Step 7: Publish your site

Step 7: Publish your site

Once you have completed all of the previous steps, you can publish your files and get your site up and running. This process involves four basic steps:

Ensuring you have the necessary information to connect to the server.

Selecting an upload method and then installing and configuring the appropriate file transfer application.

Connecting to the Web server and uploading your files.

Testing your site.

The following sections provide detailed information on each step of the process.

Getting the information needed to connect

Regardless of what method you choose for uploading your files (FTP or Microsoft FrontPage), you will need to know some basic information in order to configure the client and successfully connect to your Web server.

Typically, you will need to provide the following information:

Information Description

Host Name
The location to which you will publish files. The host name is your domain name, including your domain extension. For example:

sampledomain.com or sampledomain.net.

If your domain name has not been transferred yet, you will need to use your temporary URL instead of your domain name. You can find your temporary URL by logging in to SiteControl. It is listed on the SiteControl home page when you first log in.

Host Directory or Directory Path
This is the directory that will hold all of the files for your Web site. This is also known as your "Web" directory. Your Host Directory will always be /www.

The directory path for the /www folder is: /home/[masterusername]/www

User Name
This is the user name for the account you will be using to FTP files. You can FTP files using your Master User account. If you have set up an additional user account with FTP rights in SiteControl, you can use that user name as well.

You can view a list of all your user names and their account types on SiteControl's Users/Passwords page. For more information, see the SiteControl User Guide.

Remember that your Master User name is not the same as your SiteControl log in name. You cannot use your SiteControl log in name (customer ID) to FTP files.

Password
This is the password associated with your user name. You can reset and change passwords for all your accounts on SiteControl's Users/Passwords page. For more information, see the SiteControl User Guide.

Selecting a transfer method and configuring the client

Way2Host provides you unlimited access to your Web server 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, enabling you to set up, change or maintain your Web site at any time.

The most common method of uploading Web files is FTP. FTP stands for File Transfer Protocol. It is a protocol that enables you to transfer files between computers on the Internet. FTP is most commonly used to transfer Web page files from an individual's computer to the Web server hosting the Web site. You can also use FTP to download files from a Web site to your own computer.

There are a number of tools you can use to FTP files. Many of these can be downloaded from the Internet or purchased online. Many Web development applications also provide utilities that enable you to publish your Web site files. Some of these include Macromedia Dreamweaver and Microsoft FrontPage. You can also use the Windows 2000 and Windows XP Add Network Place component to upload files.

The Way2Host Guides available at http://help.way2host.com provide detailed instructions for configuring the most common FTP clients as well as information on working with Microsoft FrontPage.

If you are using Microsoft FrontPage to develop and publish your site, you should not use FTP to transfer files to the server, as this can corrupt the FrontPage Extensions. For more information on transferring files via FTP and working with Microsoft FrontPage, see the Way2Host Guides and FAQs available in Way2Host's Help Center.

Connecting to the Web server and uploading your files

Once you have configured your file transfer tool, you are ready to connect to the Web server. Remember, if your domain name has not yet completed the transfer process, you will need to use your temporary URL instead of your domain name. Once you have connected, you will see a directory structure similar to the following.

The exact representation of your directory structure will vary depending upon your specific hosting plan and the features you have activated.

You will upload your files into the /www directory. When you transfer text files, be sure to upload as "ascii" files. When you transfer image files (.jpg or .gif files), be sure to upload as "binary" files.

You must also set your home (default) page. This is the page that first displays when someone types your domain name in a browser. Your default page should be named one of the following:

index.htm
index.html
default.htm
default.html

The default page must be located in the /www directory. Your site comes with a pre-installed home page named index.htm. Be sure to remove this file and replace it with your own home page when you are ready to deploy your site.

Testing your site

Once you have uploaded your files, including your home page, you are ready to test your site in a browser.

If your domain name has already been transferred, simply type your domain name in your browser. If your domain name transfer if not yet complete, you can view your site by typing your temporary URL.

When your site displays in the browser window, check your links to be sure that they are all working properly. Also, be sure that all of your image files display as they should. If you are having problems, Way2Host's Help Center provides a number of resources that can assist you. If you need additional assistance, Way2Host's Support Staff is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You can contact them at support@way2host.com.

Information	Description
Host Name	The location to which you will publish files. The host name is your domain name, including your domain extension. For example: sampledomain.com or sampledomain.net. If your domain name has not been transferred yet, you will need to use your temporary URL instead of your domain name. You can find your temporary URL by logging in to SiteControl. It is listed on the SiteControl home page when you first log in.
Host Directory or Directory Path	This is the directory that will hold all of the files for your Web site. This is also known as your "Web" directory. Your Host Directory will always be /www. The directory path for the /www folder is: /home/[masterusername]/www
User Name	This is the user name for the account you will be using to FTP files. You can FTP files using your Master User account. If you have set up an additional user account with FTP rights in SiteControl, you can use that user name as well. You can view a list of all your user names and their account types on SiteControl's Users/Passwords page. For more information, see the SiteControl User Guide. Remember that your Master User name is not the same as your SiteControl log in name. You cannot use your SiteControl log in name (customer ID) to FTP files.
Password	This is the password associated with your user name. You can reset and change passwords for all your accounts on SiteControl's Users/Passwords page. For more information, see the SiteControl User Guide.