Getting a Website Started--
Accessing The Control Panel
NOTE: This section assumes you have received the welcome message from us.
- Use your browser to locate your new web site
Method A: (Before your website name resolves to the correct address) Copy the IP number of your new site into the location window of your browser and press return. For WebNameHost the number is 69.50.220.225, and if you don't have a different IP number, you can just use webnamehost.net instead. If you have purchased an IP number it is at the top of the welcome message. After you have gone to your registrar and entered the correct nameservers (see the documentation page on connecting things up) you will be able to type mydomain.com for this.
Method B: (After your website name resolves to the correct address)
Type your complete domain name into the location window of your browser and press return. You do not need the http or even the www part, but can just type, say, thedomain.net and a return (enter).
- You will either get an index, or a dummy web site we have placed there as a holder. If your name does not yet resolve, this dummy web site will reference WebNameHost rather than your domain name. Don't worry about this. You will be replacing this dummy page eventually.
- Call up the Control Panel dialog box
Method 1 Click at the end of the location window line obtained in the first step and add the word "cpanel" (without the quotes) after the IP number or domain name (there should be one slash between and no spaces, like this: xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx/cpanel or mydomain.com/cpanel The server is set to force a secure log in to the control panel.
OR
Method 2 (Quick and simple) Go to one of our convenient login pages on WebNameHost.com (Use the box at the top of the page, or see the link in the SiteInfo menu) or go to namexerver.net.
- Press return.
- (Only if using your own domain name for access rather than the server's name, else skip to next step) You may get a dialog box informing you that the security certificate being presented for secure communication belongs to namexerver.net This is correct, as this is the name of our server, so you can click on the OK button (or equivalent.) This is supposed to happen every time you use secure access to your account, so if anything else happens, you should not proceed but contact us instead.
- You should get a small box asking for your user ID and password. Enter the ones we have provided in the welcome message you received and click the OK button.
- You should now be looking at your site administrator control panel.
- the left column has some summary information about your account
- the larger part of the window allows access to various aspects of your account
NOTE: No matter where you are in this control panel system, you will always be able to come back to this general page by clicking on the word "Home" at the bottom of the page, or at the top of the page (depending on which theme or skin you are using (the default is called X style.) If you want to see what some other themes look like, look at the demo page.
- You should change the password we gave you to something you can remember. Look for an item that says "Domain Password" and click on it. A new window will appear with three boxes. You have to enter your old password and type the new one twice, then click on the button. If you get a message telling you your choice of password isn't good enough, you need to try again until you get a message telling you the password has been successfully changed. Then go back to the control panel home. You may be required to log on again immediately after changing the password. Use the new password, of course.
- Important Click on "Update Contact Info" and supply a valid email address, preferably one NOT on this box, so we can always contact you. This address will never be sold or given away, but only used to keep you informed about the server.
- Explore the control panel. But before you tell the system to change something, ask yourself if you know what you're doing. If not, perhaps you oughta ask. That's what we're here for.
- The instructions above have to be repeated every time you sign on to the control panel. Secure access is required to prevent anyone from reading your password as it is transmitted.
- When you have some feel for what is there, set up your email according to the instructions on that page of this documentation section. Go to those instructions now.
- Notice that at the very bottom of the control panel page there is a link to additional documentation that is maintained by the vendor of the control panel software. Feel free to explore that material.
From Arjay Web Services division of Arjay Enterprises and affiliate of Arjay Books