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FTP (File Transfer Protocol) is the method you will use to copy your web pages and files from your computer to your webspace on our server. To use FTP you need software called an FTP client to transfer your files quickly and easily from your computer to your hosting account. We recommend you use WS_FTP, although you can use many other FTP packages. You can obtain a copy of WS_FTP from Ipswitch.com.
Please note that if you have FrontPage Extensions installed on your account, you should use FrontPage to 'publish' your site to ensure that the special features within FrontPage sites work as intended. See our FrontPage information page for more information about publishing with FrontPage.
Setting up your FTP client
The instructions here are for the free version of WS_FTP. Most FTP client software is similar and the settings you need will be the same or similar to those for WS_FTP.
To configure WS_FTP to connect to your hosting account you will need the FTP Host Name, your FTP username and FTP password. These can all be found in your Hosting Activation Notice which is sent to you upon activation of your web hosting account. Please keep this document safe in case you need it in the future.
Firstly, open WS_FTP. You will see a 'Session Properties' window. Click 'New'. Enter the following details:
| Field Name | Linux Hosting Accounts | Windows Hosting Accounts |
|---|
| Profile Name | Anything | Anything |
| Host Name / Address | yourdomain.com | ftp.yourdomain.com |
| Host Type | Automatic Detect | Automatic Detect |
| User ID | Your User Name | Your User Name |
| Password | Your Password | Your Password |
You may also wish to tick the 'save password' box, although doing so will allow anyone with access to your computer to access your web hosting account. You should now be able to connect to your web hosting account.
Setting up other dedicated FTP software
You may use other dedicated FTP software such as Cute FTP or Terrapin for Windows or Fetch for Mac. The set up procedures for these should be similar to those for setting up WS_FTP.
Dreamweaver and other software
Dreamweaver and other software may include integrated FTP capabilities. You may or may not be able to use these with your web hosting account with us. We can make no guarantees as to which software packages with integrated FTP will work with our hosting packages and we do not provide support for them. Instead, we recommend that you use WS_FTP.
Hosting Account Directory Structures
It is important that you upload files to the correct directories on your web hosting account. If you upload them to the wrong directory then they will not be viewable on your website. It is therefore important that you understand the directory structure of your web hosting account.
For Windows hosting accounts, the directory structure is as follows:
 htdocs
logfiles
W3Cxxxxx
private
When you first connect to your Windows hosting account, you will see directories for htdocs, logfiles and private. You need to post your web files to the htdocs directory as this is where your domain name will point to. You should ideally place sensitive information and databases inside the private directory so that these can only be accessed by scripts on your website. You can access your raw log files from the W3Cxxxx directory inside the log files directory.
For Linux hosting accounts, the directory structure is as follows:
anon_ftp
bin
cgi-bin
conf
error_docs
httpdocs
httpsdocs
pd
private
statistics
subdomains
web_users
You should post your web files to the httpdocs directory.
Private information should be stored in the private directory.
error_docs contains default error pages - you may change these as required.
You do not need the other directories.
Uploading files to your Linux web hosting account
Connect your FTP client to your web hosting account and navigate to the correct web directory. In the left hand pane of your FTP client, select the files you wish to transfer. Ensure you select the ASCII radio button for text files (including HTML / WML / PHP / CGI files) or the binary radio button for images. Click the right arrow to transfer your files.
When you have transferred your files, you must set the correct file permissions on CGI scripts using CHMOD. Select the file you wish to change permissions for in the right hand pane, then right click on the file and select CHMOD from the menu. Tick all boxes to set file permissions to CHMOD 755 and click OK. As a general rule, you should set permissions as follows:
755 rwxr-xr-x for scripts and executables
711 rwx--x--x for the cgi-bin and directories beneath it
644 rw-r--r-- for data file or configuration files used by CGI scripts.
If you have downloaded a script from a website, check the documentation for that script to ensure you have set the correct permissions.
Users of Linux web hosting accounts can also upload, manage and delete files or change file permissions from the File Manager within the control panel.
Uploading files to your Windows web hosting account
Connect your FTP client to your web hosting account and navigate to the htdocs directory. In the left hand pane of your FTP client, select the files you wish to transfer then click the right arrow. It doesn't matter whether you transfer files in ASCII or binary mode, and you shouldn't need to set file permissions as files inherit permissions from the Windows operating system.
Troubleshooting
If you have difficulty connecting your FTP client to your web hosting account, check that you are using the correct settings and try again. If problems continue, reboot your computer and try again. If problems continue, try using a different ISP. If you are still having problems, wait an hour or two and retry - if there has been heavy usage or a problem at our end then this should be cleared after a short while.
If you receive error messages when attempting to connect, then you can find out what these mean by searching the WS_FTP knowledge base at http://www.ipswitch.com. Error codes are generally the same for all web servers and FTP clients, but the error messages may be different. The Ipswitch knowledge base should help most users regardless of the FTP software used.
If you receive a Receive error: blocking call canceled message, then check whether passive mode transfers are enabled or disabled. If they are enabled, disable them. If they are disabled, enable them. You can find the checkbox for 'Use Passive Mode Transfers' by clicking the Options button and selecting the Sessions tab. For normal use, we recommend that passive mode transfers are enabled.
Another common problem is that users still see old versions of their web pages despite uploading new versions. This will be because you are viewing the copy stored locally in your browser cache instead of the new version you have uploaded. To clear the browser cache on Internet Explorer, go to Tools > Internet Options then click Delete Files. Tick the checkbox for 'Delete all offline content' and click OK and wait a minute or two for the cache to clear. Then revisit the web page. If the old page is still showing, force a reload by holding down the CTRL key and clicking refresh a few times. This should cure the problem.
Users with Linux hosting accounts should also check that they have transferred files in the correct mode and set the correct file permissions. Images uploaded in ASCII mode and text based files uploaded in binary mode will often appear to be missing. Scripts without the correct file permissions set will display an error.
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