Knowledgebase

Can I use Flash movies on my site?

You sure can. Because Flash movies are customer-side, your website visitors will need a Flash viewer installed. Beware with Flash sites though, most mobile users cannot view them and in this day and age, all sites need to be mobile friendly.

Can I use JavaScript on my side?

Just like Flash, JavaScript is a Customer-side technology. As long as your website visitor has JavaScript enabled in their browser, there shouldn't be any problems.

How do I upload my site to my space?

The recommended choice is FTP; it is the quickest way to do things. You can also use the web-based control panel but if you have multiple files it will take longer.

Am I limited to how many domains I can have on the same web space?

No, you may have as many as you like.

What is bandwidth?

Bandwidth refers to the amount of traffic going in and out of your site. A site with big media files such as movies/high resolution images will use a lot more bandwidth than a text-based site. We provide more than sufficient bandwidth within our packages but if you find you need even more, you can easily upgrade your package.

How do I upgrade my account?

Get in touch and we will sort that out for you no problem.

What if I do something forbidden in the Terms of Service accidentally?

Most offenses are minor and will result in an email saying what the problem is and how to solve it. If your site has illegal content,however, it will be promptly removed without warning and given back to you at your request. Although most cases are dealt with swiftly and smoothly, repeat offenders will have their account terminated. Furthermore, if there is a serious offence such as spamming or hacking another person/entity, the account will be terminated and handed over to federal authorities. The worst case scenario is that if the law catches you hacking, they may prosecute you and that is out of our hands. Remember, we are bound by the same laws you are. In short, keep it legal.

How will I be alerted if I am exceeding my space?

Our server alerts you via email; we will also receive it and act accordingly.

If I go over my bandwidth, what happens? Do you shut me down or charge extra? How much extra?

Soft quotas are enabled because we don't mind you going over the limit occasionally. If it happens every day, however, we will recommend you pick a package with more space. We will contact you and ask what you want/need and advise you accordingly. You can either purchase more bandwidth through an upgrade or stop using the excess bandwidth altogether. We do have the option to suspend your account if you keep using excess bandwidth without purchasing an upgrade or if we suspect you are spamming. Everything done on the servers results in a log file entry and we keep a close eye on the logs.

What is an overage charge? And do you have overage charges?

An overage charge is similar to a bank charge when you overdraw funds. Some companies will bill you if you use just a little too much bandwidth of space; we have soft quotas as noted above. We do no such thing. At about 80% of your bandwidth, we will email you and ask if you need more. We actually have as of yet never done this in practice. We give so much bandwidth in our hosting packages no one can get near the limits.

If I want backup for all my files, how much more would it cost?

Nothing. We will supply this service for free. We backup everything and back it all up multiple times. We put your files in a folder on the server that you will always have access to. Need a file from a random Wednesday two weeks ago? No problem, just ask and we will find it for you.

What folder do I add files to so my website is visible?

public_html is where you put your website files. Everything else is above the public domain and as such cannot be seen by anyone else.

How much control do I have over my settings in the control panel?

You can change/control anything you see in your control panel. If you need help, advice or want something done, however, we are with you every step of the way.

Will you configure settings for me if I need it (i.e., need a different setting, option, extension, module, etc.)?

Yes, we can do that although chances are we already have what you need. Feel free to ask.

Do you have a lot of open source software packages (e.g., gallery, nuke, etc.) all set up so I can install them through cpanel?

Yes, we use Fantastico and our own set of scripts to enable you to install your own scripts. Make sure you keep them up to date.

Have you blocked popups? Will you put advertising on my site without permission?

If you want popups, you can have them because it is your space but we ourselves will never put advertisements or popups on your site. It is your site and you pay for it.

Do you have online support?

Yes, all email is answered by a live person (i.e., not an automated bots) within 12 hours maximum but usually, it is much faster i.e. in under 15 minutes.

On average, how long does it take for you to respond to an email?

Quick email responses are a necessity in this business so it will never exceed 12 hours and as above, we try to respond in under 15 minutes.

What is a domain name?

A domain name is a unique address on the internet for your web site. There are many domain extensions to choose from but the most popular top level names not tied to any one nation are .com, .net and .org. You need to register a domain before your web space can be activated. Millions of domains are signed up each week, so you may find the one you want is gone. Snap up your domain name now before it is taken.

Can I keep my domain name if I change to a different host?

Absolutely. Even if you register a domain through us, you still own it and can do what you want with it. It follows you around as long as you want to keep it.

What is FTP? How can I use it on my site?

FTP means File Transfer Protocol and it allows you to transfer files from your computer to your space on the server. It is the most efficient way to transfer files from one place to the other. That is the only function it serves.

What does the FTP Manager do exactly?

FTP Manager lets you set up FTP accounts, modify existing account passwords and quotas. If you want someone else to be able to upload things for you but don't want them accessing your main account, you can set up a folder for them on the server.

What does it mean to "hotlink"?

If someone links to an image inside your web directory, they can use your image on their site. More importantly. they can use up your bandwidth. We advise using hotlink protection to avoid any nasty surprises.

How do I prevent that from happening?

We have methods of preventing this. Not only within cPanel but if you email us, we will go over it.

What is a cron job?

A cron job is an automated process that runs a script hourly, daily, weekly or whenever we specify. It is very useful for consistent out of hours tasks because as we know, people forget things but computers do not!

Do I need to do anything in the control panel for a cron job?

No, but you can insert your own cron job and it will execute whenever you want it for.

What is the mime control for? When would I use it?

Mime allows you to tell your web page visitors what data type you are using. For instance, if you send an image, it tells them you send an image. This prevents their browser thinking your image is code.

How do I activate the virus scan?

We execute it automatically for every folder on every server.

Do your servers automatically check for viruses, trojans, etc. on all incoming mail?

Yes, they do. You should, however, still have an antivirus program running on your own computer.

When I want to retrieve my email I notice there are different options on my control panel. What is the difference between using Squirrel mail, Horde and Neomail? Is one more secure than the other?

They are all secure and all easy to use; it all comes down to personal preference. Neomail and Horde are more of an email suite whereas Squirrel mail is limited to just managing email. All of us at CraftStream use email clients, so we download our email. We can show you how to do this if you want.

If I accidentally delete an email/file can it still be retrieved on the server?

We have daily, weekly and even monthly backups. Anything inside your folder on the server can always be retrieved.

What is the difference between clicking on "Mail" and "Webmail"? One is a menu which leads you to Webmail---what is the sense in that?

Webmail allows you to only read email. Mail is an admin panel where you set up email accounts, forwarders, change passwords and set mail quotas. You can also set up a default catch-all address there.

What happens if I forget my mail password? Would you be able to access it it for me and send it me like some websites?

We can do this for you or you can do it yourself in your cPanel under the Mail function.

Is there any way I can hide my email address if I want to be anonymous?

We recommend you set up a separate email account. Generally speaking, if you send an email from you@yourdomain.com, they will still know it came from @yourdomain.com even if you set up the address you2@yourdomain.com.

I have a suggestion to improve your service.

We aim for 100% customer satisfaction and the process is helped by you, our Customer. Please contact us if you are happy or unhappy with our service. If you have any ideas on how to improve our service, let us know and we will take it into consideration.

How do I pay for your services?

We accept PayPal.

How often do I pay?

For some services such as web design, it is a one off payment where once the site is done you pay no more. For web hosting, costs are recurring. You can decide whether you want to pay on a monthly basis or on an annual basis (which would save you more money). Your choice.

Do you have a money back guarantee?

Yes. If in the first 30 days you are unhappy with our quality of service, you can cancel and be issued a full refund. The exception to this would be if your account was terminated for violation of our AUP for spamming, hosting illegal content or hacking. Note: domain names cannot be refunded once they are paid for. You keep your domain name because you own it; when you find a new host, simply transfer it over.

Do you have sales/special events re your pricing?

Sometimes a person needs a special package and we price those accordingly--and it is always a bargain.

How hard is it for a user to cancel your services?

Very easy. You tell us you want to leave and you will be billed no more.

Do you refund?

If you are paid up annually, we refund the unused months or offer credits for other services. Your choice. Domains are paid for annually and thus domains are not applicable for refunds.

What is a reseller?

A reseller is someone who wants to sell web space but doesn't want the hassle of owning, renting or maintaining a server.

What is branding? When would it be needed?

Branding is what your customers see. If you want to replace the cPanel branding with your own branding, your customers will see that instead when they log into their cPanel.

What happened when I clicked on it and it said I have set it up? How do I undo that?

Just delete the custom branding you don't want and it will automatically revert to the default branding.

What does cluster/remote access mean?

A cluster is a group of servers working as one big server. Remote access is allowing a remote server or person to control your server.

What is a skeleton directory?

A skeleton directory is setting up a default template of files and folders for your customers. If you want to set up their public_html folder with a file called index.html, then the place to do that is the skeleton directory.

What is the "packages" feature mean? What is it for?

Think of "packages" as one set up template. Each reseller has the option to customize his/her own set up (and there are dozens of options within the WHM control panel). Rather than have to set options up for each and every customer, you can save all the packages at once and then assign them on a case by case basis to every different person you sign up. (i.e., if you want one person to have MySQL access and one person not to).

What is a "ss/tls" feature? When would I need to access this on my control panel?

If you have a shopping cart, you will want an SSL certificate to tell your customer you are verified as a seller of services.

What does it mean to modify an MX entry? What does MX stand for?

An MX record is a Mail eXchange record. It identifies which mail server is responsible for handling that particular domain's email. You can have multiple MX entries but generally speaking the ones we set you up with will be all you need.

Do I need log files/stats?

Probably not. We monitor our servers and have logs of our own that can quickly diagnose a problem. Log files get large quickly if you have a popular website and they are useful if you want to see who is visiting your site and at what time they visit.

What are your DNS servers?

ns1.craftstream.net
ns2.craftstream.net

How long does it take for the DNS to update/propagate?

Usually between 24-48 hours which is the standard for most DNS servers. DNS records have to propagate through every main DNS server on the internet.

What are CGI, PHP and SMTP?

Those are acronyms that refer to different features such as scripting languages or mail protocols. Despite sounding somewhat complex, they aren't too hard to grasp once you get used to the ones you will use. Their meanings can be explained in our **Technical Glossary**.

What does MySQL stand for and what does it do?

SQL stands for Structured Query Language. The "My" part refers to a particular database application. Almost every blog, content management system or site with a login system will require a database as a backend to store blog entries, CMS data and login credentials.

How often do you upgrade the server software?

Daily. No one knows when a bug is going to be found or when the latest exploit comes out so we keep on top of all the latest exploits for all our software and then patch (update) as necessary.

What does uptime mean?

It means how long the server is online without a reboot.

Can you guarantee uptime numbers?

Having 99% uptime is the highest standard possible and we meet it.

Why can't I expect 100% uptime?

A hard drive can fail, a data center can have a line go down, the server could crash. Anyone who guarantees 100% uptime is not telling the truth. Every server needs rebooting periodically with kernel updates, for instance. Servers are computers after all and all computers can go wrong. If our servers go wrong they are back online very quickly. Our hot pluggable hardware means we do not have to power down the server to change a power supply or hard drive if either were to fail.

What is your uptime?

We maintain an uptime of at least 99.7% which is the industry standard. This allows the server to be down for only two hours per month for maintenance. Some hosts guarantee 100% uptime but no one can realistically deliver that. Somewhere along the line there might be hardware failure or some other unforeseen circumstance that takes a host offline---and this happens to everyone at some point. You pay for an uptime of 99.7% per month and as such you will get 99.7%--never less.

How do I submit my site to a search engine?

Doing it manually is the best way as some search engines do not like automated submissions. It also allows you to have more control over what comes up in the search engines.

What is an outage?

Basically the complete opposite of uptime: downtime. An outage could be anything going wrong--- from the server to a data center cable. Any outage is considered downtime and we try to keep our 99.7% uptime record intact.

Can I install perl modules?

No, we will install it as we have to run tests to ensure no one can mess the server up.

How much spam do you get on average?

Each of our servers gets hit hard daily on spam but very little gets through.

Do you have any kind of guarantee about the reliability of your service?

We have been around quite a while and have slowly but steadily grown. So we aren't going to disappear with your money. We are here to stay and will always be reliable.

What is a dedicated server?

A dedicated server is a server where only you are the customer on it. Most of our servers have 25 people hosted on them depending on customer usage and never go above 50% capacity. Sometimes someone will need more space and more bandwidth than is available in any given package, so we recommend a dedicated server. An example may be a gaming server which uses more resources.