OnGuardOnline.gov provides practical tips from the federal government and the technology industry to help you be on guard against Internet fraud, secure your computer, and protect your personal information.
Can I import my Outlook Contact List into my Webmail Address book?
Yes. Follow the instructions below.
Importing from Microsoft Outlook
In order to import from Microsoft Outlook, you should have exported your address book using Outlook's Import and Export function, and exported to a comma delimited (CSV) formatted file. Use the default settings for each step of the export. Call the resulting file “addressbook.csv” and place it in a known location (i.e. on your desktop).
After the addressbook.csv file has been created, return to Webmail and do the following:
1. Click Addressbook.
2. Click Import/Export.
3. Select Outlook from the "Select the format to import from:" menu.
4. Select the address book you wish to import into. You can always import into My Addressbook. (Only Postmaster can import into the Domain Address Book.)
5. Click Browse and locate the addressbook.csv file you created in Outlook. Once you've found it, click OK, and it will be selected to be imported.
Important: You can only select one address book at a time to be imported.
6. After selecting the comma-delimited file, press the Import button to read the file into memory.
7. The Map Import Fields panel will appear so you can fine-tune the import settings. Outlook has a default field order that is taken care of by the Outlook import option, so changes to this panel usually aren't necessary, but depend on the version of Outlook. If necessary, match fields in the top panel then click Add Pair to add to the lower panel.
Finally, scroll down and press Import to import the address book.
8. Press the Browse button to see your address book, including your newly imported entries.
Error 451 - Too many connections received this hour from
One Communications allows email clients to make UP TO 500 SMTP connections from an individual IP address to smtp.onecommunications.net per hour. If an IP makes more than 500 SMTP connections to smtp.onecommunications.net the IP address will land on the smtp.onecommunications.net DENIED " Too many connections received this hour from <IP address> " listing.
At that point, any further connections attempts to SEND email thru smtp.onecommunications.net will result in the following error:
451 - Too many connections received this hour from <IP address>
If a client does not make an SMTP connection to our servers for one solid hour they are automatically removed from this automated deny listing.
How did my IP address end up getting listed for too many SMTP connections this hour? 99% of the time this is due to a mis-configuration of the clients internal mail server owned and maintained by the client, OR this is due to a virus/trojan, or "open relay" type problem, also internal to the client's LAN.
Are you attempting to relay or send a BULK Mailing?
If so you should be using smtp-big.onecommunications.net OR be sure you are using your own email server to relay email OUT to the WWW using DNS resolution
Are you running your own email server on your LAN? (i.e. Microsoft Exchange Server, SendMail Server or any other email server to send mail OUT to the WWW via SMTP)
If YES check to ensure you have your email server set up to "use DNS resolution to send outbound mail via SMTP" and NOT a "smart host"
If you have your own mail server "in-House" in order to send mail OUTBOUND to the WWW, you should not be using smtp.onecommunications.net as a "smart host"
If you do not have your own outbound email server "In-House" and you rely strictly on smtp.onecommunications.net to send mail OUT to the WWW, you may have been comprised by a SPAM virus or trojan of some sort, or your IP address may compromised as an "OPEN RELAY"
Above are a couple quick main line suggestions regarding how this could have happened...? There are numerous other reasons why an email client might cause an IP address to get listed such that you now receive the following error;
451 - Too many connections received this hour from <IP address>
The main thing now is to investigate how your internal network is setup to send mail OUT to the WWW. And then take measures to correct the configuration issue, and/or correct the root cause of the exorbitant amount of attempted outbound email connections initiated in the first place. In most cases the best thing to do is have your local network technician or your local "Exchange Server Admin" troubleshoot and take measures to resolve the issue.
(Additional SMTP server host names this pertains to are listed as follows; smtp.conversent.net, smtp.choiceone.net)
Additional notes are as follows;
In most cases this is not ndicating to the client that their systems are sending out SPAM. This can be misleading but in most cases there was a completely different root cause. For example., many times these connection attempts are a result of an internal mail server trying to clear its queue, it may also be a result of virus\trojan or bot activity on ONE workstations, AND it is more often found to be a router or switch which is misconfigured trying to send logs via email. So if this "offending" device is located outside client's owned firewall they have in place no logging is found for this connection. This is probably the #2 root cause after the in-house client owned mail servers.
Resolutions:
If we find that they have an internal mail server we need assist the client in verifying their PTR and MX records are correct, and then migrating them off "smart hosting". The only reason they are bouncing mail off of our boxes is to reduce their work load for managing blacklisting and spam. This is a client side issue based oon the fact that the client chose to relay mail direct to the WWW from their own mail server and therefore the client should be advised against "smart-hosting" thru One Communications email relays.
Client side Virus activity is a given and will be extreamly evident thru a look at the raw flows, they need to clean house before reseting the counters.
Client owned firewall syslog events sent out via email need either to be correctly configured according to the manufacture specific documentation or completely disabled.
In the rare cases their systems may be sending SPAM as a result of other viral\BOT activities. It will be very evident in the raw flows if these smtp connections are being made to many different addresses or to sequential addresses outbound. In which case cleaning the infection will stop this traffic.
Testing:
If the client is getting smtp connections denied error with "451 errors too man connections recieved this hour from <IP>" they are being denied as a result of exceeding the 500 connection /hr limit.
If the client is able to "telnet 69.95.226.254 25" from the command line and gets a 220 connection or 500 connection they are able to send mail via our servers.
Feel free to refer a client trouble ticket to Network Security as we can often lead these into a discussion of security solutions or proactive measures for the client to take in the future.
Hostmaster FAQs
Q: What is the difference between a "Domain Transfer" and a "DNS Transfer"?
A: "Transferring a domain" and "transferring DNS" are two completely different things. Transferring a domain implies a Registrar transfer (i.e. from Register.com to COOL-Domains.net) and has no effect on DNS services. Transferring DNS to One Communications requires that we first have a copy of the zone file on our nameservers before the transfer is affected. A client who transfers DNS by changing their nameservers to One Communications without following the process will find that all their e-services will be down for 12 to as long as 48 hours, following the point when we receive a valid zone file. If you would like to transfer DNS for your domain to One Communications, please contact your account representative.
Q: What, precisely, does DNS do?
A: DNS = Domain Name Service. Nameservers translate domain names into IP addresses, very similar to the way phone books translate names into phone numbers. The Internet only works with IP addresses, so DNS is required for all online services (such as web sites and email) to work properly.
Q: Can I have more than one domain name?
A: Yes. Businesses often have one "main" domain name, but own several logical names that are equivalent. Some purchase domains with common misspellings, and others purchase domains that are specific to their business offerings or services.
Q: I have a “____@OneComMail.com” email address. Do I need a domain name?
A: That is up to you. If you have printed material with this email address, you may not want to make an immediate change to your email addresses. You can, however, go ahead and register a domain name that is specific to your company name, in case you would like to change your email address in the future or have a web site designed. You can also register a domain name close to your company name and then contact your One Communications sales representative to have your email addresses changed to your new domain.
Q: Once I register my domain name, what do I need to do?
A: If you would like to activate your new domain name, contact your One Communications account representative or our Customer Care department at 1.800.962.2488. Tell them you have just registered a domain name with COOL-Domains.net and would like to place an order for e-services.
Q: I registered a new domain at COOL-Domains.net (or transferred one to COOL-Domains.net). How do I get e-services (email, web hosting, etc.)?
A: Just call your One Communications account representative. He or she will place the order for you.
Q: If I transfer my domain to COOL-Domains (a registrar transfer), is there a possibility my e-services will be down?
A: No. Unlike a DNS transfer that must be carefully planned and executed, a registrar transfer is completely safe with no risk of service outage. It is more of an administrative change than a functional change.
Q: If I transfer my domain to COOL-Domains (a registrar transfer), does that mean One Communications now owns my domain?
A: No. Domain registration has nothing to do with "ownership". The "registrant" retains all rights for use of the domain. The "registrar" simply handles the registration of the domain.
Q: So if I "own" my domain name, why do I have to pay periodically to "renew" it?
A: Good question! No one actually owns a domain name. Domain names are simply "leased". As long as the renewal fees are paid (to the registrar), you have full use of the name. Once a domain expires, it is released and available for anyone to register.
Q: I emailed Domains@OneCommunications.com with a request to change my authoritive nameservers and I received a reply that they cannot do this. Why is that?
A: One Communications never transfers DNS away from One Communications – we cannot be sure that the new provider has DNS set up properly and is ready to provide the service. If they are not ready, then changing nameservers will deactivate all e-services for that domain (email, web site, etc.). It should always be the NEW DNS provider who makes this change for a client.
Q: I received a notice from a company to renew my domain name, but it is not COOL-Domains.net (where it is registered). What should I do?
A: Unfortunately, many unscrupulous companies will start contacting clients far in advance of their expiration to trick them into renewing their domain, while concealing the fact that the domain will also be transferred away from COOL-Domains.net to a new registrar. These companies may send emails, mail via the U.S. Postal Service, faxes, or even place telephone calls. You can safely ignore these communications, no matter how threatening or urgent, if they are NOT from COOL-Domains.net or from One Communications. If there is any doubt, you can always send an email to Domains@OneCommunications.com for clarification.
How can I get a reverse DNS entry (PTR record)?
To setup a reverse DNS entry, clients may email the request to Domains@OneCommunications.com, or call the Repair team, 1-800-962-2488.
If emailing 'Domains', please provide the One Communications account number, IP address and FQDN. For example:
One Comm acct # 123456789 Please point 123.123.123.123 to mail.mydomain.com.
In addition, note that the IP address must be a public (routable) IP address. Private IP addresses are not acceptable (eg, 192.168.xxx.xxx, 10.xxx.xxx.xxx).
How can I have a reply email sent automatically when someone emails one of our addresses?
This can be handled very effectively by the Vacation Notices feature in Webmail.
Then select Account Manager, then Vacation Notices. You should see the following:
Simply change the Subject and Message body to your desired text, decide if you want emails forwarded to another address, then click the Submit button.
This feature can be used when the user is on vacation, as the name implies, but also works equally well as an auto-responder for "utility" addresses (info, service, help, etc.).
How do I add addresses to Groups/Lists in my Webmail Address Book?
When you are viewing the Address Book (in Webmail, click Address Book, Browse, and then Show), there is an orange Add To button on top of the list. Before clicking that button, select what you want to add to from the drop-down list immediately to the right of that button. (Select New List to create a new list, or select an existing list to add to.)
Login to Webmail, select Account Manager, and then click SPAM Assassin.
Select the desired SPAM Level from the drop-down list and click the Submit button. The higher the level, the more SPAM that is blocked.
Messages identified as SPAM are not immediately deleted; they are moved to the Webmail SPAM folder. Messages in this folder are automatically deleted after 10 days.
Note: The SPAM folder in Webmail is automatically created when the first SPAM message is received, after the user sets their SPAM sensitivity to a level above None. You can even delete the SPAM folder (which deletes all the messages it contains) and the folder will be recreated when the next SPAM message arrives.
For more information, click Help in Webmail and view the Webmail User Guide.
How do I save "draft" copies of email before sending?
After logging in to Webmail, click the Folders button:
Then, create a folder to hold your draft messages (i.e. “Drafts”).
Then, click the Options button:
Select Message Composition under Other Options, and then select the folder you just created from the drop-down list:
Now when you compose a message and want to save your work before sending, just click the Save Draft button. Your message will be saved in this folder.
To retrieve the message to edit and/or send it, open your Drafts folder, click on the message, and then click Resume.
How do I send you "message headers" when diagnosing email problems?
Simply "forwarding" an email message to troubleshoot email problems does not forward the complete set of headers that are necessary to trace the route of the email. This note provides the steps for Outlook and Outlook Express to send headers to One Communications for analysis.
From Outlook:
Right-click on a message and select Options.
Click in the Internet Headers window, and type Ctrl-A, Ctrl-Insert, to close that window.
Create a new message.
Right-click in the body of the message and select Paste.
From Outlook Express:
Right-click on a message and select Properties.
Click the Details tab, and click Message Source.
Type Ctrl-A, Ctrl-Insert, and then close both windows.
Create a new message.
Right-click in the body of the message and select Paste.
Add some descriptive information and send.
How do I setup and configure email using Outlook, Outlook Express, Netscape, Eudora or Thunderbird?
Log in to Webmail, and then click Compose to open the message composition window. After entering the desired text, click the Spell Check button to open the spell check window.
Each misspelled word is highlighted, in sequence. The user can ignore the spelling (for each instance or all instances), correct the spelling using the word in the top right window, or select from the list below. If a properly spelled word is highlighted, click the Learn button to add this word to your personal, supplemental dictionary.
Note: The words in a user's supplemental dictionary are stored in a cookie file on the user's PC. Naturally, the user must allow accepting cookies, and that cookie only exists that machine. During the course of regular maintenance, the user should not delete the cookie.
Once the text is acceptable, click OK to replace the text in the Compose window with the corrected text, or cancel to abandon the changes.
I am receiving bounced emails for messages that I never sent. Is there a problem with the mail server?
No. This is a common problem caused by Spammers, and is all about forged email addresses.
Here are some common techniques used by Spammers:
Email Address Harvesting
You send email to a friend or business associate who adds your email address to his/her address book. This may have happened today or two years ago. That person inadvertently opens an email that contains a worm or virus, which proceeds to use every address in the infected machine's address book to send more worms, or may send the list of email addresses to a Spammer.
You provide your email address to an online vendor, chat room, survey, etc., and the host periodically sells the list to a Spammer.
You receive an email that is either offensive or unwanted SPAM (or both) and see that there is a link to click which will delete you from future emails, so you click it. Unfortunately, all you have done is confirmed (by the click of your mouse) that the email address that the SPAM was sent to is at least valid and at most goes to someone who opens the email and reads it.
Email Address Forgery
Most Spammers will not use real return addresses because they will get their accounts shutdown very quickly. Instead, they will often use fake but plausible addresses or real harvested addresses. (Almost every large domain will have a 'bob@domain.com', very few will have 'yrt299@domain.com', so Spammers will use the high probability of the former, rather than the latter.) They also use lists of valid email addresses (such as your own) just for the purpose of diverting bounced messages. If messages bounce, Spammers don't want them coming back to THEIR mailboxes. So before you think that there is a problem with your mail server, or that someone you know has sent you unwelcome email, be sure you know who really sent the email.
I cannot send email from my One Communications account using Outlook, I get an error message. What's wrong?
If you attempt to send email and get an error message similar to the following, then you are most likely NOT connected to the Internet via One Communications:
Your message did not reach some or all of the intended recipients.
Subject: Sent: 11/11/2003 10:10 AM
The following recipient(s) could not be reached:
'SomeUser@SomeDomain.com' on 11/11/2003 10:10 AM 553 sorry, that domain isn't in my list of allowed rcpthosts (#5.7.1)
When sending email, you must use the SMTP server that is provided by the company that is connecting you to the Internet.
A Common Scenario: You use a laptop at the office where One Communications is your Internet connection, so your SMTP server is “SMTP.onecommunications.net”. You can send and receive email at the office without any problems. When you take your laptop home, you connect to the Internet via your cable company (cable modem) or dial-up, or something that is NOT through One Communications. You find that you can receive email OK, but sending email always results in an error message similar to the above example.
The Solution: You need to use the SMTP server that is provided by your home service. Be sure NOT to change POP settings. An alternative is to log in to Webmail (http://webmail.onecommunications.net) to send and/or receive email when not in the office.
I have two email accounts on one computer. I set them up under Tools/Accounts. The first account on the list is marked default, and then the second one is under that. How do I access the second account and how do I know what account I am looking at when I log in to Outlook?
First, if you set these up under Tools/Accounts, it sounds like you are using Outlook Express. (Outlook, the big brother of Outlook Express, uses Tools/Services.)
By default, all mail accounts are processed when you click the Send/Recv button. If you do not want this to happen, go to Tools>>Accounts, and then right-click on the account you want to change and select Properties.
Near the bottom of the General tab is a check box labeled “Include this account when receiving mail or synchronizing”. Just uncheck this box and click OK, and then Close. Now, when you want to get mail from that account, click Tools>>Send and Receive. On the displayed menu, click on that account to get its mail.
As for knowing from what account a particular message in your INBOX came, you can open the message and look at the "To:" field. Or even better, create folders under your INBOX for each account. Then create filters (Tools>>Message Rules>>Mail) to automatically move messages to the correct folder when they are received.
I received an email saying that my account was over quota. How do I free up space?
If you receive an email that says you are over quota, it means there are email messages on One Communications servers that are using more storage space than provided.
If you use Webmail, all email messages in all folders count towards quota: INBOX, Sent folders, SPAM, Trash, etc.
Log in to your Webmail account and delete some messages to free up space. If your Trash folder has a lot of messages, you can free up that space by "emptying the trash" – click the Empty Trash icon on the main toolbar:
You can also empty or delete folders from the Folders menu.
Note: If you have your SPAM filters enabled, you can either empty the SPAM folder or delete it altogether. The SPAM folder will be recreated when the next SPAM message arrives.
You can check your space usage in Webmail by selecting the Account Manager.
Note: The Quota information displayed in the Account Manager is not a real-time display. However, you can force a recalculation by clicking the Recalculate Now! link on that page.
If you do not use Webmail, and view your email with Outlook, Netscape, etc., you may have your account set up to keep mail on the server. In Outlook, the Account Properties window on the Advanced tab looks like this:
If the "Leave a copy of messages on server" option is checked, messages will be downloaded to your PC, but never be deleted from the One Communications servers. Eventually, they will build up and you will receive an "Over Quota" email message. In this case, uncheck this box on your PC's mail client. (There are similar settings on all the mail clients.)
While this takes care of things going forward, you will, however, still need to log in to Webmail to delete messages that are currently being stored.
A similar situation can exist if your One Communications email was set up with Copy & Forward service. This keeps a copy of each email on our servers, but forwards the email to another account. The remedy is the same – log in to Webmail and see where messages are accumulating, and then delete them as necessary.
If you routinely approach quota, speak to your One Communications representative about purchasing additional storage space.
I use Outlook 2002 to read my email and I keep seeing many duplicate messages being downloaded. What's wrong?
Nothing – it's a known problem with Outlook 2002. See the following article in Microsoft's knowledgebase for more information:
I want to get my business and personal email at home. If I set up multiple Outlook profiles, one with One Communications as the incoming server and the other with my home ISP as the incoming server (both with my home ISP as the outgoing server), will that work?
Yes. For any given email account, the associated profile will have the same Incoming mail information: POP3 server name, Account Name and Password. What changes is the Outgoing mail (SMTP) server name, which must correspond to the SMTP server provided by the company whose Internet connection is being used. As you connect to the Internet through various providers, you can either edit a given profile, or simply create a profile to be used with each connection.
For example, if you are on a One Communications DSL/T1 connection, all outgoing mail for any account can be sent via SMTP.onecommunications.net. If you are out of town, and connect through another ISP, you'll need to find the name of their SMTP server.
As far as separating incoming mail from multiple accounts, both Outlook and Outlook Express use a common INBOX folder where all mail is received. The common solution to segregate mail from different accounts is to create additional folders within the INBOX folder, and then create rules (Tools>>Rules Wizard) which will automatically move incoming mail from the INBOX to the appropriate folder.
Note: If you plan on using an AOL dialup account on the road, you will be able to receive your POP mail normally, but will not be able to send mail via Outlook because AOL does not provide SMTP servers. They force users to send mail through their own interface.
Important Email Security Notice: Reported Phishing Scam Received by Customers
As recently as August 1, 2008, One Communications received reports of an emailed request for account information (email address, user name and password). Several different versions of this message have been seen.
The messages variously threaten that “anyone who fails to do this will automatically lose his/her own account” or "Failure to do this will immediately render your email address deactivated from our database".
One Communications will never ask for your email account password. Please ignore the request and delete the message. This is a phishing scam and is not a legitimate request from One Communications.
If you have already responded to one of these messages, please login to your webmail account (http://webmail.onecommunications.net), go to the Account Manager and change your webmail password. You will then need to update your email password for your local email client as well (i.e. Outlook, Netscape, etc.).
Please feel free to contact Customer Care at 1.800.962.2488 with any additional questions.
Webmail users will see this on their next login:
Is the SPAM folder in Webmail the same as the Trash folder, or must I create it? I only see INBOX, Read and Trash.
If you have SPAM Assassin enabled, the SPAM folder is created automatically when the first SPAM message is received.
You can delete the whole SPAM folder if you wish and it will recreate automatically. (Messages in SPAM will be deleted after 10 days otherwise.)
Mail is being returned to me with this error, "553 sorry, that domain isn't in my list of allowed rcpthosts (#5.7.1)". What does it mean?
That error means that you are trying to send email using the wrong SMTP server.
SMTP related errors may have different numbers and slightly different wording (i.e. "Relay access denied for...") but are all related to the same problem.
The SMTP server that you use to send email is not determined by who hosts your email, but is rather a service of your Internet connection provider. All ISPs provide their customers with SMTP servers, regardless of their email address.
One of the most important reasons for doing this is so Spammers cannot connect to an unauthorized SMTP server and use it to send mountains of SPAM. Occasionally, Spammers find these "open" systems and flood them with mail. These systems are known as "open relays" and are the result of careless configuration by the operator.
Clients commonly see this error when they configure their PC at work and then try to use the same configuration at home, where the Internet connection is provided by a different ISP.
The fix for this situation is to change the SMTP server in the mail client to match the one provided by the ISP.
One Communications data clients can set their SMTP server setting in their email client to: SMTP-pop.onecommunications.net. Using this setting, every time you POP your email, you will be authorized to send email from that IP address regardless if you are on the One Communications network or not.
My script to email form data from my web site does not work; what's wrong?
The most likely cause is that the script you are using is not formatting the email in a compliant manner. See the following page for complete information:
In the past, One Communications had made an exception to the rules and allowed non-compliant email to be sent. As of the end of September, 2009, all email passed from client web sites must be compliant.
Clients building their own mail or using a 3rd party script will need to modify/update their script accordingly.
One Communications is providing backup MX services for me. How long will it take for messages to be redelivered after my mail server is back online?
Messages will be redelivered based on the following chart:
Delivery Attempt
Seconds
D-HH:MM:SS
1
0
0-00:00:00
2
400
0-00:06:40
3
1600
0-00:26:40
4
3600
0-01:00:00
5
6400
0-01:46:40
6
10000
0-02:46:40
7
14400
0-04:00:00
8
19600
0-05:26:40
9
25600
0-07:06:40
10
32400
0-09:00:00
11
40000
0-11:06:40
12
48400
0-13:26:40
13
57600
0-16:00:00
14
67600
0-18:46:40
15
78400
0-21:46:40
16
90000
1-01:00:00
17
102400
1-04:26:40
18
115600
1-08:06:40
19
129600
1-12:00:00
20
144400
1-16:06:40
21
160000
1-20:26:40
22
176400
2-01:00:00
23
193600
2-05:46:40
24
211600
2-10:46:40
25
230400
2-16:00:00
26
250000
2-21:26:40
27
270400
3-03:06:40
Sending email from off-network.
One Communications clients who need to send email through the One Communications smtp servers, but who are off network (eg, home via cablemodem, traveling, etc.), can use the smtp-auth feature. Here's how:
The smtp server is still: smtp.onecommunications.net.
Specify that the sending server requires authentication (same authentication as the incoming mail server).
Finally, the sending server must use port 587. (This is often on an Advanced configuration tab.)
Note: If your email is hosted by One Communications, you are already registered for this service. Use your email address and POP password. If One Communications does NOT host your email, please contact the Repair Team (1.800.962.2488). An email address and password (strong password rules enforced) will need to be registered for access.
Usenet News Feed Update
One Communications Usenet Newsfeed Transition Details
As part of the upcoming transition of backend services, minor housekeeping will be necessary to ensure that customers continue receiving newsgroup headers without interruption. Below are the steps necessary to purge and reload newsgroup headers in your news clients.
On March 31, 2008, newsgroup header numbering will be reset to match that of our new backend services. On that date, you will be able to easily make this transition by simply purging and reloading the headers of the subscribed newsgroups in your news client. Instructions for conducting this action in various news clients are included at the end of this email. If your preferred client is not included, please refer to the specific help documentation for the client.
NewsBin Pro:
1. Select all newsgroups you are subscribed to. To select all newsgroups, click on the first group then hold the shift key and click on the last group.
2. From the Groups menu, select "Post Storage", then "Delete Stored Posts".
3. Download headers again. For large binary newsgroups, this may take a long time. To limit the headers, right-click on the newsgroup name and select "Download Special". ----------
NewsLeecher:
1. Select all newsgroups you are subscribed to. To select all newsgroups, click on the first group then hold the shift key and click on the last group.
2. Right-click on the selected newsgroups. From the popup menu, click "Selected: Purge Group".
3. Download headers again. For large binary newsgroups, this may take a long time. To limit the headers, right-click on the newsgroup name, select "Update" and choose the number of headers you would like. ----------
Thunderbird and Outlook Express:
Because these are primarily email clients, there is no way to purge headers. Essentially, you will need to unsubscribe, then re-subscribe to the desired groups.
It may be easiest to remove your current server, then re-add that same server, download the list of available newsgroups, and re-subscribe to your desired newsgroups. ----------
Forte Agent:
1. Select the folder containing your newsgroups, right-click and select "Purge".
2. Download headers again. For large binary newsgroups, this may take a long time.
----------
NOTE:
Binary Retention: 200 Days Text Retention: 2131 Days Completion Rate: 99%+
We are planning to do a large mailing. Do we need to know anything special before proceeding?
First and foremost, any actions must not violate the One Communications Acceptable Use Policy. In particular, emailers should take note of the sections entitled Electronic Mail or "Email" and Unsolicited Bulk Email Support Services and Email Address Harvesting.
In simple terms, sending unsolicited, bulk email is prohibited. A Client or user who sends bulk email to "opt-in" lists must have a method of confirmation or verification of subscriptions and be able to show evidence of subscription for a user who complains about receiving unsolicited email.
If your email plan conforms to the One Communications AUP, then here are a few additional guidelines:
If you expect to send around 1000 or more messages per day, or your messages have 50 or more recipients, they should be sent through:
SMTP-big.onecommunications.net
(If you send less than that, they may be sent through the normal SMTP.onecommunications.net configuration.)
If you expect to send more than 10,000 messages per day, you will need to notify us first via email at Domains@OneCommunications.com with details of your plans.
Mail campaigns of more than 10,000 are best handled by setting up your own internal server, or by a specialized mail program. Email us at Domains@OneCommunications.com to request information.
We have an in house mail server. Can One Communications provide backup MX service?
Yes, also known as "email spooling", One Communications offers this service to clients who maintain their own mail servers and need this for continuity of service for times when their server is down or unavailable. Contact One Communications at 1.800.962.2488 for more information.
We will be transferring email hosting to One Communications; how does that process work?
First, your mailboxes need to be created on the One Communications mail servers. Depending on the type of services ordered, you may have provided a list of addresses / names / passwords to be created, or, you will create the needed mailboxes yourself through the One Connect portal.
Most clients prefer to plan an email cutover for a weekend, since DNS propagation is always a factor. Typically, after everyone gets their email on a Friday, after close of business (after 5pm), the MX record for the client's domain is repointed to the One Communications email servers. Over the next 48 hrs, while that change propagates through the Internet, email delivered to the old email servers will trail off to nothing, and email will begin being delivered to the One Communications servers.
On Monday morning, everyone polls the old mail servers one last time to pick up any stray email, then changes their email client settings to begin polling the One Communications email servers to pick up email.
Notes:
While most prefer to do this over the weekend, some businesses are very busy on weekends, and may choose any other time that they feel is convenient.
No mail is lost during the this process. The key is to pickup mail from the old mail servers after the MX change and sufficient DNS propagation.
Typically, after a client "POPs" their email from a mail server (downloaded to the client's local machine), the mail is deleted from the mail server automatically. If a client has their mail client configured to not delete POPed email (that is, store the email on the server), then, the client should be sure to download old mail to their local machine before cancelling service with the old provider.
WebMail User Guide
The User Guide for One Communications' WebMail can be downloaded below (requires PDF reader), or by clicking 'Help' while in WebMail.
What can I use to read newsgroups and how do I set it up?
You can use Outlook Express as a news reader per below:
When you use the wizard in Outlook Express to setup newsgroups (Tools>>Accounts>>News (tab)>>Add>>News...), use “news.onecommunications.net” when asked for NNTP server.
Note: You can only access this server from a One Communications data line (DSL, T1, etc.).
What is the difference between mail.onecommunications.net, smtp.onecommunications.net, smtp-big.onecommunications.net and smtp-pop.onecommunications.net?
All of these names represent pools of servers at One Communications, dedicated to specific mail functions:
mail.onecommunications.net
Incoming mx servers: incoming email only; no outbound mail leaves from here.
smtp.onecommunications.net
"Regular" outgoing email server. Individual emails from Outlook, etc. This is "good quality" email leaving the One Communications network.
smtp-big.onecommunications.net
Outgoing mail server intended for bulk / mailing lists. This is for the "lower quality" email leaving the One Communications network.
smtp-pop.onecommunications.net
This is a special outgoing mail server that uses POP account username and password for authenticating before sending. This works from both on and off the One Communications network. Just be sure to "POP before sending" in your mail client. Many mail clients will actually have that option, others will have an option similar to, "Log on to incoming mail server before sending mail".
See related articles for details on these servers.
What is the maximum size for (outgoing) attachments? And for incoming mail?
The maximum, outgoing attachment size is 30 MB. Some mail systems do not allow attachments this large, so it's a good idea to check with the recipient before sending.
Incoming attachment size is only limited by the amount of free disk space (quota) that is available to a user's mailbox.
Also, note that the transfer of binary files (such as .pdf's, .doc's, .xls', etc.) across the Internet requires that these attachments be encoded for transmission. The process of encoding, which is automatic and does not require user attention, increases the size of attachments, sometimes significantly. This means that the effective maximum attachment size is variable and less than or equal to 30 MB.
What is the name of the outgoing SMTP server?
Our SMTP relay is named “SMTP.onecommunications.net”.
Note: This can only be used when connected via a One Communications data connection (DSL, T1, etc.).
What RBL's does One Communications use to block SPAM and email with malicious intent?
One Communications uses the SPAMhaus RBL's* (SBL and XBL). This is the first level of defense and reduces the volume of mail going on to anti-virus and anti-SPAM systems that are in place, before final delivery to the client.
* RBL = Realtime Blackhole List, which is a list of open mail relays and rogue sites. Subscribers to an RBL reject all mail and/or connection attempts from RBL'd IP addresses, effectively cutting off irresponsible/incompetent domains from the rest of the Internet.
Web Hosting
Q&A on Choice One Web Hosting and Dedicated Managed Servers
Be "OnGuard" against Internet fraud, secure your computer, and protect your information.
A very good outside resource regarding best practices on the Internet can be found here;
OnGuardOnline.gov provides practical tips from the federal government and the technology industry to help you be on guard against Internet fraud, secure your computer, and protect your personal information.
Do we have unlimited access to update our web pages?
One Communications offers unlimited FTP access to web sites. You can upload and download as many files as you would like 24 hours a day, with no extra or hidden charges.
Hostmaster FAQs
Q: What is the difference between a "Domain Transfer" and a "DNS Transfer"?
A: "Transferring a domain" and "transferring DNS" are two completely different things. Transferring a domain implies a Registrar transfer (i.e. from Register.com to COOL-Domains.net) and has no effect on DNS services. Transferring DNS to One Communications requires that we first have a copy of the zone file on our nameservers before the transfer is affected. A client who transfers DNS by changing their nameservers to One Communications without following the process will find that all their e-services will be down for 12 to as long as 48 hours, following the point when we receive a valid zone file. If you would like to transfer DNS for your domain to One Communications, please contact your account representative.
Q: What, precisely, does DNS do?
A: DNS = Domain Name Service. Nameservers translate domain names into IP addresses, very similar to the way phone books translate names into phone numbers. The Internet only works with IP addresses, so DNS is required for all online services (such as web sites and email) to work properly.
Q: Can I have more than one domain name?
A: Yes. Businesses often have one "main" domain name, but own several logical names that are equivalent. Some purchase domains with common misspellings, and others purchase domains that are specific to their business offerings or services.
Q: I have a “____@OneComMail.com” email address. Do I need a domain name?
A: That is up to you. If you have printed material with this email address, you may not want to make an immediate change to your email addresses. You can, however, go ahead and register a domain name that is specific to your company name, in case you would like to change your email address in the future or have a web site designed. You can also register a domain name close to your company name and then contact your One Communications sales representative to have your email addresses changed to your new domain.
Q: Once I register my domain name, what do I need to do?
A: If you would like to activate your new domain name, contact your One Communications account representative or our Customer Care department at 1.800.962.2488. Tell them you have just registered a domain name with COOL-Domains.net and would like to place an order for e-services.
Q: I registered a new domain at COOL-Domains.net (or transferred one to COOL-Domains.net). How do I get e-services (email, web hosting, etc.)?
A: Just call your One Communications account representative. He or she will place the order for you.
Q: If I transfer my domain to COOL-Domains (a registrar transfer), is there a possibility my e-services will be down?
A: No. Unlike a DNS transfer that must be carefully planned and executed, a registrar transfer is completely safe with no risk of service outage. It is more of an administrative change than a functional change.
Q: If I transfer my domain to COOL-Domains (a registrar transfer), does that mean One Communications now owns my domain?
A: No. Domain registration has nothing to do with "ownership". The "registrant" retains all rights for use of the domain. The "registrar" simply handles the registration of the domain.
Q: So if I "own" my domain name, why do I have to pay periodically to "renew" it?
A: Good question! No one actually owns a domain name. Domain names are simply "leased". As long as the renewal fees are paid (to the registrar), you have full use of the name. Once a domain expires, it is released and available for anyone to register.
Q: I emailed Domains@OneCommunications.com with a request to change my authoritive nameservers and I received a reply that they cannot do this. Why is that?
A: One Communications never transfers DNS away from One Communications – we cannot be sure that the new provider has DNS set up properly and is ready to provide the service. If they are not ready, then changing nameservers will deactivate all e-services for that domain (email, web site, etc.). It should always be the NEW DNS provider who makes this change for a client.
Q: I received a notice from a company to renew my domain name, but it is not COOL-Domains.net (where it is registered). What should I do?
A: Unfortunately, many unscrupulous companies will start contacting clients far in advance of their expiration to trick them into renewing their domain, while concealing the fact that the domain will also be transferred away from COOL-Domains.net to a new registrar. These companies may send emails, mail via the U.S. Postal Service, faxes, or even place telephone calls. You can safely ignore these communications, no matter how threatening or urgent, if they are NOT from COOL-Domains.net or from One Communications. If there is any doubt, you can always send an email to Domains@OneCommunications.com for clarification.
How do I create search pages on Windows shared web hosting?
One of the more common things to do to polish up a web site is to include a search function. One Communications' Windows shared web hosting uses the latest Windows 2003 IIS6.0 web server. However, with technological advances often come limitations imposed by Microsoft. As a result, we no longer have the option of using WAIS searches. Microsoft FrontPage also has the limitation (as of this writing) to not be able to index Network Attached Storage. Because of this, provided below is a workaround that explains how to use ASP and Microsoft Index Server to create search pages. We have broken the search into two basic steps:
The Search Form
The Results Page
1. Search Form
Create a page containing a form in which the user can enter their search word or phrase. An example search form is shown below:
Note: This code can be placed inside any html page.
As you can see from this simple example, you have created a form that will post a single text field called “query“ “ to the page called “Search.asp”.
2. The Search Results Page
The following code can be used for a basic search results page. It should be saved as “Search.asp” as this is what was specified in our form from step #1. Here is the entire code snippet to be used. We will break down the individual components below:
<! --- Search Results Begin --- >
<% Dim sSearchString Dim oQuery sSearchString = Request.Form("query") Const SEARCH_CATALOG = "catalog_name" %>
<% If sSearchString <> "" then Set oQuery = Server.CreateObject("IXSSO.Query") oQuery.Catalog = SEARCH_CATALOG oQuery.Query = sSearchString & " AND NOT #path *_* AND NOT #path *downloads* AND NOT #path *images* AND NOT #filename *.class AND NOT #filename *.dwt AND NOT #filename *.asa AND NOT #filename *.asp AND NOT #filename *.css AND NOT #filename *.js AND NOT #filename *postinfo.html" oQuery.MaxRecords = 100 oQuery.SortBy = "rank[d]" oQuery.Columns = "doctitle, docKeywords, vpath, FileName, Path, Write, Size, Rank, Create, Characterization, DocCategory" Set oRS = oQuery.CreateRecordSet("nonsequential")
If oRS.EOF Then Response.Write "No pages were found for the query <i>" & sSearchString & "</i>" Else Do While Not oRS.EOF
Else Response.write "You must enter a value in the search box. Please go back and try again." End if %>
<% Set oRS = nothing Set oQuery = nothing %>
<! --- Search Results End--- >
Description of Components: A. Declare and Initialize Variables The first part of the search results page initializes variables and constants:
<% Dim sSearchString Dim oQuery sSearchString = Request.Form("query") Const SEARCH_CATALOG = "catalog_name" %>
The search string that we called "query" in the previous form from Step #1 is retrieved and a variable is set to be used in searching the index. The SEARCH_CATALOG constant is also defined which is the name of your web site index. This name is given to you by One Communications. To request this index, please email domains@OneCommunications.com with a request to setup an Index for your web site. One communications will then setup the index free of charge and email you back the name of the new index. Please allow 24-48 hours for turnaround.
B. Initialize Index
The next part of the search results page initializes the Index Server Query COM component which enables the search to be performed:
<% If sSearchString <> "" then Set oQuery = Server.CreateObject("IXSSO.Query") oQuery.Catalog = SEARCH_CATALOG oQuery.Query = "@all " & sSearchString & " AND NOT #path *_* AND NOT #path *downloads* AND NOT #path *images* AND NOT #filename *.class AND NOT #filename *.dwt AND NOT #filename *.asa AND NOT #filename *.asp AND NOT #filename *.css AND NOT #filename *.js AND NOT #filename *postinfo.html" oQuery.MaxRecords = 100 oQuery.SortBy = "rank[d]" oQuery.Columns = "doctitle, docKeywords, vpath, FileName, Path, Write, Size, Rank, Create, Characterization, DocCategory" Set oRS = oQuery.CreateRecordSet("nonsequential")
The properties of the object set in the sample code above are as follows:
Catalog: The name of the search catalog to be searched. This was established in part "A." above.
Query: The query to be made. Note that the query in this example is comprised of the search string, plus a list of file and folder exclusions. It is important to understand that the Index Server indexes content by using the file system, and therefore indexes ALL files including those that you would rather not allow users to search for. Examples include global.asa files, FrontPage configuration files (these folders have underscores in their names) and files such as Java class files and Cascading Style Sheets. By specifying these exclusions, they will not be returned in search results/
MaxRecords: This property specifies the maximum number of search results that should be returned. We have set an arbitrary value in our example of 100.
SortBy: This specifies which column name by which the search results should be sorted. The usual setting for this is rank[d] (i.e. sort results in descending order according to their similarity to the search string). (i.e. sort results in descending order according to their similarity to the search string).
Columns: A list of column properties that should be returned in the search results.
C. Results RecordSet
An ADO RecordSet is created from the records found for this search. An Index Server-returned RecordSet of search results can be used in an almost identical fashion to RecordSets returned from databases. A list of results is, therefore, displayed simply by looping through this RecordSet and displaying fields from the RecordSet:
If oRS.EOF Then Response.Write "No pages were found for the query <i>" & sSearchString & "</i>" Else Do While Not oRS.EOF
oRS.MoveNext Loop End If %> Else Response.write "You must enter a value in the search box. Please go back and try again." End if
The above code also accomodates a blank submission by the user. This code loops through the records corresponding to the matching documents found and displays some of the properties of each document. This is where the column’s property of the Index Server Query is used; these specify the column names that are returned for each record.
In the sample code above...
FileName refers to the record's name on disk.
doctitle corresponds to the document's title (i.e. <title> tag if the document is HTML).
Size is the size in bytes of the file on disk.
Create is the date and time the document was created.
Write is the date and time the document was modified.
Characterization is a summary of the document. The summary corresponds to the Description meta tag in HTML files, so it is worthwhile putting this tag into documents. meta tag in HTML files, so it is worthwhile putting this tag into documents.
If the Description tag isn't present, Index Server will display the first one or two sentences from the document.
D. Release objects Finally, the objects are released at the bottom of the page:
<% Set oRS = nothing Set oQuery = nothing %>
Putting this all together, here is the syntax of our example "search.asp" page:
<html>
<head> <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=windows-1252"> <title>Index Server Example Search Results Page</title> </head>
<body> <! --- Search Results Begin --- >
<% Dim sSearchString Dim oQuery sSearchString = Request.Form("query") Const SEARCH_CATALOG = "drcnh_org" %>
<% If sSearchString <> "" then Set oQuery = Server.CreateObject("IXSSO.Query") oQuery.Catalog = SEARCH_CATALOG oQuery.Query = "@all " & sSearchString & " AND NOT #path *_* AND NOT #path *downloads* AND NOT #path *images* AND NOT #filename *.class AND NOT #filename *.dwt AND NOT #filename *.asa AND NOT #filename *.asp AND NOT #filename *.css AND NOT #filename *.js AND NOT #filename *postinfo.html" oQuery.MaxRecords = 100 oQuery.SortBy = "rank[d]" oQuery.Columns = "doctitle, docKeywords, vpath, FileName, Path, Write, Size, Rank, Create, Characterization, DocCategory" Set oRS = oQuery.CreateRecordSet("nonsequential")
If oRS.EOF Then Response.Write "No pages were found for the query <i>" & sSearchString & "</i>" Else Do While Not oRS.EOF
Else Response.write "You must enter a value in the search box. Please go back and try again." End if %>
<% Set oRS = nothing Set oQuery = nothing %>
<! --- Search Results End--- >
</body> </html>
How do I create the Send Email functionality on the Windows web hosting platform?
On Windows 2003 Server, CDONTS has been deprecated and CDOSYS is the new Microsoft email sender component (additional information is available from Microsoft).
The following code snippets demonstrate how to send an email from ASP using the CDO.Message object:
Sending a text email:
<% Set myMail=CreateObject("CDO.Message") myMail.Subject="Sending email with CDO" myMail.From=mymail@mydomain.com myMail.To=someone@somedomain.com myMail.TextBody="This is a message." myMail.Send set myMail=nothing %>
<% Set myMail=CreateObject("CDO.Message") myMail.Subject="Sending email with CDO" myMail.From=mymail@mydomain.com myMail.To=someone@somedomain.com myMail.HTMLBody = "<h1>This is a message.</h1>" myMail.Send set myMail=nothing %>
How do I get started building a web site?
When you sign up for Web Hosting with One Communications, empty space is provisioned on our servers (on either the Windows or Unix server farms) and accounts are created (FTP or FrontPage) for you.
You'll need your User ID and password provided in your welcome letter before you can begin uploading your web site to your servers. If you need an FTP program to upload files, you can use WS_FTP (http://www.ipswitch.com), CuteFTP (http://www.cuteftp.com/cuteftp), or any of the many other popular FTP utilities available.
Your welcome letter also contains a "preview" address for you to see what your newly uploaded web site looks like in a browser while also allowing you to make sure that your site displays and functions as expected before "going live". This allows you to make changes to your site before it is publicly viewable. We recommend ensuring all images display correctly, checking text for proper formatting, reviewing navigation to make sure there are no broken links and testing any forms to ensure they work as expected. Before going live, if anyone tries to view YourDomain.com or www.YourDomain.com, they will see a “Coming Soon” page. Note that the “Coming Soon” page is only displayed if YourDomain.com does not currently have a web site up with another provider. When a live site exists elsewhere, the preview address allows viewing and testing the new site without disturbing the live site.
When you are satisfied with your site in preview mode, call One Communications Customer Care (1.800.962.2488) or email Domains@OneCommunications.com to request that your site be made live. One Communications will make the appropriate DNS change, after which your site will be available to the world. When your site is live, browsers will see your site by entering either your domain name or the familiar “www” plus your domain name into their browser. From this point on, the preview address points to the live site, so all changes made are live changes (there is no difference between the live we site and the one viewed at the preview address).
Note: When uploading your web site, your FTP or FrontPage account will place you in your own personal "root" directory. Your home page should be found in this directory, and not in a subdirectory.
The home page on your web site must be named according to the list below (names of all other pages are up to you). The following are all allowed, and are in order of preference from highest to lowest:
I don't currently have a web site and need help creating one. What do I do?
If you don't have the time or expertise to create a web site, you'll want to contact someone who can. Small sites (1-5 pages) are often times economically created by local developers. For more complex demands, look for a professional web developer who has a team of graphic artists, programmers and web developers who produce world class Internet solutions.
I have a web site hosted with another company. How do I transfer it to One Communications' servers?
If you already have a web site, the easiest thing to do is contact the people who originally worked on the site. They should have all the files ready to upload. Give them the information in the welcome letter and they will be able to upload your site.
How do I set up a form on my web site that emails me the input fields?
If your web site is hosted on the new linuxweb, please see the linuxweb FAQ: http://kb.onecommunications.net/index.php?article=252.
Here is a "bare bones" web form example that uses formmail, and will help you see the overall form and flow of information. To keep this simple, it has just one text input, plus the "Submit" and "Reset" buttons. The html looks like this:
(The 'title' and 'form name' are arbitrary. The email address is where you want the information sent, and must be a domain for which One Communications handles email.)
This code, when viewed in a browser, looks like this:
If "Bartholomew" is typed into the text input box and the Submit button is clicked, an email containing the information is sent to SomeOne@SomeWhere.net, as defined in the hidden recipient field. The email looks like this:
Below is the result of your feedback form. It was submitted by () on Tuesday, January 20, 2004 at 14:35:54 ------------------------------------------------------------------
The browser returns a default page that looks like this:
Additional hidden fields may be included to customize formmail for your specific application. For a complete list of options, see formmail.cgi.
How do I view the raw server logs for my web site?
Server logs may be downloaded from the Webstats page, accessed through One Communications - Webstats. Append “/webstats” to your web address to reach your Webstats page; e.g., http://www.onecommunications.com/webstats. Log in using the username and password provided in your web hosting welcome letter.
Select View your web statistics. At the bottom of this page is a link to the download log files. All log files are compressed with gzip to conserve space and minimize download times. At the bottom of this page is a link to the download log files. All log files are compressed with gzip to conserve space and minimize download times.
Opening the uncompressed .log files with WordPad allows you to view the (very long) lines in the raw log file fairly well. If opening with MS-Word, depending on version, you may be prompted to specify the "encoding"; select MS-DOS, then use File>>Page Setup to set the page orientation to landscape mode.
How do we change our DNS?
To change your DNS, please contact your Customer Care Representative by dialing 1.800.962.2488 and select option 2, or email Domains@OneCommunications.com.
How do we obtain a domain name?
Obtaining a domain name involves checking for availability and registering the domain with a Domain Name Registrar. These are organizations appointed by the government to handle domain name registrations.
We recommend visiting COOL-Domains.net, where you can check on a domain name's availability and register right online.
If you already own a domain and wish to have it hosted with One Communications, please contact your Customer Care Representative. They will address the scope of transferring your current registrar to your One Communications registrar.
How do we view our web site statistics?
With all One Communications hosting products, clients receive online daily and historical web site statistics. Access to this information is through each client's Webstats page:
To access Webstats, just append “/webstats” to the end of your domain name – for example “www.your_domain_name.com/webstats”. The Webstats portal is password protected, so the general public cannot view a client page without the correct username and password. The Webstats portal is password protected, so the general public cannot view a client page without the correct username and password.
Clients receive their Webstats username and password in their web hosting welcome letter, which is mailed (via the US Postal Service) when web space has been provisioned.
To display the statistics, click the View your Web Statistics link. You will then see a page with a summary of activity for the last 12 months, in both graphical and tabular format. The Webstats page also has a link to an FAQ page that covers the basics of Webalizer, and what the various charts, tables and terms mean. You will then see a page with a summary of activity for the last 12 months, in both graphical and tabular format. The Webstats page also has a link to an FAQ page that covers the basics of Webalizer, and what the various charts, tables and terms mean.
How does a web site work?
The basic concept is simple. A web site is a collection of pages (each of which may include text, images, sound, etc.) that are stored on a computer called a “server” (because it’s optimized to perform these tasks very fast). When someone types the address of a web site into a browser, a request is sent over the Internet to the server that “hosts” the web site, which, in turn, sends the requested files back to the browser to be displayed. While the concept is simple, maintaining a web server is not; it must have a full-time, reliable connection to the Internet, 24x7 monitoring, security updates, and much more.
I already have a web site; I'm just transferring hosting to One Communications. How does that work?
Your One Communications sales representative will take care of ordering your selected web hosting package. Since you currently have a site hosted elsewhere, to help in deciding what hosting platform to use with One Communications, visit http://netcraft.com/, and type in your web address in the “What’s that site running” box. This will tell you the current platform (Unix or Windows) and the name of the current web hosting provider.
In most cases, One Communications will be providing the DNS services for your domain. Your sales representative will have submitted the order to “transfer DNS” to One Communications. When the DNS transfer is complete, the One Communications name servers will have a complete copy of your current zone file that still points back to your current web hosting provider. So, YourCompany.com or www.YourCompany.com still point to your old provider, and the preview address in the welcome letter points to the newly provisioned space on the One Communications web servers.
It is the responsibility of the client to upload their web site to the One Communications web servers.
While the site is being uploaded to One Communications servers and tweaked and viewed at the preview address, your old site is still publicly available, and being served from your old provider. We recommend ensuring all images display correctly, checking text for proper formatting, reviewing navigation to make sure there are no broken links, and testing any forms to ensure they work as expected.
When you are satisfied with the new site, call One Communications Customer Care (1.800.962.2488) and request that your site be made live. After going live, wait a couple days for DNS to fully propagate; then you can cancel hosting service with your previous provider.
I always seem to run into problems while using a Macromedia product such as Dreamweaver or Contribute to upload files to One Communications web servers. Any suggestions?
If you experience problems while using a Macromedia product such as Dreamweaver or Contribute to upload files to One Communications, check the site definition.
After you start Dreamweaver, click Sites>>Define Sites.
Highlight your site in the window, and click the Edit button.
Click Remote Info in the Category window.
Access: Select FTP.
FTP Host: This should match the server listed in your welcome letter.
Host Directory: Leave this blank if hosted on windowsweb or unixweb; enter, www/, if on linuxweb.
Login: Use the username listed in your welcome letter.
Password: Use the password listed in your welcome letter.
Disclaimer: Please be informed that One Communications does not provide or support web development software.
When setting up a site's remote info, leave the "Host directory" field blank if hosted on windowsweb or unixweb; enter, www/, if on linuxweb. This will log you into the web site's "root" directory, where your home page must be saved. A successful setup will look similar to the following (substituting your own domain name and information from your welcome letter):
Be sure to try the Test button to ensure that all fields contain correct data.
In some cases, if you consistently experience problems with aborted transfers, try checking the "Use passive FTP" box.
Note: If your web site was originally provisioned on the Windows platform, with FrontPage extensions enabled, your welcome letter will list "FrontPage.yourdomain.com" as the publishing server. This server name can be used in place of the FTP server in the Dreamweaver definition without any problem.
I am having trouble publishing my site; I'm getting a "cannot connect to server error in Go Live CS2" error. FTP and fetch work fine.
Try toggling the "Use Standard Framework" option.
I don't sell anything online. Why do I need a web site?
Because an ever-growing segment of the population uses the web to research what they buy, before they buy. Many use the web as a phone book to find your phone number, location, hours of business, and get an idea of who you are BEFORE they visit in person. Today, not having a web site is as big a mistake as not having a telephone.
I installed Drupal but it reports invalid access information when accessing the mySQL db; what could be wrong?
Assuming the format of &db_url is correct, the most common problem is a non-escaped special character. Be sure to note the following:
/** * Database settings: * * Note that the $db_url variable gets parsed using PHP's built-in * URL parser (i.e. using the "parse_url()" function) so make sure * not to confuse the parser. If your username, password * or database name contain characters used to delineate * $db_url parts, you can escape them via URI hex encodings: * * : = %3a / = %2f @ = %40 * + = %2b ( = %28 ) = %29 * ? = %3f = = %3d & = %26
I uploaded my site, but when I view the preview address, it says "Forbidden" or "Nothing here". Why is that?
The FTP or FrontPage account information in your welcome letter points to the “root” directory for your site. Your home page must be in that directory (not a subdirectory). If you uploaded your files to the root directory, then be sure your home page has a recognized name (typically, “index.html” or “home.html”).
Your home page must be named according to the list below. (The names of all other pages are up to you.)
The following are all allowed, and are in order of preference from highest to lowest:
Important Email Security Notice: Reported Phishing Scam Received by Customers
As recently as August 1, 2008, One Communications received reports of an emailed request for account information (email address, user name and password). Several different versions of this message have been seen.
The messages variously threaten that “anyone who fails to do this will automatically lose his/her own account” or "Failure to do this will immediately render your email address deactivated from our database".
One Communications will never ask for your email account password. Please ignore the request and delete the message. This is a phishing scam and is not a legitimate request from One Communications.
If you have already responded to one of these messages, please login to your webmail account (http://webmail.onecommunications.net), go to the Account Manager and change your webmail password. You will then need to update your email password for your local email client as well (i.e. Outlook, Netscape, etc.).
Please feel free to contact Customer Care at 1.800.962.2488 with any additional questions.
Webmail users will see this on their next login:
Managing your mySQL db
To manage your db, we suggest the following utilities:
Microsoft has stopped supporting FrontPage. Will One Communications be removing support as well?
Yes. One Communications will be ending support for FrontPage web sites when the next generation Windows web hosting platform goes live, which is anticipated for mid to late 2010.
FrontPage is a very old technology; Microsoft stopped developing the software in 2003 and has replaced this with Microsoft Expression Web (part of Expression Studio).
Expression Web includes tools for eliminating the need for server side extensions. It will also allow you to develop websites that are compliant with current Internet standards.
Many other products exist for developing web sites and you may also wish to look at these products if you do not need the coding assistance with the FrontPage proprietary parts of your website. Keep in mind that One Communications does not officially recommend any client side application. The program you choose to manage your web site is strictly up to you. There are many programs available ranging from several hundred dollars to free web editors.
See the attached .doc below for help in transitioning from Frontpage to Expression Web.
My Frontpage publishing is failing and I'm sure my username / password hasn't changed. What should I do?
Occasionally, cached login information on your PC can become corrupted and a previously working Frontpage login may no longer work. In order to remedy this, follow these steps:
Open Frontpage.
If your site is supposed to automatically open, go to Files >> Close site.
Now, go to Files and select Open Site...
Type in all requested info; do not rely on "saved" info. In Site Name field, enter: http://frontpage.yourdomainname. (Substitute your actual domain name.)
Type the username and password when prompted.
(You may be prompted up to three times for un/pw; enter the same for each. This is a by-product of the load balanced pool of servers that serve the pages.)
My script to email form data from my web site does not work; what's wrong?
The most likely cause is that the script you are using is not formatting the email in a compliant manner. See the following page for complete information:
In the past, One Communications had made an exception to the rules and allowed non-compliant email to be sent. As of the end of September, 2009, all email passed from client web sites must be compliant.
Clients building their own mail or using a 3rd party script will need to modify/update their script accordingly.
My web site is live. Now what?
First, your web site is a dynamic presence on the web. To be effective, you need to know something about who’s accessing your site, what they are viewing and when they are doing it. All this is available in your web statistics, which is accessible through Webstats. Just type in your domain name, followed by “/webstats” in a browser, then, enter the username and password (from your welcome letter) and select “Statistics”.
Secure Certificates for One Communications Web Hosting
One Communications does not offer "shared certs" (generally frowned upon for business use).
One Communications clients must purchase a dedicated secure certificate. They may purchase their own from any 3rd party provider (One Communications will provide them with the necessary CSR, and install the cert for them, but all the administrative work is the responsibility of the client), or, they may purchase a cert from One Communications.
Prices for a 1 year cert start at $169. Prices include the administrative tasks, the cert itself, plus installation. Certs are applied to a single, fully qualified URL (www.site.com, secure.site.com, shop.site.com, etc.). Certs for an entire domain (*.site.com) require a "wild card" cert, which are available, at a higher cost.
New cert purchases and cert renewals can ONLY be processed by phone, and must be paid for by credit card. Please call the One Communications Hostmaster toll-free phone (866.644.1812) during normal business hours to transact cert business.
Unixweb ==> Linuxweb Migration FAQ
All One Communications web sites hosted on unixweb (@ and www records point to 64.65.215.10) will need to migrate to the newer, faster platform, Linuxweb. The following guidelines will help you in this transition.
I have not been contacted regarding this migration. Do I need to wait for an invitation?
No! To take advantage of the new linux platform, simply email your request to, Domains@OneCommunications.com. Web space will be provisioned for you, along with additional information for accessing the space. All of this takes place while your current site remains live. You will not experience downtime by migrating your site.
I received a notice from One Communications regarding this migration; do I HAVE to migrate, or can my site remain on unixweb?
While migration is mandatory (unixweb will be retired), this is a very good move as the architecture is all new, more secure and faster! Also all the underlying support applications have been updated (apache, php, mysql, etc.)
Is there any difference in publishing my site?
Differences are minimal:
On unixweb, your ftp login places you in the root of your web folder, where you previously uploaded your site. On linuxweb, your ftp login places you one level up. You will see 2 folders: \ftpusers and \www. You will publish your site in the \www folder.
You will receive new ftp credentials. The username will be in the form: admin@YourDomainName.
By default, the ftp server name is, linuxftp.onecommunications.net.
What is the folder \ftpusers for?
Linuxweb now offers users the choice of either Public or Private ftp accounts.
Public FTP accounts: Creating a public ftp account creates a folder under /www and allows access via the web site. For example, abc321.com is hosted on linuxweb. A public ftp account is created called, "downloads"; this will create the folder, /www/downloads, and the user would login to linuxftp.onecommunications.net with their username, downloads@YourDomainName, and the assigned password. This user cannot access any folders above /www/downloads, however, any files uploaded to this folder may be accessed from the web site. Example: if /www/downloads/ShowMe.pdf id uploaded, it may be accessed from a browser as: http://YourDomainName/downloads/ShowMe.pdf.
Private FTP accounts: Creating a private ftp account creates a folder under /ftpusers and cannot be accessed through the web site. To continue the above example, a private ftp account called, "schedule", is created. This creates the folder, /ftpuser/schedule, and is accessed via ftp by logging into linuxftp.onecommunications.net, with username, schedule@YourDomainName and assigned password. Contents CANNOT be accessed through the website.
The administrative account (admin@YourDomainName) can access ALL folders, including the /www folder for modifying the web site. Sub ftp accounts are all locked to their own folder and may not traverse the directory tree.
Any special considerations for permissions?
For added security, you cannot set folder/files to 0777.
Can php.ini be modified?
By default, all sites inherit a standard php.ini. However, if needed, users may create there own php.ini which is placed above the /www folder. To request access to this feature, email Domains@OneCommunications.com, or call the Repair team, 1.800.962.2488. Note that the following parameters are fixed and may not be altered:
It is based on your domain name. If your domain were, abc.com, the the full path would be:
/home/unix/web/htdocs/a/b/abc.com/www/
I would like form data emailed to me. Can I use formmail?
You can use formmail (or any other utility) you desire.
On linuxweb, there is no need to use the common script: http://scripts.onecommunications.net/cgi-bin/formmail.cgi
To implement formmail, follow these instructions:
Download the most recent version of the script from: www.scriptarchive.com/readme/formmail.html
The script may be placed anywhere under the /www/ folder. So, in /www/cgi-bin/ or right in /www/ if you choose.
Once the file is uploaded, chmod it to 755 and alter one line within the FormMail.pl file which is: Change: @referers = ('scriptarchive.com','YOUR_IP'); To: @referers = ('clients_domain.com');
If the recipient field within the form goes to another domain like: <input type="hidden" name="recipient" value="wxyz-abc@gmail.com">
Then the @referers needs to be updated to accept that domain so, @referers = ('clients_domain.com','gmail.com');
None of my .php3 files are working in Linuxweb, do I have to rename all the files?
No, simply create a new text file called .htaccess and add the following line to this file:
AddHandler x-httpd-php .php .php3
Save this file and upload it to you /www/ directory.
Usenet News Feed Update
One Communications Usenet Newsfeed Transition Details
As part of the upcoming transition of backend services, minor housekeeping will be necessary to ensure that customers continue receiving newsgroup headers without interruption. Below are the steps necessary to purge and reload newsgroup headers in your news clients.
On March 31, 2008, newsgroup header numbering will be reset to match that of our new backend services. On that date, you will be able to easily make this transition by simply purging and reloading the headers of the subscribed newsgroups in your news client. Instructions for conducting this action in various news clients are included at the end of this email. If your preferred client is not included, please refer to the specific help documentation for the client.
NewsBin Pro:
1. Select all newsgroups you are subscribed to. To select all newsgroups, click on the first group then hold the shift key and click on the last group.
2. From the Groups menu, select "Post Storage", then "Delete Stored Posts".
3. Download headers again. For large binary newsgroups, this may take a long time. To limit the headers, right-click on the newsgroup name and select "Download Special". ----------
NewsLeecher:
1. Select all newsgroups you are subscribed to. To select all newsgroups, click on the first group then hold the shift key and click on the last group.
2. Right-click on the selected newsgroups. From the popup menu, click "Selected: Purge Group".
3. Download headers again. For large binary newsgroups, this may take a long time. To limit the headers, right-click on the newsgroup name, select "Update" and choose the number of headers you would like. ----------
Thunderbird and Outlook Express:
Because these are primarily email clients, there is no way to purge headers. Essentially, you will need to unsubscribe, then re-subscribe to the desired groups.
It may be easiest to remove your current server, then re-add that same server, download the list of available newsgroups, and re-subscribe to your desired newsgroups. ----------
Forte Agent:
1. Select the folder containing your newsgroups, right-click and select "Purge".
2. Download headers again. For large binary newsgroups, this may take a long time.
----------
NOTE:
Binary Retention: 200 Days Text Retention: 2131 Days Completion Rate: 99%+
A: Storage refers to disk storage. This is needed for all your page files (.html, .asp, .php, etc.), images (.gif, .jpg, etc.), downloadable files (.doc, .pdf, etc.) and all support files (style sheets, scripts, etc.).
Q: What is meant by "usage"?
A: Usage refers to the volume of data transferred from web server to clients accessing your web site over the course of a month.
Q: For example, a web hosting plan allows 40 MB of storage and 3 GB of usage. What does that mean?
A: Most typical web sites use between 10 and 20 MB of disk space, s, 40 MB is sufficient for all but the very complex sites, or sites that may offer many large files to download (i.e. .pdf) or view online (i.e. .mpg or .wmv). A typical web page, with text and graphics, is about 70 Kb in size. That page would have to be viewed nearly 43,000 times in a 30 day period to reach the 3 GB usage.
Q: What if my pages are much larger than 70 Kb?
A: Then fewer views of that page would reach the 3 GB limit faster. However, keep in mind that a well designed and optimized web page should not be much larger, since larger pages take longer to load in a browser window, depending on the user's Internet connection. Users who have to wait too long for a page to load will often abandon the site and look elsewhere.
Q: How can I tell how much disk space and usage my site is using?
A: Log in to your Webstats area and select Viewing your Web Statistics. Storage and Usage are both shown graphically on that page. Storage and Usage are both shown graphically on that page.
Webstats FAQ
FAQ's: Reading Your Statistics
Webalizer is not a real-time statistics program. Log files are run and compiled once a night, usually close to midnight. Therefore, it is as current as the previous day's activity.
The following information will guide you through your website statistics and help you understand them.
Main Report Page
When you access Webalizer, you will see a screen with an overview of activity. You will see two charts:
1. Usage Summary 2. Summary By Month
Usage Summary. This chart includes three separate colorful bar graphs showing statistics for the current year.
The first bar graph represents the number of pages, files and hits logged for each month. "Hits" are total requests, whether successful or not. "Files" are actual files the server sent back. "Pages" are generally composed of more than one file, e.g., html page plus graphic image files. Therefore, hits will always be larger than files, which in turn will always be larger than pages.
The second bar graph in the upper right corner represents all visits and sites per month. "Visits" are defined by calculating the elapsed time between requests made to a server from a given IP address. If this interval is 30 minutes or less, it is considered the same visit. Each request made to a server comes from a unique "site," referenced by a name or, ultimately, an IP address. It is important to understand that this does NOT equate to the number of unique "real people" visiting your site, which is impossible to determine via the http protocol and log files, but it is close. In the same way that hits are larger than files, visits will usually be larger than sites. Tip: The bigger the difference between visits and sites, the more repeat visitors a site received.
The third bar graph in the bottom right corner shows kilobytes (Kbytes) of usage per month.
On each graph, you will notice a number in the margin. This number represents the highest value in the bar graph and can be used as a point of reference.
Summary by Month. This chart displays the average number of daily hits, files, pages, and visits. It also displays the monthly averages for sites, Kbytes, visits, pages, files and hits on the web site. These are listed by the month in which they are logged. To view a more detailed report for each month, click on the month you would like to view the report.
Detailed Monthly Statistics
At the top of the monthly detail page are quick links to all the tables/graphs below. The table at the top of the page provides a complete tabular summary similar to the main page, but also breaks the numbers down to average and maximum values per day (plus hits per hour).
Monthly Statistics
Total Hits: Any request sent to a server is a "hit."
Total Files: Some requests to the server require that something be sent back to the requester, i.e., an html page, a graphic image, etc. Anything sent back to the requester is a "file."
Total Pages: The intent of the "pages" value is to count the actual displayed pages, which ignores all the supporting stuff that might be in a page, such as images, audio clips, etc. Some refer to this number as a count of pure "hits," i.e., viewed completed pages.
Total Visits: The elapsed time between requests made to a server, from a given IP address, is calculated. If this interval is 30 minutes or less, it is considered the same visit.
Total Kbytes: This is simply the total kilobytes sent out by the server, or in other words, the amount of data transferred.
Total Unique Sites: Each request made to a server comes from a unique "site," referenced by a name or, ultimately, an IP address. It is important to understand that this does NOT equate to the number of unique "real people" visiting your site, which is impossible to determine via the http protocol and log files, but it is close
Total Unique URLs: These are URLs on your website that have been requested by browsers (regardless of whether or not they actually exist).
Total Unique Referrers: "Referrers" are pages that sent a user to your website. This information is from a special "referrer" field in a server's extended log file.
Total Unique User Agents: "User Agents" refer to the kind of browser people are using to view your site.
Hits per Hour: Total requests, whether successful or not , per hour
Hits per Day: Total requests, whether successful or not , per day
Files per Day: Actual files the server sent back tabulated
Pages per Day: Actual pages viewed completed per day
Visits per Day: Total visits per day
Kbytes per Day: Total kilobytes sent out by the server on a given day
Hits by Response Code
Code 200 - OK: This is the normal code and usually has the most hits. This means that the site was accessed successfully.
Code 206 - Partial Content: For whatever reason, the whole page was not sent.
Code 301 - Moved Permanently: The page has moved permanently to another URL.
Code 302 - Found: Similar to code 301, server should provide new URL.
Code 304 - Not Modified: Browser is using a copy from their cache.
Code 400 - Bad Request: The requested page was not found.
Code 401 - Unauthorized: This means the page requires a username, password or some type of permission. This error means that someone has tried to access the page without such permissions.
Code 403- Request for a file that is presently set to forbidden, so the file can't be sent.
Code 404 - Not Found: The requested page was not found.
Code 408 - Request Timeout
Code 410 - Gone: Server message to browser page is gone.
Code 500 - Internal Server Error: Vague error code that refers to any server problem.
Tip: In general, code 200 should be the largest, followed by code 304. Large counts for codes 404, can indicate a bad link on the site or a popular page that is no longer on the site, but still in search engines and pointing people to the missing page. Code 500 should be very small, significant values usually indicate a problem with the cgi script.
Daily Usage and Statistics for the Month
This section includes two separate charts. The first chart is Daily Usage and includes three, color-coded bar graphs showing number of pages/files/hits; sites/visits; and Kbytes transferred. The second chart, Daily Statistics, details the corresponding numerical values and percentages of the daily statistics.
Tip: These plots are especially useful for businesses that launch other media campaigns, print, broadcast, etc. Including their web URL will provide a gauge to the efficacy of their advertising by showing changes in daily web activity.
Hourly Usage and Statistics for the Month
This section includes two separate charts. The first chart is Hourly Usage and includes three color-coded bar graphs showing the number of pages/files/hits. The second chart, Hourly Statistics, details the corresponding numerical values and percentages of the hourly statistics, including kilobytes transferred.
Tip: Hourly stats can provide insight into who is accessing your website. A lot of activity between 9:00 am and 5:00 pm is often homemakers, retired people or other businesses. For a site with international appeal, this should be fairly flat, with a little dip between 2:00 and 6:00 am.
Total URLs
The Total URLs section shows the number of incoming requests for the unique URLs in your website. You will see the number of times the URL was requested, the number of Kbytes transferred, and the URL. Do not confuse total URLs with page views.
Tip: The most popular URLs tell what most people are looking at on your website.
URLs by Kbytes
Ranks the page views by number of Kbytes transferred.
Entry Pages
Entry pages are the first pages a visitor sees on your website. This is not always your home page. Often, a visitor is sent directly to a page by a search engine or a bookmark.
Tip: You could use this statistic to assess what sections of your site are accessed the most. Then, in turn, determine where to focus future promotions and where to make frequent changes. In addition, this statistic may be helpful in determining where some of your traffic is coming from. For example, if you run a banner ad on another site that links to a certain page on your site, you will be able to determine your return on the advertisement investment.
Exit Pages
Exit pages are the last pages a visitor views before leaving your website. This statistic is useful in relation to the entry page statistics. For example, if you have 400 visitors entering your site on your home page and 395 visitors leaving your site on your home page, your home page may not be inviting or easy to navigate and visitors are leaving too quickly.
Total Sites
Total Sites shows the hits, files, Kbytes, visits by hostname. In other words, this indicates the individual IP addresses of hosts coming to your site.
Total Referrers
Referrers are web pages that sent a visitor to your website. This information is from a special referrer field in a server's extended log file. This is a difficult field to analyze because it can take so many different forms. However, these pages will provide some insight on where visitors are coming from.
Tip: Usually at the top of this list is information relating to "-(Direct Request)". This indicates that a user clicked on a bookmark or typed a URL directly into their browser.
Search Strings
If a visitor found your website via a search engine, this will tell you what search strings they used. This provides tremendous insight, not only for the kind of information for which people are being directed to your site, but also for fine tuning meta tags to bring a site higher up in a search engine's listings.
User Agents
User Agents refer to the kind of browsers visitors are using to view your site. Mozilla refers to Netscape browsers.
Countries
Webalizer plots and tabulates all the visitors to your website by domain. This is a great way to see where your site traffic is coming from geographically (certain countries or by top level domain, i.e., .com, .gov, etc.).
Usage by Country
This table shows the numerical representation of the chart in usage by country.
What is a domain name?
A domain name is an electronic address for your web site… and, for your email. Having a customized domain name is an important first step in establishing a professional online presence. Just as you need a unique telephone number, a customized domain name should reflect the identity of your business.
Most businesses register “.com” domain names (i.e. OneCommunications.com). However, other “TLDs” (Top Level Domains) are also available, such as .net, .org. biz, etc. Use your domain name to create employee email addresses (bill@mycompany.com), special addresses that forward to other addresses (info@mycompany.com), or that access your web site (www.mycompany.com). You can also have multiple domain names that point to the same people or web site (“OneHugeCompanyName.com” may be the same as “OHCN.com”).
What is a web site?
A web site is simply a collection of files on a web server. Your “online presence” is created when people from all over the world are able to visit your site, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Even when your store is closed, or you are away (or even just sleeping), your web site is your business’ ambassador to the world. A web site can be anything you want it to be… an online brochure/catalog, an online order taker, a 24-hour customer support center, a file distribution center or an online pollster, collecting information and feedback to help your business grow.
What is the best way to move our FrontPage web site from our current provider to One Communications?
FrontPage can be used to "open" your site with the current provider, then "publish" locally or to another remote site (in this case, a One Communications server).
The recommended paradigm for FrontPage web sites is to have a local copy (on your hard drive) that you work on and then publish to the web server. Some adventurous folks work directly on the live web site.
If you do not have a local copy of your web site, use FrontPage to open http://www.YourSite.com/. (Replace with your actual domain name.) Then click File>>Publish and pick a directory on your local hard drive (a common choice is "My Documents\My Webs"). This will "publish" a copy of the live site on your local hard drive. (In this scenario, FrontPage considers the live site to be the "local" site, and the one on your hard drive to be the "remote" site, which may sound odd, but that's how you transfer an entire FrontPage site from a "source" location to a "target" location.)
Next, in FrontPage, close the current web (http://www.YourSite.com/), and open the web on your local hard drive. Now you can edit and do whatever needs to be done to your local copy, without affecting the live site.
When you're ready, you'll publish the updates to the web server (now the local copy is truly local, and you are publishing to the truly remote location, on the web server). After each publishing session, both the local and remote copies should be identical (synchronized).
If you are using FrontPage 2000 or earlier, you may want to consider upgrading to the latest version. There are not many new features, but the publishing features have been greatly improved to help make the process more intuitive and efficient.
What options are available with One Communications web Hosting?
See the attached Web Hosting Spec Sheet below.
Where do I go for trouble shooting?
If you run into any problems with the operation of your web site, please search and review this KnowledgeBase for help. Many questions are answered here that deal with web hosting and email. If you still need assistance, please call One Communications Customer Care (1.800.962.2488) for additional help.
Here are some common pitfalls:
I uploaded my site, but when I view the preview address, it says “Forbidden” or “Nothing here”. Why is that?
The FTP or FrontPage account information in your welcome letter points to the “root” directory for your site. Your home page must be in that directory (not a subdirectory). If you uploaded your files to the root directory, then be sure your home page has a recognized name (typically, “index.html” or “home.html”).
Your home page must be named according to the list below. (The names of all other pages are up to you.)
The following are all allowed, and are in order of preference from highest to lowest:
For security reasons, forms may only be sent to email addresses hosted by One Communications. If you need form results emailed to a non-One Communications address (i.e. aol.com, rr.com, etc.), we will create an alias that forwards to the address(es) of your choice.
Why aren't my forms working properly?
For security reasons, forms may only be sent to email addresses hosted by One Communications. If you need form results emailed to a non-One Communications address (i.e. aol.com, rr.com, etc.), we will create an alias that forwards to the address(es) of your choice.
DNS
Domain Name Service
Be "OnGuard" against Internet fraud, secure your computer, and protect your information.
A very good outside resource regarding best practices on the Internet can be found here;
OnGuardOnline.gov provides practical tips from the federal government and the technology industry to help you be on guard against Internet fraud, secure your computer, and protect your personal information.
Can I modify my DNS record (MX, A records, etc.) directly?
At this time, COOL-Domains.net does not offer this feature. If your DNS provider is One Communications, then you may call the Repair Team (1.800.962.2488) to make necessary changes, or, for less time critical requests (24-48 hrs), email Domains@OneCommunications.com and request the specified changes. Be sure to include a detailed request. All completed DNS changes are subject to propagation delay.
Hostmaster FAQs
Q: What is the difference between a "Domain Transfer" and a "DNS Transfer"?
A: "Transferring a domain" and "transferring DNS" are two completely different things. Transferring a domain implies a Registrar transfer (i.e. from Register.com to COOL-Domains.net) and has no effect on DNS services. Transferring DNS to One Communications requires that we first have a copy of the zone file on our nameservers before the transfer is affected. A client who transfers DNS by changing their nameservers to One Communications without following the process will find that all their e-services will be down for 12 to as long as 48 hours, following the point when we receive a valid zone file. If you would like to transfer DNS for your domain to One Communications, please contact your account representative.
Q: What, precisely, does DNS do?
A: DNS = Domain Name Service. Nameservers translate domain names into IP addresses, very similar to the way phone books translate names into phone numbers. The Internet only works with IP addresses, so DNS is required for all online services (such as web sites and email) to work properly.
Q: Can I have more than one domain name?
A: Yes. Businesses often have one "main" domain name, but own several logical names that are equivalent. Some purchase domains with common misspellings, and others purchase domains that are specific to their business offerings or services.
Q: I have a “____@OneComMail.com” email address. Do I need a domain name?
A: That is up to you. If you have printed material with this email address, you may not want to make an immediate change to your email addresses. You can, however, go ahead and register a domain name that is specific to your company name, in case you would like to change your email address in the future or have a web site designed. You can also register a domain name close to your company name and then contact your One Communications sales representative to have your email addresses changed to your new domain.
Q: Once I register my domain name, what do I need to do?
A: If you would like to activate your new domain name, contact your One Communications account representative or our Customer Care department at 1.800.962.2488. Tell them you have just registered a domain name with COOL-Domains.net and would like to place an order for e-services.
Q: I registered a new domain at COOL-Domains.net (or transferred one to COOL-Domains.net). How do I get e-services (email, web hosting, etc.)?
A: Just call your One Communications account representative. He or she will place the order for you.
Q: If I transfer my domain to COOL-Domains (a registrar transfer), is there a possibility my e-services will be down?
A: No. Unlike a DNS transfer that must be carefully planned and executed, a registrar transfer is completely safe with no risk of service outage. It is more of an administrative change than a functional change.
Q: If I transfer my domain to COOL-Domains (a registrar transfer), does that mean One Communications now owns my domain?
A: No. Domain registration has nothing to do with "ownership". The "registrant" retains all rights for use of the domain. The "registrar" simply handles the registration of the domain.
Q: So if I "own" my domain name, why do I have to pay periodically to "renew" it?
A: Good question! No one actually owns a domain name. Domain names are simply "leased". As long as the renewal fees are paid (to the registrar), you have full use of the name. Once a domain expires, it is released and available for anyone to register.
Q: I emailed Domains@OneCommunications.com with a request to change my authoritive nameservers and I received a reply that they cannot do this. Why is that?
A: One Communications never transfers DNS away from One Communications – we cannot be sure that the new provider has DNS set up properly and is ready to provide the service. If they are not ready, then changing nameservers will deactivate all e-services for that domain (email, web site, etc.). It should always be the NEW DNS provider who makes this change for a client.
Q: I received a notice from a company to renew my domain name, but it is not COOL-Domains.net (where it is registered). What should I do?
A: Unfortunately, many unscrupulous companies will start contacting clients far in advance of their expiration to trick them into renewing their domain, while concealing the fact that the domain will also be transferred away from COOL-Domains.net to a new registrar. These companies may send emails, mail via the U.S. Postal Service, faxes, or even place telephone calls. You can safely ignore these communications, no matter how threatening or urgent, if they are NOT from COOL-Domains.net or from One Communications. If there is any doubt, you can always send an email to Domains@OneCommunications.com for clarification.
How can I determine the connection speed on our data line?
Visit http://OneCommunications.com/speedtest/ . After picking a location close to you, a test will be performed that will conclude with a report of upload and download transfer rates.
For additional assistance, contact One Communications Client Care, 1.800.962.2488.
How can I get a reverse DNS entry (PTR record)?
To setup a reverse DNS entry, clients may email the request to Domains@OneCommunications.com, or call the Repair team, 1-800-962-2488.
If emailing 'Domains', please provide the One Communications account number, IP address and FQDN. For example:
One Comm acct # 123456789 Please point 123.123.123.123 to mail.mydomain.com.
In addition, note that the IP address must be a public (routable) IP address. Private IP addresses are not acceptable (eg, 192.168.xxx.xxx, 10.xxx.xxx.xxx).
How do I pay for my domain registration renewal fees?
Depending on your level of service, you may be required to periodically renew your domain.
In order to ensure uninterrupted service and to protect your domain ownership, you will receive an email from COOL-Domains.net at 60, 30 and 5 days before your domain name expiration date. Please log in to your domain name management account with your domain name, username and password. From there you can renew your domain name using a credit card.
NOTE: Customers who registered their domain names through other services or directly through a domain registrar will need to continue to renew these domains through those other services.
One Communications will not receive notifications about these transferred domains when they are near expiration; it is up to the registered owner of the domain to maintain a valid email contact so they can receive these notices and avoid having the domain placed on "hold" or expire.
How do I transfer my domain registration to COOL-Domains?
Registrar Transfers:
In order to transfer your domain registration, it must first meet the following criteria:
Your domain name is more than 60 days old.
You have access to the administrative contact email account or the account holder email account.
2. Select "Transfer a domain". (This will transfer and renew your domain name with Cool-domains.net; an annual renewal charge will apply.)
3. Select New Client.
4. Enter your desired username and password, and then select Next. (NOTE: usernames and passwords are case sensitive.)
5. Once you have completed the form with the correct information, use your credit card to pay for the transaction online.
6. Within minutes, an email is sent from transfers@opensrs.org to the domain's administrative contact’s email address on the current domain name record.
7. The administrative contact will open the transfer request email, enter the domain name and the passkey (password) contained in the email, and submit. Select, accept transfer and then enter your phone number. This sends an email to the current registrar.
8. Within 24-48 hours you may receive an email from the current registrar asking you to approve the transfer. The Following registrars send additional authorization requests:
Bulkregister.com
Network Solutions – Verisign (This request will go to the Account/Primary contact not the administrative contact.)
Register.com
Registrars.com
9. Once you answer the approval, you will receive an email message back from the previous registrar with either an approval or denial within 3-5 business days.
10. A successful transfer adds one year to the entire record of your domain.
Note: Registrar transfers can take up to 7 days. However, in most cases, they are completed within 3-5 days.
I got a letter from ICANN with the subject "Whois Data Confirmation". Do I need to do anything with this?
All Registrars are required to notify their domain name owners to have them verify their contact information. These email messages are sent out on the anniversary date for every domain name.
Read through the entire email, paying close attention to the whois record. If the information is correct and up to date, then you can ignore the message or delete it.
However, if the information is incorrect, you must log in to your domain name account with your current registrar and update the information. Each registrar is different, so if you do not have your domain name management information, you will need to contact them directly.
I made a mistake when signing up for my domain. What can I do?
When registering your new COOL-Domains.net domain, if you make a mistake such as a misspelling of the domain (or perhaps you wish to change it to another extension such as .net or .org), then please contact us at 1.866.644.1812 within 72 hours of your registration.
I'm a One Communications data customer. What DNS resolvers should I use?
One Communications clients can pick any two from the three below:
64.65.208.6 64.65.223.6 64.65.196.6
Legacy Choice One clients can pick any two from the five below:
Legacy CTC clients can pick any two from the three below:
64.69.96.35 64.69.98.35 64.69.100.68
Legacy Conversent clients can pick any two from the three below:
216.41.101.15 216.41.101.17 204.17.65.2
Legacy CTBB clients:
66.6.65.5 66.6.65.6
Legacy Lightship clients:
216.204.0.33 216.204.0.35
I'm not clear on what DNS is. How does DNS work?
All domain names are registered with the central Internet authority that operates the so-called root servers. Your domain name is registered with them (i.e. Register.com, Network Solutions, DirectNic, etc.). They have a record for your domain that provides the addresses of two or more DNS servers which are responsible for your domain.
Those DNS servers have several records relative to your domain. They have "host" records which give IP addresses for named computers within the domain. For example, a couple of host records might look like this:
www.company.com. IN A 127.127.127.127 mail1.company.com. IN A 127.127.127.128
Basically, the www record tells web browsers where to go to find your web site. But the mail is a little more complicated. It depends on the MX record or records. They might look like:
Those records tell email servers on the Internet where to go when they want to send mail to someone at your domain.
If I register a new domain name, who owns it?
Technically, no one owns a domain name. By paying the domain registration fee, you license the rights to use that unique domain name throughout the world for a specific time. Therefore, should you ever cancel your One Communications account, you will still own the rights for that domain name for as long as you continue to pay the registration fees.
Is there a fee for transferring a domain?
Yes. The fee includes the transfer and the renewal of your domain name registration for an additional 12 months.
Is there a limit to the length of my domain name?
Domain names can include up to 67 alphanumeric characters and hyphens. This includes the .com, .net, .org, etc. extension. In addition, domain names cannot begin or end with a hyphen and .biz and .info domain names must have at least four characters (not including the extension).
Last year my sales person registered my domain name for me through COOL-Domains.net and I received an invoice. Can I do that again?
Unfortunately, to renew your domain name, you will need to do so online at http://cool-domains.net/ using a credit card.
If your sales person registered your domain name for you and invoiced you for it, it may have been a one-time courtesy. (Perhaps you did not have Internet access at the time.) All clients are responsible for renewing their domain names with their registrars.
My domain is on hold or has expired. What do I do?
Customers who registered their domain names through other services or directly through a domain registrar (and only had DNS service for the domain transferred to One Communications) need to continue to renew domains through those other services (such as register.com, networksolutions.com, etc.).
One Communications does not receive notifications on these transferred domains when they are near expiration. It is up to the registered owner of the domain to maintain a valid email contact so he or she can receive these notices and avoid having the domain placed on hold or expiring.
If a transferred domain is on hold or has expired, you will need to contact that domain register to resolve the issue and have them re enable it.
My domain name is locked. How can I get access to it?
Domain name "Locking" or "Domain Protect" is a safety feature designed by ICANN to ward off any unwanted domain name modifications or transfers.
When your domain name is locked, you cannot change your DNS (nameservers) or transfer your domain name registrar. Also, if you are trying to modify more than one domain name at a time (contact information), you will not be able to do so if the domain name is "locked".
If your domain name is registered with COOL-Domains.net, please go to the following URL to "unlock" your domain:
Enter your domain name (without the www.) and your username and password. In the top navigation area, you will see an option for "Domain Locking". Select this and then choose Disable Locking for your domain and click Submit.
It is good idea to keep your domain name locked until you are ready to make specific changes to it.
Usenet News Feed Update
One Communications Usenet Newsfeed Transition Details
As part of the upcoming transition of backend services, minor housekeeping will be necessary to ensure that customers continue receiving newsgroup headers without interruption. Below are the steps necessary to purge and reload newsgroup headers in your news clients.
On March 31, 2008, newsgroup header numbering will be reset to match that of our new backend services. On that date, you will be able to easily make this transition by simply purging and reloading the headers of the subscribed newsgroups in your news client. Instructions for conducting this action in various news clients are included at the end of this email. If your preferred client is not included, please refer to the specific help documentation for the client.
NewsBin Pro:
1. Select all newsgroups you are subscribed to. To select all newsgroups, click on the first group then hold the shift key and click on the last group.
2. From the Groups menu, select "Post Storage", then "Delete Stored Posts".
3. Download headers again. For large binary newsgroups, this may take a long time. To limit the headers, right-click on the newsgroup name and select "Download Special". ----------
NewsLeecher:
1. Select all newsgroups you are subscribed to. To select all newsgroups, click on the first group then hold the shift key and click on the last group.
2. Right-click on the selected newsgroups. From the popup menu, click "Selected: Purge Group".
3. Download headers again. For large binary newsgroups, this may take a long time. To limit the headers, right-click on the newsgroup name, select "Update" and choose the number of headers you would like. ----------
Thunderbird and Outlook Express:
Because these are primarily email clients, there is no way to purge headers. Essentially, you will need to unsubscribe, then re-subscribe to the desired groups.
It may be easiest to remove your current server, then re-add that same server, download the list of available newsgroups, and re-subscribe to your desired newsgroups. ----------
Forte Agent:
1. Select the folder containing your newsgroups, right-click and select "Purge".
2. Download headers again. For large binary newsgroups, this may take a long time.
----------
NOTE:
Binary Retention: 200 Days Text Retention: 2131 Days Completion Rate: 99%+
We manage our own primary DNS server for our domain; can One Communications provide secondary DNS?
One Communications can provide secondary (slave) DNS for clients whose primary DNS is hosted elsewhere. This is generally desired for clients who run their own DNS servers and would like the redundancy of secondary (and tertiary) DNS handled off site, in the event the primary becomes unreachable, due to network problems or simply going offline for maintenance. Also, all domain registrars require that at least two authoritive nameservers be defined.
The client is responsible for maintaining the zone file on the primary DNS server. In a properly configured master/slave setup, any changes to the zone file on the primary/master server will be pushed out to the secondary/slave. By the same token, the slave may also reload the zone file from the master as needed.
To implement secondary DNS on the One Communications servers, current clients can request this service by emailing, Domains@OneCommunications.com; be sure to include: client name, domain name and the public IP address(es) of the primary nameserver(s). The client will need to then configure their DNS server to allow zone transfers to One Communications nameservers at 64.65.208.3 and 64.65.208.5.
After configuration has been completed on the secondary systems, the client will be notified by email. At that time, the client may set the secondary/tertiary nameservers for their domain to:
ns9.onecommunications.net
ns10.onecommunications.net
What is DNS propagation?
Propagation is the time it takes for all outdated DNS information and/or zone file content to be cleared from all name servers, at all hosts/ISP's across the Internet. Propagation is a process that is beyond the control of any DNS provider.
When a DNS change is made to a zone file, the effects are not (and cannot be) instantaneous. All changes typically take effect within 24 hours. However, complete Internet propagation may take up to four days.
Clients who anticipate a DNS change should request that their “TTL be lowered" 48 hours before the change is made. This will lessen (but not eliminate) propagation delay.
What is the Redemption Status Hold and the penalty fee?
Redemption Status Hold is a domain name hold imposed by the registry. If you have not renewed your domain within forty (40) days after your domain expiration date, you will be charged a minimum penalty fee of $144.95. This penalty fee will remove your domain name from redemption status and renew the domain name for one year. You will have to pay the fee over the phone with a COOL-Domains.net representative using your credit card. Please call 1.866.644.1812 during normal business hours.
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