Features
cPanel is included with all accounts. Itl is an extremely feature rich as well as an easy to use web based interface (GUI). cPanel is designed to allow you to control everything from adding / removing email accounts to administering MySQL databases.
PHP 4.3.8
PHP allows you to setup dynamic content on your site. Many scripts are included in cPanel, as well, that use PHP to make for dynamic, intuitive, and interesting content. More information can be found at PHP's official website: http://www.php.net
Perl
Perl allows you to host your own CGI/Perl-based content. CGI allows for extremely advanced, dynamic content, to be used with your website. More information on Perl can be found here: http://www.perl.org.
Secured PHP/CGI Setup
All of our servers are running a secured PHP & CGI setup. This includes many things, however, mainly involves execution of your scripts, under your own username. This way, you may keep your files from being world-writable, to keep other sites from modifying your content. This also includes PHP openbasedir protection, limiting all PHP scripts on the server, from doing anything outside of their user's home directory, thus, keeping your home directory safe from view.
MySQL 4.xx.xx
SQL stands for Structured Query Language. SQL is an international standard in querying and retrieving information from databases. MySQL is a database backend used in many dynamic scripts. It can be administered via phpMyAdmin, and is a rather robust database. Possibilities range from News Systems, Forums, to huge Business databases storing customer information for dynamic output. More information can be found at http://www.mysql.org.
phpMyadmin
phpMyAdmin is a tool written in PHP intended to handle the administration of MySQL over the Web.
More information can be found at http://www.phpmyadmin.net.
Frontpage Extensions
Frontpage Extensions allow you to publish your web site using Microsoft Frontpage and can be controlled from within your cPanel interface.
FTP Access
There are a large number of FTP software packages available. Some of them are built in to your browser (such as Internet Explorer), others are dedicated applications (such as such as CuteFTP or WS_FTP), while still others are built into web applications (File Manager in CPanel is one example). Generally speaking, if you are going to spend a lot of time using FTP or have a large amount of files to upload/download, a dedicated FTP client is the way to go.
Raw Access Logs
You can download the raw access logs that contain all the recorded hit information that your site has received. These logs are only really useful if you have a preferred reporting tool that you prefer to use, rather than the variety of reporting tools presented in this section.
Disk Usage Viewer
The Disk Usage Viewer enables you to see exactly how much disk space is being taken up by various parts of your web site. Several different viewing options are available.
WebMail - NeoMail, SquirrelMail, Horde
NeoMail, SquirrelMail, and Horde, provide interfaces for checking E-Mail via an Internet browser. You will be able to access the webmail clients at your desired domain name, such as: http://www.domainname.com/webmail - and securely, at an address such as: https://www.domainname.com:2096/
POP3 Access and POP over SSL
POP3 allows for you to check your E-Mail messages via an E-Mail client, such as Microsoft Outlook Express, Eudore, or Netscape Mail. POP over SSL allows encrypted e-mail to insure your e-mail and privacy is secure.
IMAP Support
IMAP is another E-Mail protocol, such as POP3, which can be used to easily synchronize your E-Mail accounts across separate computers and mail clients.
MIME Types Access
MIME types tell browsers how to handle specific extensions. Most MIME types are set globally on the server. For example, the text/html MIME type equates to htm, html, and shtml extensions on most servers, and this tells your browser to interpret all files with those extensions as HTML files. You can alter or add new MIME types specifically for your site (note that you can not alter the global MIME type values, only add to them). MIME types are often used to handle new technologies as they appear. When WAP technology first appeared no one had these extensions set up on their server. With MIME types, however, you could have set it up yourself and begun serving WAP pages immediately.
Warning: Make sure you check the list of pre-existing MIME types before adding new ones. Check with Crafter Hosting before adding a MIME type, as they can easily alter the correct functioning of your web site.
Note: People often get confused as to the difference between MIME types and Apache handlers. Basically, MIME types tell your browser how to handle files, while Apache handlers tell the server how to handle files.
Apache Handler Access
Apache is an open-source HTTP server, and is used to serve your site. Apache handlers tell the server how to deal with web files that need to be processed on the server. For example, Apache is set up to process files with .pl extensions using Perl. However, if for some reason you also wanted to process files with .script extension using Perl, then you would have to set up a custom Apache handler for your site.
Note: People often get confused as to the difference between MIME types and Apache handlers. Basically, MIME types tell your browser how to handle files, while Apache handlers tell the server how to handle files.
Warning: Check with your Crafter Hosting before adding an Apache handler, as they can easily alter the correct functioning of your web site.
Ability to Modify MX Entry
CPanel manages your e-mail through its own mail server. However, by modifing your MX entry(Mail Exchange Record) you can point your e-mail to easily use third-party E-Mail services for your E-Mail, if desired, such as: http://www.everyone.net.
Note: CPanel will not be able to manage your e-mail if you change your MX Entry setting. Do not change your MX Entry unless you know what you are doing.
Webalizer Website Stats
Webalizer website statistics generate an easy-to-understand readout of your website's usage. More information can be found here: http://www.mrunix.net/webalizer/.
AwStats Site Statistics
AwStats site statistics generate a very robust layout of your websites usage, among many other items related to your site. More information can be found here: http://awstats.sourceforge.net
Port 25 & 26 SMTP Service
Port 25 SMTP service will allow you to send E-Mails using your site as your outgoing mail server. Some ISPs, however, block port 25, to try to keep their users from using outside mail servers. We also have port 26 opened for SMTP access, just in case you're running on one of those ISPs. Unfortunately, there is one ISP that also blocks port 26. Earthlink users will need to use their ISP-assigned mailservers.
Addon and Parked Domains
An addon domain is a domain name that that points to a subdirectory within your account. Or you can set up a domain name that you own to point to another domain name. This is known as "parking" a domain. Addon domains must be registered domain names that you own and configured to point to your web site's servers You can add as many addon and parked domains to your accounts as you wish. Addon domains will be separate sites, and parked domains will present the same site as your main domain.
FTP Accounts
CPanel allows you to set up FTP accounts so that certain external users can access a restricted part of your system. You can also set up an anonymous FTP account so that anyone can access a restricted part of your system. You can also manage these FTP sessions, cutting them off if they go on for too long.
Warning: FTP, by its very nature, allows external users to modify your web site (albeit a restricted area of your web site). External users can upload, download, and delete files. Keep this in mind when you set up an FTP account.
E-Mail Accounts
You can set up as many POP (Post Office Protocol) e-mail accounts as you require, up to your hosting plans limit. Each one of these is in the standard e-mail formation of address@yourdomain.com. As with your default e-mail address, you can access these accounts through web mail or through your own offline e-mail application.
E-Mail Forwards
Forwards simply allow you to automatically forward e-mail sent to one account to another account. This is useful when you work at two separate locations, or have gone on holiday.
Autoresponders
Autoresponders are e-mail messages that are sent automatically when an e-mail arrives for a specific e-mail account. Autoresponders are most commonly used for an "Out of Office" style message to inform your correspondents that you are not available, without you having to reply manually. You can have more than one autoresponder on one account. You can use plain text or include HTML code in the autoresponder, and choose from a wide variety of character sets.
Subdomains
You can setup as many subdomains as your hosting plan allows. This will allow you to send users to an address such as http://forums.domain.com instead of http://www.domain.com/forums/.
Password Protected Directories
You can protect directories within your site from browsers by using a password to protect them. This allows you to restrict material to only authorized users or store sensitive material online. This has the same appearance and effect as the password protection on CPanel.
Custom Error Pages
Error pages are displayed to Internet users when any one of a variety of errors occur, such as when a user enters an incorrect URL or is not authorized to access a specific directory in your web site. Companies often customize error pages to brand them with a specific corporate image and a link to their home page. You do not have to customize these pages - the error page is always available, whether customized or not.
Online File Manager
The File Manager allows you to manage your site through HTML, rather than an FTP tool or other third-party application. You can upload, create or delete files, organize files in folders, and change file permissions. While not as sophisticated as most FTP tools, File Manager is free and gives you all the basic functionality necessary to manage your site.
Server Side Includes
Server side includes are enabled, allowing you to present the contents of one file, within another. SSI can be used to make updating your website very easy, allowing you to separate header files, table contents, etc., into separate files.
Search Engine Submit Feature
CPanel allows you to submit your web site details to several search engines at one time. Some pointers on this process:
This is not a guaranteed way of becoming registered by these search engines, as some may charge a registering fee. It is always best to check each search engine site individually to see what their registration policy currently is.
It may take several weeks (4-8 weeks is common) before your web site will appear on a search engine.
Do not submit your site multiple times to the same search engine within a short period of time, as the search engine may ban you from its list.
Search engine submit feature will submit your site to these search engines: AllTheWeb, DirectHit, Google, HotBot, Lycos, MixCat.
Backup Utility
The Backup area allows you to download the daily, weekly, or monthly backup file of your entire web site, or a particular MySQL, alias, or filter backup file. If your computer crashes, or your personal backups are destroyed, these files allow you to recover your site in a convenient manner (you could also use FTP to download each file, but it would take much longer as the files are not compressed).
Important: You should keep your own backup copy of your web site as well. Having multiple backups in different locations provides security against permanently losing information.
Network Tools
The Network Tools area has two available functions:
Domain Lookup - Allows you to look up information about a particular domain.
Trace Route - Allows you to trace the IP (Internet Protocol) route taken by your server to reach your current ISP (Internet Service Provider).
Cronjobs
Cron jobs allow you to automate repetitive tasks on the server that hosts your web site. This is a powerful tool that allows you to take a hands-free approach to repetitive tasks. For example, you could add a cron job that automatically copies a MySQL database to a separate location on your site as a backup.
Spam Assassin
SpamAssasin is a mail filter installed on a mail server used to identify spam. It checks for spam using a large number of pre-set rules that check the header, body, and sender of all e-mail messages sent to your domain mailbox.
Shared SSL
Shared SSL is available for users that need a secure connection to their website. A shared URL is formatted in this manner: https://crafterhosting.com/~username/
HotLink Protection
Hotlinking is when another web site owner links directly to one or more of your images or multimedia files and includes it on their web page. Not only is this theft of your intellectual property, you are paying for the bandwidth used by that site.
Directory Index Manager
The Index Manager enables you to control how directories on your web site are displayed. If there is no index.html in a particular directory, the contents of the directory will be displayed to the browser. This is usually undesirable and can cause security issues. You can set the four different options for any directory through the Index Manager:
IP Deny Manager
The IP Deny Manager enables you to block access to your web site from specific IP addresses. This is useful to remove nuisance surfers who use a large amount of bandwidth or to prevent hotlinking to your site (refer to HotLink Prevention for more information about hotlinking).
Unique IP Address
A unique IP address is required only if you plan to use your own SSL certificate. Accounts that do not include a unique IP address are basically the same in terms of content, speed and reliability. Additional fees apply for a unique IP.
Full SSL Support
A secure connection means two things: encryption and authentication. Encryption ensures that no one can snoop the connection between the browser and your server; authentication ensures the client, through a certificate, that the server is who they say they are. The security is assured on two levels. In essence, SSL creates a secure connection between your website and your visitors to ensure that sensitive data being exchanged can not be intercepted and abused by third parties.
Additional fees apply for this service.
