The process by which your files are transferred to the web server is called "FTP" (File Transport Protocol). You have unlimited access via FTP 24-hours a day. You can create and maintain your web pages on your own computer and upload files to your web site at your leisure.
If you have a PPP internet account and need an FTP program, you can download software for either the PC or Mac from the MPICOMPUTERS web site.
If you are using Front Page, you must first create your new web on the "local host" system. This is accomplished by selecting create new web, and then entering "local host" in the line where it asks for the web location. Once you have completed your web on your computer, you can then select the "publish web" option from the file menu in Front Page Explorer. It will prompt you for your IP address and web name and then it will send it to our servers. Please note that you will be prompted for a user ID and password and depending on your system configuration it may be the one that we issued you or it may be the one that you entered when you first installed Front Page. If one does not work, then simply try the other. If you have forgotten what that password was, then you will need to reinstall Front Page and select a new one. Please note that the Front Page Publish procedure has been disabled due to multiple bugs within the software. It will be re-enabled once the problems are fixed.
The following information is contained within your account activation notice and is needed to connect to your web site via FTP:
The host name tells your FTP software to connect to the web server upon which your web site resides. In general, the process of configuring the various FTP software/interface is the same. We recommend WS_FTP for PC computer users and will be using it in the upcoming examples.
Each time you run WS_FTP the Session Profile window will be displayed. A profile contains the information needed to connect to your web site. Creating a profile now will eliminate the need for you to configure the software each time you wish to connect to the web server via FTP. To create a new profile, click the "New" button and enter a generic profile name at the top of the Session Profile window. Next, enter the user id, password and host name for your web site as illustrated below.
Fig.1
Be sure to always select "Automatic Detect" (since we are on NT Servers) for the Host Type. (see Fig.1) It is best to select "Save Password" and "Auto Save Config" to maintain these settings for future use. All other fields can be left blank. You are now ready to connect to the web server. Click "Ok" to continue.
When you connect to the web server, you will connect directly to the root ("home") directory of your account. WS_FTP will display a split screen where files on the left-hand side are within your own computer. You will see several folders on the right-hand side such as bin, cgi-local, dev, etc, and lib which are landmarks suggesting a successful connection to your web site.
You can transfer files directly to the root level and/or create sub directories. The only system directory that you may need to use is cgi-local; this directory is reserved for custom scripts. To make your home page load automatically, name the HTML document "index.htm" in lower case and upload it to the root directory of your account. To upload a file or files, simply highlight the file(s) on the left and click the right-arrow button (=>) in the center of the screen. Be sure to upload HTML documents and scripts in ASCII mode and images in BINARY mode. To transfer a file to a subdirectory, double-click the appropriate subdirectory to open it before transferring the desired file(s).
As soon as a file is uploaded to the web server, it is available for all to see. If, after uploading a file, you are still unable to see the updated file via Netscape, you need to clear both disk and browser cache. This function can be found by selecting Options > Network Preferences in Netscape. Remember that you must first be connected to the internet through your local internet service provider in order to connect to the web server.
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