Starlight Site Operating Manual |  Where to upload your files:

• The Home Directory
• The public_html and the www directory - (Where web-accessible files are placed)

Configuring your FTP clients:

• Configuring Cute FTP
• Configuring WSFTP
• FTP and FrontPage (What you should know)

The Home Directory:

Your html files, and or the files you want to make accessible to the World Wide Web must be uploaded to your account. When you first FTP into your account, you'll be taken to your "Home" directory. Don't confuse this with your "web directory." The home directory is "not" accessible to the World Wide Web; it's a private directory where critical system files reside. DO NOT delete files that have been created by the system, otherwise your web site may disappear into cyber-oblivion!

 The public_html and www directory - (Where web accessible files are placed)

These are the two directories, where files you want accessed from the web must be placed. Open the folder "public_html" , which is your "web accessible directory." The folder named "www" is actually a shortcut to public_html, (both of them take you to your web directory). Upload the files you want accessible to your visitors and feel free to make the appropriate sub-directories you'll require.

Configuring FTP Clients:

Configuring Cute FTP
Based on version 4.2

Please note that there are a number of older and current versions of Cute FTP floating around. As a result, some of the instructions provided here cannot possibly reflect all the versions, which have been released in the past 5 years. The only small difference you may encounter is where some of the options can be found (depending on the client version you're using). In any event, everything is pretty well much the same. Let's get started:

1. Open Cute FTP
2. Select "File"
3. Select "Site Manager"
4. Select "New"

Options you'll see:

- Label for site: Enter a name for this account. For example, "My Root Account."
- FTP Host Address: www.mydomain.com
- FTP Site Username: Your main system login name
- FTP Site Password: Your main system password
- FTP Site Connection: Port: 21
- Login Type: Normal

Notes About Cute FTP:

There are a few advanced features you may want to be aware of. These features may need to be enabled if you're having problems accessing your site via an FTP client. The following will explain:

Trouble accessing your site via FTP:

This can sometimes occur if your accessing the Internet from behind a firewall, personal router, or using an Internet connection sharing system such as NAT (Network Address Translation). This is often a class case scenario in a home or small office where several computers are being shared by one Internet connection.   Symptoms include, difficulty logging in via FTP, and or maintaining a reliable upload or download session.

Use Passive Mode instead:

From your FTP main interface, select:

1. Edit (from the main dropdown menus)
2. Settings

A dialog box called "Settings" now appears. Select:
3. Connections
4. Firewall

This opens the Connection/Firewall dialog box:
5. Check the box that says "PASV mode."
6. Click OK
Don't touch any of the other settings

Ignore all other settings you see here except for the "PASV_mode" setting!

Give it a try and see how it works. If you're still having problems, you should contact your ISP to see if they can make the necessary changes required for you to access your site via FTP. There are a vast number of network configurations ISP's sometimes use, and some of which that can cause problems for users wanting to access the web beyond that of a browser.

How to view all files in your account (For Advanced Users).

Advanced users may want ability to view "all hidden" files in their directories. While most of these are critical system files, there are a few, which can be manually edited by "Advanced Users." This is done by inserting an entry into the "File Masking" feature in the client.

Unmasking Hidden Files:

1. Open Cute FTP
2. Go to the site manager
3. Select your account
4. Select "Edit"

A dialog box opens called "Site Properties":
1. Check the "Enable Filter" box
2. Click the "Filter" button
3. Check the " Enable Remote Filters (Server Applied Filer) " box
4. In the "Remote Filter" window, type this command -a
5. Click ok
That's it!

The -a command will unmask "all" files in your web account.

Final Note:

NEVER REMOVE OR ALTER FILES, WHICH HAVE BEEN CREATED BY THE SERVER or C-Panel!!   Unless you're an advanced user, please leave all files that have been created by the system alone! Doing otherwise could cause serious problems with your account, and in some cases take it offline completely. When in doubt "ASK", do not Delete!

Setting Up WSFTP

Please note that there are a number of older and current versions of WSFTP floating around. As a result, some of the instructions provided here cannot possibly reflect all the versions, which have been released in the past 5 years. The only small difference you may encounter is where some of the options can be found (depending on the client version you're using). In any event, everything is pretty well much the same.

Setting up WSFTP:

1. Open your WSFTP client
2. The dialog box "WS_FTP" Sites should display. If not, click the "Connect" button.
3. Select "New"

You should see this dialog box:

You'll be taken through these options:

1. New Site/Folder: Choose a name for this account

2. Host Name or IP address: www.yourdomain.com

3. User ID: Main system login

4. User Password: Main System Password
5. Select "Save Password."

6. Select "Finish."
Done! Your can now FTP into your site

Notes About WSFTP:

Main Username and Password:

The main Username and Password was sent to you in your welcoming email, and are also the same ones used to access C-Panel. If you've changed your "main" Username and Password before setting this up, then use you must use them instead.

Trouble accessing your site via FTP:

This can sometimes occur if your accessing the Internet from behind a firewall, personal router, or using an Internet connection sharing system such as NAT (Network Address Translation). This is often a class case scenario in a home or small office where several computers are being shared by one Internet connection.   Symptoms include, difficulty logging in via FTP, and or maintaining a reliable upload or download session. If this is the case, try "Passive Mode."

Setting Passive Mode:

1. Open the WSFTP account manager

2. Highlight your account

3. Select "Properties"
4. Select the "Advanced" tab

5. Check the box called "Passive Transfers."
6. Click "OK"

Select passive mode, click "OK", and try it again.

How to view all files in your account (For Advanced Users).

Advanced users may want ability to view "all hidden" files in their directory. While most of these are critical system files, there are a few, which can be manually edited by "Advanced Users." This is done by inserting an entry into the "File Masking" feature in the client.

Unmasking Hidden Files:
1. Open the WSFTP account manager
2. Highlight your account
3. Select "Properties"
4. Select the "Startup" tab
5. In the "Remote File Mask" window, enter -a

The -a command will unmask all files in your web account.

Final Note:

NEVER REMOVE OR ALTER FILES, WHICH HAVE BEEN CREATED BY THE SERVER or C-Panel!!    Unless you're an advanced user, please leave all files that have been created by the system alone! Doing otherwise could cause serious problems with your account, and in some cases take it offline completely. When in doubt "ASK", do not Delete!

FrontPage and FTP:

If you're planning on using Microsoft FrontPage to manage your web site, there are a couple of issues things you may want to keep in mind:

There are two worlds. The General Unix hosting world, and the Microsoft world. While this is not necessarily a bad thing, Microsoft had indeed decided to play by its own rules.   As a result, FrontPage does not always conform to the rules of Unix, so you should be extremely careful when accessing a FrontPage web via FTP.  It's easy to damage the FrontPage web, as well as it's associated server extensions, and if it happens, you may lose the ability to administrate it from your FrontPage Explorer. To avoid problems like this:

• Do not alter, or delete files that are part of a FrontPage web
• Do not delete, move, or alter directories ending in _vtf. These are the FrontPage extensions

The ultimate solution:

If possible, try to create your FrontPage webs in sub-directories of your root. For example, http://www.yourdomain.com/home. This way, you can safely FTP into your root account to perform other tasks, while avoiding the FrontPage webs, which are safely out of the way in their own separate homes. Remember! DO NOT delete any folders, which end in _vtf! This will kill your FrontPage web, and we'll have to reinstall the extensions for you. For additional information on FrontPage, please see our dedicated tutorial on it.