Add Users To Your Database” section, from the drop-down pick the user
and database that is configured to use your database.

3. Place the WordPress files in the desired location on your web server:

- If you want to integrate WordPress into the root of your domain (e.g. http://your-domain.com/), upload the zip file into the root directory of your web server. (www or public_html)

- If you want to have your WordPress installation in its own subdirectory on your web site (e.g. http://your-domain.com/blog/), navigate through cpanel’s File Manager to that directory and upload your zip file there.

- In File Manager highlight the zip file and on the right hand side click on extract file contents. All WordPress files will be extracted.

4. Rename the wp-config-sample.php file to wp-config.php and prepare file for database access.

- In cPanel highlight wp-config.php under the www folder. Click on rename and take the “-sample” section out and save.

- Edit the file and make sure you set the user id and database password the same you used in step 2.

- Make sure you also update the table prefix to a difficult name instead of “wp_” use a combination of letters and numbers e.g. “flower938_”.

5. Run the WordPress installation script by accessing wp-admin/install.php in your favorite web browser.

- If you installed WordPress in the root directory, you should visit: http://your-domain.com/wp-admin/install.php

- If you installed WordPress in its own subdirectory called blog, for example, you should visit: http://your-domain.com/blog/wp-admin/install.php

Follow the online instructions. There should be 2 simple steps to follow. I like the improved main panel in WordPress 3.0, following 2 items to note:

1- You don’t have the user admin created automatically, you can change it from the installation screen. For better securing your site, pick any user name other than admin. This user will have Administrator role, no matter what name you choose.
2- Type the password of your choice. Pre WordPress 3.0 always picked a password for you, and then asked you later to change it.

That’s it! WordPress should now be installed and you have the peace of mind knowing that your installation is more secure than before.

Regards.

Actually, I installed Hummingbird FTP for Windows, however I use it very rarely. I use it only, if I have to transfer large files or file archives that are greater than 100 MB in size.

With smaller size files, I always use cPanel to upload files, software, or any other file transfer need.

Here are the steps I use to upload files without using FTP programs:

- Log into your cPanel account.
- From the main screen, click on your File Manager icon.

- This will take you to a browser window showing files and folders similar to windows explorer.

- Double click on your “www” or “public_html” folder icon, not the folder name link. ( These 2 folders are linked to each other, they are basically the same).

Note: If you click on the name link “www”, you will see the folder properties in the upper right hand corner of the screen.

- After clicking on Upload file(s) link, cPanel will take you to the upload files screen.

Note: If you want to upload files to another folder, you need to double click on the icon the is corresponding to that folder.

If you want to override (replace) a file you can just click on the override check.
Upload Files now by clicking on the browse button and choosing any file from the Windows dialog box.

This screen allows you to upload 12 files. If however you want to upload a lot of files, you can create an archive (.zip) file first and upload it. After uploading it, you can extract it’s contents.

I will cover this in my next post.

As always, if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact me.

Regards.