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GENERAL QUESTIONS
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GENERAL QUESTIONS
BigBiz focuses primarily on maintaining the servers and networks to keep your web site online 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Although we do not design web sites for clients, we can refer you to some web designers that can help you. Please email info@bigbiz.com if you require a referral.
Where
can I get web authoring software?
There are many good web site design applications on the market. These range from easy-to-use packages for beginners to advanced programs for the experienced users. Some programs require an extensive knowledge of hypertext markup language (HTML) and some are simple visual designers that function much like a word-processor or a simple page layout program. You may want to check out Carl Davis' HTML Editor Reviews for some preliminary information.
Commercial Software
Adobe/Macromedia - Dreamweaver
There are a large number of companies that publish web authoring software, including most of the biggest software houses. Below are listed some of the more popular titles, but you should do some research before buying and see if the products suit the particular needs you have. The choice of an authoring program is highly personal. The best way to go is to download free demo or trial versions and try them out until you find one you're happy with. Here are some of the more popular software packages:
Microsoft - FrontPage
Freeware & Shareware
Netscape - Composer (included with Netscape Communicator package)
Does
BigBiz support vendor-specific extensions?
BigBiz supports all authoring programs that generate standard HTML code. Java and JavaScript support is provider by the browser and is not under the control of BigBiz. In addition, BigBiz supports Microsoft FrontPage® extensions (you were provided with this option when you opened your account with BigBiz).
How
do I setup my authoring program for BigBiz?
Please use the following links to see a setup information page specific to your authoring program.
I
am moving my domain to BigBiz. Can I upload my site before the move is completed?
Yes, use your numeric IP address for publishing your site until the domain registrar moves your domain name to our servers. BigBiz will supply you with the IP address.
Does
BigBiz maintain access logs and statistics for my web site?
BigBiz's web server generates two types of access files: raw access logs and statistics files. The raw log files are located in the directory /usr/local/apache/logs. They are in plain text format but are not particularly interesting to read unless you want to see the raw NCSA format data. The file names are yourdomain.com-access_log and yourdomain.com-error_log. At the end of each month, the log files are archived into subdirectories (YYYYMM) and gzipped. For example, the January 1997 log files will be found in the subdirectory 199701. These archives will be kept for 2 months, after which they are deleted. If you need the raw log files, please download them to your own system before the 2 month limit expires. You may access these files using ftp.
In addition to raw access longs, BigBiz generates up-to-date statistics files from the logs using analog. These files are in HTML format and are thus accessible via your browser. They are located in the Stats directory (http://www.yourdomain.com/Stats). In this directory, you will find two files, thismonth.html (a cumulative report of the current month's activities) and lastmonth.html (a copy of the previous month's statistics). The statistics files only contains http requests so statistics for ftp, e-mail, etc. will not appear. Secure requests will appear in the secure logfiles located at /usr/local/apache/logs/ssl if you have your own digital site certificate (see Does BigBiz provide a secure server I can use). If you have secondary domains, their statistics will be found in a subdirectory of the primary domain's Stats directory. For example, if you have a domain primary.com and a secondary domain called secondary.com, the statistics for secondary.com will be found at http://www.primary.com/Stats/secondary.
DESIGN TIPS & TRICKS
How
do I redirect users who go to a non-existent page to a default error page?
If a user tries to access a page that does not exist, the web server generates a 404 File Not Found error. By default, the server will display a generic error page to the user. You can replace this page with your own custom page by using the ErrorDocument directive in your .htaccess file.
First, you must create the page you want to display. This can be a CGI script or an HTML file. Place this file somewhere on your web. In your web root directory, edit or create an .htaccess file (including the dot at the beginning of the name) and add the line:
ErrorDocument 404 http://www.yourdomain.com/myerror404page.html (replace yourdomain.com with your domain name)
This method also works with other error codes (500, 403, 302, 401, etc.). Beware that with the 401 Authorization Required error, the document must be local so your line would look something like:
ErrorDocument 401 /myerror401page.html
More information about customizing your error responses can be found at the Apache Server document pages.
TOOLS
How
do I run a telnet or SSH session?
Sometimes, during the course of designing your web site, you will need to run a terminal session on your account to perform special functions that you would otherwise be unable to perform. A telnet or SSH session is nothing more than using the telnet or SSH program to connect to your site and using UNIX commands to perform certain tasks, such as changing permissions on files (this is sometimes necessary for scripts you create), moving whole directories to a different location, etc.
Telnet is no longer supported on the BigBiz servers as there are too many security issues (for more information, please see this CERT page). In its place, we suggest you use SSH (secure shell), which runs much the same as telnet, but is run over an encrypted channel so sniffers will not be able to scan your packets for password and other sensitive information. To obtain a free SSH client:
PC/Windows: use putty.exe
http://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/puttyMacintosh: use niftytelnet/ssh or MacSSH
http://www.lysator.liu.se/~jonasw/freeware/niftyssh/
http://www.macssh.comUnix: use ssh or openssh
http://www.openssh.com/
http://www.ssh.com/
Once you have your ssh client, you will want to make a connection. Whatever client you use, you will need to have the following information available:Host name: yourdomain.com (do not put www in front of your domain name)
SSH port: 22
Login: yourdomain (omit the .com, .net, etc. part of the domain)
Password: your ftp/telnet password (you selected this password when you first opened the account)
SSH protocol version: SSH1
Cipher: make sure 3DES is available
SECURITY
Does
BigBiz provide a secure server I can use?
BigBiz's web server has built-in Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) protocol support. Most browsers, including Netscape and Internet Explorer, support SSL as it has become the de-facto standard for secure web connections. When a secure connection is made, all data that is sent and received is encrypted. The level of encryption used will determine how difficult it would be for a network snooper or eavesdropper to read the transmissions. Netscape and Internet Explorer come in two levels of encryption, 40-bit which is good for protecting information such as names and addresses, and 128-bit encryption which is much stronger and is recommended for particularly sensitive data such as passwords, credit-card numbers, etc.
If you wish to use SSL for your site, you will need to have a digital certificate that will authenticate the site to the user's browser. BigBiz has certificates for its servers that clients are welcome to use. To access the site with this shared certificate, you must supply a URL similar to one of the following, depending on which server your site resides:
Server Secure URL web01 https://www.bigbiz.com/yourdomain web02 https://secure.bigbiz.com/yourdomain web03 https://web03.bigbiz.com/yourdomain web04 https://web04.bigbiz.com/yourdomain web05 https://shop.bigbiz.com/yourdomain web06 https://secure.bigbiz.com/yourdomain You will need to replace yourdomain with your domain name (including the extension).
For example, if your domain is acme.com and it resides on web03, to provide your users with a secure link to the file secret.html, you will need to use a URL simialr to:
https://web03.bigbiz.com/acme.com/secret.htmlIf you wish to have your own certificate so you can use your own domain name in the URL:
https://www.acme.com/secret.html
please see the following item.
Can
I install a SSL certificate for my website?
Yes, you can install a certificate for your site. You can either purchase your own certificate or we can purchase one on your behalf and install it (please email us for the current costs). If you wish to purchase your own certificate, you will need a CSR (certificate signing request) from us. Simply email us with the following information for the organization represented by your domain name:
You should also ensure that the WHOIS information for your domain name matches the information above as the certificate issuers will usually check the WHOIS information.
How
do I password protect part or all of my web site?
IMPORTANT: If you are using FrontPage to design your site, you must follow these steps in order to password protect your web site. Non-FrontPage users can use the instruction below.
Our server fully supports password protection for part or all of your web site. The protection mechanism uses password files and a .htaccess file in the directory you want to protect. When a user tries to browse into a password protected directory, then their browser will popup a dialog box requesting a valid user name and password. Until a valid password is entered, their browser will be denied access to the contents of the directory and any subdirectories below it.
If you are designing your web site with Microsoft FrontPage, you can use Frontpage's built-in features to create password protected sub-webs (see your Frontpage user manual for information on how to setup password protection). For other clients who need to manually setup password protection, we discuss in detail how it is done below. If you are using server 1 to 5, please follow the next set of instructions. For all other servers, follow these instructions.
INSTRUCTIONS FOR USERS ON SERVERS 1 TO 5 (WEB01 - WEB05)
First, you will need to create the password database. We recommend using a DBM database since lookups are much faster, particularly if there are a large number of users. To create the database, you will need to telnet into your account. Let's assume you have a directory html/private that you want accessible to the users jim and joe, both of whom have a valid password. We will call the password file users.
$ cd ~
$ dbmpasswd
- dbmpasswd will ask for a database name, enter users
- when dbmpasswd prompts for a command, enter A to add a new user
- enter the user name jim
- enter the password, eg. rock345At this point, user jim is in the database with password rock345. To add joe repeat the A command and enter's joe and joe's password. When you are done, enter Q at the command prompt to quit.
Now check your home directory. There should be two new files, users.dir and users.pag. These two files form the password. If you want to add or delete users in the future, simply run dbmpasswd again and specify users as the database name.
The next step involves creating the .htaccess file for the directory you want protected. Change to the private directory and create or edit the file (Frontpage users: do not delete the .htaccess file if one already exists).
$ cd html/private
$ vim .htaccess (vim is a text editor, learn how to use it here)You may also create the file on your own system and upload it to the private directory. If you do so, make sure the file is called .htaccess (including the period at the beginning).
Now edit the file and add the following lines:
AuthType Basic
AuthName MyPrivateArea
AuthDBMUserFile /home/yourlogin/users (replace yourlogin with your login name)
require valid-userHere is an explanation of the lines:
- AuthType: always set this to Basic since this is the only way browsers currently accept authentication.
- AuthName: set this to any string you want displayed in the dialog that appears in the browser when a user tries to access the directory.
- AuthDBMUserFile: set this to point to your password database.
- require: there are several options for this, but valid-user means that anyone who appears in the password database has access to the protected directory. For other options, please refer to this page.
INSTRUCTIONS FOR USERS ON ALL OTHER SERVERS (INCLUDING DEDICATED SERVERS)
First, you will need to create the password database. To create the database, you will need to telnet into your account. Let's assume you have a directory html/private that you want accessible to the users jim and joe, both of whom have a valid password. We will call the password file users.
$ cd ~
$ htpasswd users jim
- htpasswd will ask for a password, type rock345 (you'll need to type it in twice)At this point, user jim is in the database with password rock345. To add joe repeat the htpasswd command for joe and joe's password.
Now check your home directory. There should a new file named users.
The next step involves creating the .htaccess file for the directory you want protected. Change to the private directory and create or edit the file (Frontpage users: do not delete the .htaccess file if one already exists).
$ cd html/private
$ vim .htaccess (vim is a text editor, learn how to use it here)You may also create the file on your own system and upload it to the private directory. If you do so, make sure the file is called .htaccess (including the period at the beginning).
Now edit the file and add the following lines:
AuthType Basic
AuthName MyPrivateArea
AuthUserFile /home/yourlogin/users (replace yourlogin with your login name)
require valid-userHere is an explanation of the lines:
- AuthType: always set this to Basic since this is the only way browsers currently accept authentication.
- AuthName: set this to any string you want displayed in the dialog that appears in the browser when a user tries to access the directory.
- AuthUserFile: set this to point to your password database.
- require: there are several options for this, but valid-user means that anyone who appears in the password database has access to the protected directory. For other options, please refer to this page.
Now test your password-protected site by going to http://www.yourdomain.com/private. You should be prompted to enter an username and password.
BigBiz has made available a script that will take a text file containing username,password pairs and creates a password database. If you have such a list you may want to run it through the script to create or update a password file. Feel free to copy the script and modify it as you see fit. The script is located at /usr/src/local/txt2pw, and there is an example password list at /usr/src/local/xt2pw.txt.
No. The best way is to place all the private files into a directory and protect that directory.
No. The best way is to place all the private files into a directory and protect that directory.
You are responsible for making your files and directories secure on BigBiz. The server machine is shared by many users so you should take precautions to protect your files from being damaged or destroyed by another user. For sensitive files such as those that hold credit card numbers or personal information you would also need to take additional precautions so the files are not even accessable by other users. Failure to set the correct modes for your files may open them to be (accidently or maliciously) erased or overwritten.
The Unix security model (based on user-id) is used by our servers. The modes on the files should be set for different protections. The group permissions pertain to the http server. We recommend the following modes.
To change file and directory modes, use the Unix chmod command. If you are not familiar with Unix conventions, please consult with a Unix guru to make sure your files are protected. The protect program can be run to help identify security problems with your files and fix them. Type "protect" by itself to get a description on its command line options. When your directories are properly protected, other users will be unable to read or write to your files.
AUDIO & VIDEO
Can
I use Macromedia software (i.e. Dreamweaver, Fireworks) on your servers?
Yes, our servers support Macromedia MIME types for Shockwave and Flash.
How
do I add a streaming RealAudio or RealVideo link to my web page?
Suppose you have a RealAudio file called song.ra you want to link. First, upload song.ra to the server. Using a text editor such as Windows Notepad, create a text file called song.ram and put a single line in the file as follows:
http://www.mydomain.com/song.ra
Upload song.ram to the server. On your web page, put a link to song.ram:
<a href=song.ram>Click to play the song!</a>
For more information on RealAudio and RealVideo, please see RealNetwork's DevZone.
How
do I add other audio or video formats to my web page?
Other audio and video formats such as .wav, .au, .mp2, .mp3, .mpeg, .mov, .qt, etc. are very easy to implement in your web page. All that is required is a link to the proper audio or video file:
<a href=mozart.mp3>Listen to a Mozart symphony.</a>
The browser must support the file type either natively or via a plug-in. You may also use Javascript to see which plug-ins have been installed on the client's browser and link to the correct file type (see this reference page for more information).
DATABASES & MAILING LISTS
What
databases are available for my use?
Domain based users have access to the MySQL database server. MySQL is an ANSI SQL-92 compliant database engine. You can use PHP/FI scripts to connect to the servers and make queries or use DBI from Perl. Use of a database opens up new territories for your web designs.
A tutorial on SQL is beyond the scope of this FAQ. For information on how to use these database engines, please refer to the MySQL homepage.
If you want to have a MySQL database installed for your web site, please send email to support@bigbiz.com specifying a password you want to use for the database and we will have it setup for you promptly.
How
do I set up a Majordomo mailing list?
BigBiz has installed the Majordomo mailing list program for the use of our customers on servers web01-05. It is not currently available on web06.
Before requesting a Majordomo mailing list, be sure you have read the README and the Frequently Asked Questions at the Majordomo home page. If after reading the Majordomo information files you feel a mailing list is something you need, you may request a list by sending email to info@bigbiz.com with the following information:
- your domain name (e.g., mycompany.com)
- the name of your mailing list (e.g., classicmovies@mycompany.com)
- the title of your mailing list (e.g., The Classic Movies Mailing List)
- the email address of the list administrator
- a password for the list
- whether you do or don't want digesting
- whether you want the list messages to be stored in archives on the web
EXTERNAL RESOURCES
What
other resources are available to help me design my site?
There are many free and commercial services available to aid the web site designer. It would be impossible to list all of the available resources so we have selected some of the better online tools and listed them below. For more extensive lists, consult Yahoo!, Developer.com, and CNet.
Site Design Basics
An online version of the Web Style Guide: Basic Design Principles for Creating Web Sites (Yale University Press) is available here. You can also learn from others' mistakes by looking at web pages that suck.HTML
This is the standard language of web pages. It's home is the World Wide Web Consortium. Useful resources can also be found at Yahoo! - HTML Information and Documentation.Dynamic HTML, Javascript, and Style Sheets
Dynamic HTML (DHTML) is a combination of Javascript and Style Sheets and is used to position content on a page and provide dynamic elements that react to the user. Netscape has provided good online DHTML documentation. The Dyanmic Duo has an online tutorial and code samples. Webmonkey publishes a Javascript code library.
Java
Sun Microsystems is the home of Java. Includes free documentation, code samples, applets as well as recommended books and other commercial resources.Images
The are many online image collections that can be used by the site author. Yahoo maintains rather extensive listings for icons, background images and textures, animated GIFs, clip art, and image map editors. BigBiz has also several sets of icons available for use.CGI Scripts
Check out the extensive collection of Perl scripts available at Matt's Script Archive (they are all compatible with BigBiz's servers). Other collections are available at Yahoo! and Developer.com.Site Checking & Verification
Once your web site is complete you make want to check it for errors and potential problems. Web Site Garage has a free service that will check your site for broken links, load time, HTML syntax, browser compatibility, spelling errors, etc. A more extensive diagnostic is available for a fee. Other free and commercial services can be found at Yahoo.Unix Manual
In-depth knowledge of Unix commands is usually not necessary for publishing web pages, but it may sometimes be useful if you are trying to write intricate CGI scripts. BigBiz runs Linux (a version of Unix) on it's web servers. If you need to consult a Unix manual, BigBiz has one available online.
How
do I publicize my site?
Once you've completed your web site, how do you tell the world that it is available? One effective way is to get your site listed on the major search engines on the Internet. There are many commercial services that will, for a fee, feed your site to a large list of search engines. However, it is possible to "do it yourself" for free, and get listed in most of the major search indexes. The procedure is relatively simple though sometimes a little time-consuming.
@Submit! is a free service that allows you to register your site with more than 25 search engines by filling out a single form. Add Me! offers a similar service (also free) for 30 search engines. You may also go to each search engine individually and register manually. Check around, you may find other ways to announce/advertise/promote your web site. And please, make sure you place your web address on your business cards, brochures, advertisements, giveaway T-shirts, etc. Remember, the more exposure you get, the better.
Many search engines that run keyword searches will use meta-tags in the header of your HTML file if available. You can use these meta-tags to control how a search engine will catalogue your site. For more information on meta-tags, see this page.
Some search engines will automatically crawl the web looking for information to catalogue. Altavista is a one example. Even if you don't register your site with Altavista, but someone else has linked to your site and is in the Altavista database, then eventually Altavista will index your site. This is usually harmless, but under certain circumstances you may wish to keep all or part of your site hidden from search engines. You can use a robots.txt file to direct well-behaved automated web crawlers to ignore certain parts of your site. The Web Robots Page tells all.