pd-admin v4.x

Documentation:First steps for end customers

© 2004 – 2009

Bradler & Krantz GmbH & Co. KGKurt-Schumacher-Platz 9

44787 Bochum

1 Introduction

This instructions manual is designed for end customers who have already received a pre-

configured domain from their provider. In the following case study we assume that the provider has already set up a primary domain with the name test123.com, a related co-domain1 with the

name test-123.com and another domain with the name help123.com. Moreover, he has set up the sub-domain secure.test123com for the domain test123.com.

You need the following data to use the programme:

• address of your server with pd-admin• user name and password of your customer account

In the example specified these data are:

• https://www.server.invalid/customer• user name: s2tescba

2 Login

Call up the web site https://www.server.invalid/customer in your browser. A login window appears where you enter your user name and your password.

After this, the pd-admin interface with the feature overview for your account appears which looks for the time being like this:

1 All web requests to a co-domain are automatically forwarded to the primary domain. The same goes for e-mails sent to addresses of the co-domain. For example, an e-mail sent to xyz@test-123.com is automatically forwarded to xyz@test123.com.

3 Setting up mailboxes

To set up mailboxes select the menu item E-mail Mailboxes:

At the beginning there are no mailboxes set up, i.e. the overview displayed is still empty. Click on the button “New Mailbox” to start the dialogue for setting up a mailbox. There you select the desired domain and enter your e-mail address and the password in the designated fields:

Confirm with “OK” to complete the process. The e-mail address you have set up is now

displayed in the overview. In our example three further mailboxes are set up in this way so that the overview looks as follows:

4 Forwarding

Now we want to set up forwarders for the mailbox postmaster@test123.com. A page appears where the forwarders are displayed which are already in existence.

To create a new forwarder click on the button “New Forwarder”:

Select a domain and enter the e-mail address of the forwarder. Then, enter at least one target address to which the e-mails are to be forwarded and confirm with “OK”. In the example each

e-mail to postmaster@test123.com would be forwarded to jim@test123.com and jane@test123.com:

5 Autoresponder

An autoresponder is a server setting which sends a pre-configured message to the sender of

each incoming e-mail. This is for example useful when you are not available and want to let your correspondents know.

To set up an autoresponder use the menu item E-mail Autoresponders in the navigation. An overview appears showing all existing mailboxes.

To activate an autoresponder for a mailbox use the button “Configure” and enter the sender

and the message on the following page:

After clicking on “OK” the active autoresponder is displayed as “on” in the overview.

6 Spam filter

The spam filter separates undesirable e-mails for all mailboxes cretaed and is not activated by default. To activate the spam filter use the menu item “E-mail Spamfilter” in the navigation.

In the following dialogue you can define how spam is to be dealt with: In the field “Status” you can define whether the spam filter should be activated or not. Specify a quarantine mailbox or

select that any spam is to be deleted directly. On the “Whitelist” you can enter e-mail addresses which are not to be treated by the spam filter. On the “Blacklist” you enter all e-mail

addresses which are always to be treated as spam.

7 Sub-domains

7.1 New sub-domains

To set up a sub-domain select the menu item “Subdomain Overview” in the navigation. Due

to the fact that there are already three sub-domains in existence in our example the overview looks like this:

Please note that for each new sub-domain which is set up pd-admin creates a directory of the

same name, as you can see in the example above.2

2 The document directory for the domain www.test123.com is ~/www.test123.com, here ~ is a common abbreviation in the UNIX-world for your home directory.

Now another sub-domain with the name secure.test123.com is to be created. To do this click

on “new subdomain”. A dialogue is opened:

In the field “Domain” you can select the domain for which you want to create a sub-domain. In the field “Subdomain” you enter the name of the sub-domain. Click on “OK” to complete the

process. In the example this results in the following:

7.2 Catch-All

Via the button “Catch-All” you can determine which sub-domain is to be addressed if a non-existent sub-domain was indicated at a request. If for example secure.test123.com is set up as

Catch-All, the call http://xyz.test123.com would be forwarded to http://secure.test123.com. Moreover, http://test123.com will always be treated like http://www.test123.com.

7.3 Destination of the sub-domain

By means of the button “Target” you can define which folder on the server shall apply as

document folder for the sub-domain. In the example we want to administer the domains via a Typo3 installation. Thus both the sub-domains www.test123.com and www.help123.com are to

refer to the folder typo3 in which the Typo3 installation is stored. To do so click on the button “Target” next to the sub-domain www.test123.com:

As target you can enter a folder or another web address such as

http://www.target.com/directory. Click on “Add” to add the new target. The forwarder is now displayed in the overview.

Deal in the same way with the sub-domain www.help123.com, this results in the following:

8 User accounts

To hinder the unauthorised access to your data you should change your system password

regularly. To do so use the menu item “General   Change Password”:

A dialogue for changing the password appears:

Here enter the new password twice and confirm your entry with “Change”. A secure password

should consist of cyphers like 1234, of characters like aDuK and of signs like .-+_ and should comprise 8 characters. Also the password should not have an entry in a German or English

dictionary or include constituents of these languages.

A secure password could look like this: Pr&5zO.c

Please also note that you directly contribute to the security of the Internet with your password. Even if there are only test data on your account, if hacked, it can be used for further attacks on

the server itself or other sites.

Hint: Create passwords out of simple sentences: “Each day my husband eats Spanish oranges”.

Take from every word the initial or the last letter: So, for example “EdmheSo”. Afterwards, replace some of the letters by cyphers or special characters, for example Ed1heS2. Passwords

generated in this manner are easily memorised and relatively secure.

9 WebFTP

With the integrated WebFTP clients you have the following possibilities:

– Create/rename/delete folder

– Upload/rename/delete files

– Change data and directory authorisations

– Prevent unauthorised access to directories through passwords

– Upload/assign own error documents

It is not possible to transfer complete directories, but only single files. The file or directory name must not contain mutated vowels, special or space characters. Uploading such files is

answered with with an error message. When renaming or uploading files it is checked whether a file of the same name is already in existence. If the file is to be substituted by the new

version in this process, please select “Override existing file” and then load the file on the server.

10 Webmailer

You have the possibility to access your mailboxes directly via a webmailer, in this case Squirrelmail. Enter in your browser the URL http://server.invalid/squirrelmail , there you sign on

with the login ID of the mailbox and the appropriate password.

Now, please enter your name and your e-mail address as sender address under “Options –

Personal information”.

11 Data bases

If the setting up of MySQL data bases is allowed in your hosting package, you can now set up

the data base via the point “Databases”.

Click on “Create database”...

...assign a suffix and a password for the access to a data base. Then confirm your entries with “Add”.

In the overview you now see the new data base whose name is made up of “usrdb”, your “user

name” and the previously assigned “suffix”. You can now access the data base via the programme “phpMyAdmin” under the following URL: http://server.invalid/phpMyAdmin. There

you sign on with your user name and the previously assigned password and thus obtain access to the data base.

12 Using FTP clients

Using FTP client Filezilla3 as example it is explained how you can upload files from the own computer to the server. First of all, start the programme. The programme window is divided

into three important areas: 1. the address bar, 2. the local area showing the files on the own computer and 3. the server area showing the files on the server:

3 You can download this freeware programme under http://sourceforge.net/projects/filezilla/. Always select the update version for your operating system and follow the download instructions.

To connect with the server the address bar would have to be filled in as follows in our example:

Now click on the button “Connect” which is located on the right hand margin of the address

bar. As soon as the connection is established the home folder appears in the server area.

An own folder exists for every domain and sub-domain. In the example a new index page4 is to

be inserted for test123.com. First of all, select the appropriate folder and open it via double click. The content of the folder appears:

4 The web server sends this index page to the web browser by default when the corresponding domain is called up. So, when you enter the address http://www.apfelschorle.de in your browser the file /www.apfelschorle.de/index.html is called up in your folder.

There the index page with the name index.html in already in existence. In the local area you now select the folder in which you have stored the previously created Html page:

Select the files you want to copy and use drag-and-drop to add them to the server area:

In the example the files index.html, logo.jpg and the folder intern are copied to the server.

When you now call http://www.test123.com in your web browser the new index page should be displayed.

13 Email Client Configuration

13.1 Mozilla Thunderbird5

In order that you can receive and send e-mails you first of all have to create an account in

which the necessary data are saved. Use the sub-item “Accounts...” in the menu “Edit”. A dialogue window appears which offers, amongst others, a button “Add account”. Click on it and

select “E-mail account” in the next dialogue. Confirm with a click on the button “Continue”:

Enter your name as well as your e-mail address and click on “Continue”:

5 Mozilla Thunderbird is available for download under http://www.mozilla.com/thunderbird/.

If you want to administer your e-mails locally on your computer, select POP as type for your in-box server, if you the e-mail structure is to be set up on the server, select IMAP. Enter the

name of your domain as in- and out-box server. Confirm your entries with a click on the button “Continue”:

Enter the user name of your mailbox in the field “In-box server user name”. This is not your civil name, but your user identification for your the e-mail account (sometimes also called

LoginID). Click on “Continue” to arrive at the next dialogue window:

Use a name you consider appropriate and confirm with “Continue”. A summary of your entries

is presented, so that you can check it over again before you have the account established:

Take your time to read your entries and then create the account with a click on the button “Finish”.

13.2 Outlook

Using the example of Outlook 2002 here it is explained how to configure the settings for receiving and sending e-mails. Select the point “E-mail accounts...” in the menu “Tools”:

In the next dialogue select in the radio button “E-mail” the sub-item “Add a new e-mail

account”:

Click on “Continue>” and select the item “POP3” in the next dialogue, if you want to administer your e-mails locally on your computer. If you want to set up the e-mail structure on the server,

select IMAP:

Confirm again with “Continue >” and the following dialogue appears:

Under “User information” enter your name and your e-mail address. The “Login information” consist of your user name6 belonging to your mailbox as well as of the appropriate password.

Under “Server information” both times enter the name of your domain. Click on the button “Further settings...” and select the tab “Out-box server”:

6 User name and LoginID are two different terms for the same thing.

Activate here that the out-box server demands authentication and that the same settings are

used as for the in-box server, then confirm with “OK”. You can now test your account settings by clicking on the corresponding button. A successful test should result in the following

response: