Getting Started Guide

Getting Started With Your Dedicated Server

Setting up and hosting a domain on your Windows Server 2003 Dedicated Server using Plesk.

Getting Started with Your Dedicated Server Version 1.1 (06.23.08)

Copyright2008.Allrightsreserved.
Distributionofthisworkoraderivativeofthisworkisprohibitedunlesspriorwrittenpermissionisobtainedfromthecopyright holder.

Trademarks Used in This Book

PleskisaregisteredtrademarkofSWsoftHoldings,LTD. SSHandSecureShellareregisteredtrademarksofSSHCommunicationsSecurity,Inc. RedHatandFedoraareregisteredtrademarksofRedHatSoftware,Inc. MacisaregisteredtrademarkofAppleComputer,Inc. Windows,WindowsXP,WindowsServer2003,FrontPage,Entourage,andOutlookareregisteredtrademarksof MicrosoftCorporationintheUnitedStatesand/orothercountries. ThunderbirdisanunregisteredtrademarkoftheMozillaFoundation. Allothertrademarksandcopyrightsarethepropertyoftheirrespectiveowners.

TableofContents

Table of Contents
Introduction
Security Information Reprovisioning Your Server Getting Help Other Resources

iv
iv vi vi vii

1 Setting Up Your Dedicated Server

Choosing a Host Name, User ID, and Password Choosing a Host Name Choosing a User ID Choosing a Password for Your Server Logging in to Your Manager for the First Time

1
1 1 2 2 2

2 Connecting to Your Dedicated Server

Connecting to Your Server Using Plesk Connecting to Your Server Using Remote Desktop Connection Closing Your Remote Desktop Connection

4
4 8 10

3 Adding a Domain to Your Server Using Plesk

Logging in to Plesk Step 1 Creating a Client in Plesk Step 2 Creating a New Domain in Plesk Step 3 Setting Up Hosting for Your Domain

12
12 13 16 18

4 Setting Up DNS for Domains on Your Server

Step 1 Creating a Zone File for Your Domain Step 2 Creating and Registering Your Domain Hosts Step 3 Assigning the Name Servers to Your Domain Accessing Your Domain Using FTP (Uploading Files)

23
23 24 26 27

5 Setting Up Email on Your Server

Using Plesk to Set Up an Email Account Connecting to Your Email Account Accessing Your Account Using an Email Client Accessing WebMail for Domains on Your Server

29
29 32 32 33

Introduction
Unlikenormalhostingplans,whichputmanycustomers'accountsonasingleserver,a dedicatedserverisreservedexclusivelyfortheaccountandusageofasinglecustomer. Thismeansthatyouhaveexclusiverightstotheserver'sbandwidth,memory,andstor agespace. Whenyoupurchaseadedicatedserver,youactuallyleaseaserverbox,whichyoucan configureandsetupaccordingtoyourpreferences,butitremainsatourdatacenter. AssistedServicePlanisadedicatedserveroptionthatshiftstheresponsibilityofsetup, monitoring,backup,maintenance,security,andpatchingofyourdedicatedservertoour serversupportteam. AssistedServicePlandedicatedserversremoveroot/systemlevelaccessbutallowcontrol overallotheraspectsoftheserver.Pleskcontrolpanelisinstalledforadvancedserver managementtasks.

SECURITY INFORMATION
Comparedtosharedhostingaccounts,adedicatedserveroffersmorepowerandmore versatility.Youcanrunandinstallvirtuallyanythingonyourserver.However,withthis addedcontrolcomesaddedresponsibility. Youareresponsibleforthesecurity,backup,andmaintenanceofyourdedi catedserver,withtheexceptionofAssistedServicePlanservers.Wedonot backuporinstallfirewallsonyourdedicatedserverunlesstheyarepurchased foranAssistedServicePlandedicatedserver. Remembertokeepyouradministratorpasswordsecure.Anyone whohasadministrativeaccesstoyourservercanmanipulatethe softwareandcontentthatyourunonyourserver. UnlessyouhaveanAssistedServicePlandedicatedserver,wedonotautomaticallyback upyourdedicatedserver.Wedo,however,offeranFTPbackupservicewithourdedi catedserveraccounts.FormoreinformationaboutourFTPbackupservice,pleasevisit ourWebsite.

Introduction

Youcanalsopurchaseahardwarefirewallfromustouseonyourdedicatedserver.You canuseahardwarefirewalltocontrolthetraffictoandfromyourserver.Formoreinfor mationaboutourfirewallservice,pleasevisitourWebsite.

Introduction

vi

REPROVISIONING YOUR SERVER

If,atanytime,youwanttoreverttoacleansetuponyourdedicatedserver,youcan reprovisionyourserver.Reprovisioningerasesallofthecontentonyourserverhard drive.Yourserverreturnstothestateitwasinwhenyoufirstpurchasedit. YoucanreprovisionyourserverusingtheDedicatedHostingManager.

} To Reprovision Your Server

1. LogintoyourAccountManager. 2. UndertheHosting&Emailsection,selectDedicated/VirtualDedicated Servers. 3. ClickLaunchManagernexttotheserveryouwanttoreprovision.YourDedicated HostingManageropens. 4. UndertheSupportsection,clickReprovisionServer.TheReprovisionServerpage displays. 5. Ifyouchooseto,enteranewhostnameandusername.Thesevaluesdefaulttothe currenthostnameandusernameforthisaccount. 6. Enterandconfirmanewpassword,andthenclickContinue. Youwillreceiveaconfirmationnoticeonceyourserverisreprovisionedandreadytogo. Typically,yourserverisreadyinlessthanfivehours.

GETTING HELP
Afteryousetupyourserver,youcaneasilygethelpbysubmittingatroubleticketusing yourDedicatedHostingManager.Alternatively,youmaycontactCustomerSupport directlyforassistance.

} To Open a Trouble Ticket

1. LogintoyourAccountManager. 2. UndertheHosting&Emailsection,selectDedicated/VirtualDedicated Servers. 3. ClickLaunchManagernexttotheserveraccountthatyouneedhelpwith. 4. IntheDedicatedHostingManager,underSupport,clickTroubleTickets. 5. Enteryourcontactinformation,includinganemailaddressandphonenumber. 6. UnderTroubleTicketDescription,enterasummaryandadetaileddescriptionof yourissue. 7. ClickContinue. 8. ReviewyourtroubleticketinformationandclickSubmit.

Introduction

vii

OTHER RESOURCES
Youcanusetheseresourcestolearnmoreaboutmanagingyourdedicatedserver:

Resource
PleskDocumentation

URL
http://www.swsoft.com/en/plesk/ YoucanfindUserManualsandFlashTutorialson SWsoftsWebsite.

WindowsServer2003 WebandApplicationSer vicesTechnologyCenter

http://support.microsoft.com/winsvr2003webap ThisisthemainsupportpageforWindowsServer2003 Webservers.Fromhere,youcanfindHOWTOsabout IISandWebapplications.

1.

Setting Up Your Dedicated Server

Onceyouhavepurchasedyourdedicatedserverandweveworkedontheinitialconfigu ration,youneedtologintoyourDedicatedHostingManagertofinishsettingthingsup. TheDedicatedHostingManagerisaneasyplaceforyoutomanageyourusernameand password,scheduleservermaintenance,requestadditionalIPs,andsubmittroubletick ets.

CHOOSING A HOST NAME, USER ID, AND PASSWORD

Note:ServerswithAssistedServicePlanrequireyoutosupplyadditional information,includingthedomainnameyouareusingforyourWebsitehost ingandtheemailaddresstowhichdedicatedservercorrespondenceissent. ThefirsttimeyouaccessyourDedicatedHostingManager,youllneedtocreateahost name,userID,andpasswordforyourserver.ThisistheuserIDandpasswordthatyou willusetoconnecttoyourserverinthefuture.Itsagoodideatohavethismaterialready whenyoulogintoyourManagerforthefirsttime.

Choosing a Host Name

Theservershostname(alsoknownasyouraccountname)isauniquenameforyour server.Ifyouhavemultiplevirtualserveraccounts,yourhostnameshelpyoudifferenti atebetweendifferentaccountsinyouraccountlist. Yourhostnamecanbeanything,aslongasitfitstheserequirements:

Itmustcontainbetween315characters. Yourhostnamemuststartwithaletter. Itcanonlybemadeupofletters,numbers,singledots,orasingledash. Youcannotstartorendyourhostnamewithasingledotordash. Youcannotincludeanyspacesorspecialcharactersinyourhostname.

SettingUpYourDedicatedServer

Choosing a User ID
YouruserIDistheprimaryIDthatyouusetoaccessyourserver.ThisistheuserIDyou usetoaccessyourserverusingRemoteDesktopConnectioninWindowsXP. YouruserIDcanbebetween4and32lowercasealphanumericcharacters.YouruserID cannot:

Beginwithanumber. Containspaces. Containsymbols. Containcapitalletters.

OurdedicatedserversalsohavealistofreservedtermsthatyoucannotuseasauserID. Thesetermsarelistedbelow:

Reserved Terms on Our Dedicated Servers

adm admin administrator anonymous backup binftp body games gopher guest halt iusrlp mailnull news nfsno nobody nscdntp operator pcap root rpc rpcuserrpm smmsp sshd sync system uucp vcsa

Choosing a Password for Your Server

Thisisthepasswordthatyouuse,alongwithyouruserID,toconnecttoyourserver. Tokeepyourserversecure,werequireastrongpasswordforyouraccount.Astrong passwordisapasswordthat:

Containsbetween714characters. Ismadeupoflowercaseletters,uppercaseletters,andnumbers. Doesnotbeginwithanumberorsymbol. Doesnotcontainbackslashes,colons,singlequotes,doublequotes,spaces,amper sands(&),orthecaretsymbol(^). Doesnotcontainyourusername.

LOGGING IN TO YOUR MANAGER FOR THE FIRST TIME

Onceyouvedecidedonahostname,userID,andpasswordforyourdedicatedserver, youcanlogintoyourDedicatedHostingManagerandfinishsettingitup.

SettingUpYourDedicatedServer

} To Finish Setting Up Your Dedicated Server Account

1. LogintoyourAccountManager. 2. UndertheHosting&Emailsection,selectDedicated/VirtualDedicated Servers. 3. Nexttothededicatedserveraccountyouwanttosetup,clickSetupAccount.

Fig.1.1SetupAccountlinkinyourAccountManager.

4. OntheAccountSetuppage,enterthehostnameforyourserveraccount. 5. Enteryourusernameandpasswordforyouraccount. 6. ClickContinue. 7. ConfirmyoursettingsandclickSubmit. OnceyouclickSubmit,yourservershouldbereadytouseinapproximatelytwelvehours. Youwillreceiveanemailmessageonceyourserverisready. Aftersetup,youcanusePlesktoconnecttoyourserverandmanageyourdomains, email,andDNS.YoucanalsoconnecttoyourserverusingRemoteDesktopConnectionin WindowsXP.Formoreinformationaboutconnectingtoyourserver,seeConnectingto YourDedicatedServeronpage 4ofthisguide.

2.

Connecting to Your Dedicated Server

Ingeneral,therearetwodifferentwaysyoucanconnecttoyourdedicatedserver.You canuseaWebbasedinterfacelikePlesk,oryoucanconnectdirectlytoyourserverusing RemoteDesktopConnectioninWindowsXP. Eitherway,youconnecttoyourserverusingyourserversIPaddress,theuserID,and thepasswordyouspecifiedwhenyousetupyouraccount.Ifyouareconnectingtoyour accountusingPleskanddidnotpurchaseAssistedServicePlan,loginwiththeuserID admininsteadoftheuserIDyouspecifiedwhenyousetupyouraccount.AssistedSer vicePlancustomersshouldusetheiruserID. TofindtheIPaddressesforyouraccount,logintoyourDedicatedHostingManager.Your DedicatedHostingManagerliststheIPaddressforyourserveronthefirstpageyousee afteryoulogin. Dependingonhowyouconfiguredyourserver,youmayhavemul tipleIPaddressestochoosefrom.YoucanuseanyofyourIP addressestoconnecttoyourdedicatedserver.

CONNECTING TO YOUR SERVER USING PLESK

PleskisasimpleandintuitiveWebbasedcontrolpanelthatyoucanusetomanageyour server.Morespecifically,youcanusePlesktosetupyourdomain,DNS,andemailon yourdedicatedserver. MakesureyouhaveyourIPaddressreadybeforeyoutrytologintoPlesk.Youllneedto useyourIPaddresstoaccessPleskonyourserver.YoucanfindtheIPaddresstoyour serverinyourDedicatedHostingManager. ThisprocedureexplainshowtologintoPleskforthefirsttimeandincludessomepost installationsteps.Youonlyneedtoperformthesestepsonce. Note:NotallPleskoptionsareavailableonserverswithAssistedServicePlan. AssistedServicePlanserverscreenshotsmaydifferslightlyfromthoseshown below.

ConnectingtoYourDedicatedServer

} To Access Your Dedicated Server Using Plesk

1. OpenaWebbrowserandgoto: https://[[ipaddress]]:8443/

Where[[ipaddress]]istheIPaddressforyourdedicatedserver. 2. WhenthePleskloginscreendisplays,enteradminasyourusernameor,ifyou purchasedAssistedServicePlan,entertheusernameyoudefinedwhenyousetup yourdedicatedserveraccount.Enterthepasswordyoudefinedwhenyousetupyour dedicatedserveraccount.

Fig.2.1LoggingintoPlesk.

3. ReadthroughandaccepttheSWsoftEndUserLicenseAgreement. 4. Thepostinstallationconfigurationpagedisplays.Youcankeepthedefaultsettings fortheSelectsharedIPaddressesandFullHostnamefields.Pleskautomatically fillsinthesefieldsbasedonyourserverandaccountinformation.

ConnectingtoYourDedicatedServer

5. EnterapasswordtousewiththePleskadminuser.Youcanusethesamepassword thatyouusedtologininitiallyorcreatesomethingnew.

Fig.2.2ChangingyourpasswordduringPlesksetup.

6. IntheFullhostnamefieldyoucanleavethedefaulthostnamethatPleskcreatedfor you,oryoucanenteryourownfullyqualifieddomainname.Forexample, yourdomainnamehere.com. 7. ClickOKtofinishthepostinstallationconfigurationandlogintoPlesk.

ConnectingtoYourDedicatedServer

ThisiswhattheadministratorinterfacelookslikewhenyoulogintoPleskforthefirst time.ThisinterfacewillbeslightlydifferentforAssistedServicePlandedicatedservers:

Fig.2.3TheServerAdministrationscreeninPlesk.

TheServerAdministrationscreeninPleskisthemaindashboardthatyouusetomanage andmonitoryourdedicatedserver.Fromhereyoucancreatenewdomainsandemail accounts,manageIPaddresses,andstartandstopservicesonyourserver. Note:IfyoupurchasedAssistedServicePlan,thesettingupofyourinitial domainnameisperformedforyou.Youcansetupsubsequentdomainnames throughPlesk. Pleskhasnumerousfeaturesthatcanhelpyoumanageyour server.TofindoutmoreaboutPleskandtheotherfeaturesthat wedonotcoverinthisguide,pleasevisittheSWsoftWebsiteat: http://www.swsoft.com/en/plesk/ ForinformationabouthowtosetupadomainandemailusingPlesk,seeAddinga DomaintoYourServerUsingPleskonpage 12andSettingUpEmailonYourServeron page 29.

ConnectingtoYourDedicatedServer

CONNECTING TO YOUR SERVER USING REMOTE DESKTOP CONNECTION

TheRemoteDesktopConnectionfeatureinWindowsXPisaneasywaytoconnectdirectly toyourserver.WhenyouconnecttoyourserverusingRemoteDesktopConnection,you createavirtualdesktoptothatserver. RemoteDesktopConnectioncreatesanenvironmentverysimilartoWindowsXPwitha StartMenu,WindowsExplorer,andmanyoftheotherfeaturesyouarealreadyfamiliar withinWindows. Remember,beforeyoulogintoyourserver,makesureyouhave yourIPaddressready.YoullneedtouseyourIPaddressto accessyourserver.YoucanfindtheIPaddresstoyourserverin yourDedicatedHostingManager.

} To Access Your Server Using Remote Desktop Connection

1. FromtheStartMenuinWindowsXP,selectAllPrograms>Accessories>Com munications>RemoteDesktopConnection. 2. IntheComputerfield,entertheIPaddressforyourserver.YoucanfindyourIP addressinyourDedicatedHostingManager.

Fig.2.4LoggingintoyourserverusingRemoteDesktopConnection.

3. ClickConnect.

ConnectingtoYourDedicatedServer

4. EnteryourUsernameandPassword.ThisistheuserIDandpasswordyoucreated whenyousetupyouraccount.

Fig.2.5EnteringyourUsernameandPassword.

Onceyoulogin,youcanmanageyourserverthesamewayyouwouldinatypicalWin dowsenvironment.YoucanaccessIISthroughtheWindowsControlPanelandlaunch programsusingtheshortcutsonyourdesktop.

ConnectingtoYourDedicatedServer

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Thisisanexampleofwhatyourserverlookslikewhenyouloginforthefirsttimeusing RemoteDesktopConnection:

Fig.2.6Connectedtoyourserver.

FormoreinformationaboutRemoteDesktopConnection,please visit:http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/mobility/ getstarted/remoteintro.mspx.

CLOSING YOUR REMOTE DESKTOP CONNECTION

YourWindowsdedicatedservertimesoutafter5minutesifRemoteDesktopConnection isshutdownwithoutloggingoff,orafter15minutesifthereisnoactivity. IfyouplantoaccessyourserveragainsoonusingRemoteDesktopConnection,remem bertologoff,insteadofsimplyclosingthewindow.Ifyouclosethewindow,youwillhave towait5minutesbeforeyoucanlogintoyourserveragain.

ConnectingtoYourDedicatedServer

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TologoffofyourserverusingRemoteDesktopConnection,selectStart>LogOffinthe RemoteDesktopwindow. Youcannotchangethedefaultsessiontimeoutsettingsonyour server.Thisisasystemwidesetting.

3.

Adding a Domain to Your Server Using Plesk

Note:IfyoupurchasedAssistedServicePlan,thesettingupofyourinitial domainnameisperformedforyou.Youareonlyresponsibleforsettingup subsequentdomainnames. Asyouprobablyalreadyknow,adomainnameworksalotlikeanaddressforwardingser vice. AllofyourWebsitecontentsitsonacomputerwithauniqueaddress,yourIPaddress. ThisisthesameIPaddressthatyouusetoconnecttoyourserverusingPlesk.Your domainnamedirectsvisitorstoyoursiteusingthisIPaddress. Beforeyousetupadomaintohostonyourdedicatedserver,make sureyouhavealreadyregisteredthatdomainthroughanaccredited domainregistrar. TomaketheconnectionbetweendomainnameandIPaddresswork,youneedtofirstset upadomainandhostingonyourserverusingPlesk.Thissectionoftheguidewalksyou throughthenecessarysteps:

Step1CreatingaClientinPlesk Step2CreatingaNewDomaininPlesk Step3SettingUpHostingforYourDomain

LOGGING IN TO PLESK
TherearetwowaysthatyoucanaccessthePleskcontrolpanelonyourdedicatedserver. YoucanlogintoyourDedicatedHostingManagerandclicktheLaunchPleskicon,or youcangotothefollowingURL: https://[[ipaddress]]:8443/

Where[[ipaddress]]istheIPaddressforyourdedicatedserver.

AddingaDomaintoYourServerUsingPlesk

13

STEP 1 CREATING A CLIENT IN PLESK

Note:ThisstepisnotapplicabletodedicatedserverswithAssistedService Plan. Beforeyouaddadomaintoyourvirtualserver,youneedtocreateaclientinPlesk.All domainsinPleskhavetobeassociatedwithaclient,oruser,otherthanadmin. Youcanuseoneclienttosetupmultipledomainsonyourdedicatedserver.

} To Create a Client in Plesk

1. LogintoPleskusingadminforyourLoginandthepasswordyoucreatedwhenyou loggedintoPleskforthefirsttime.

Fig.3.1LoggingintoPlesk.

IfthisisthefirsttimeyouhaveloggedintoPlesk,youllneedto readthroughandagreetotheSWsoftEndUserLicenseAgree mentandsetupanewadminpasswordforPlesk.SeeConnect ingtoYourDedicatedServeronpage 4formoreinformation.

AddingaDomaintoYourServerUsingPlesk

14

2. Fromthemenuontheleft,selectClients.

Fig.3.2OpeningtheClientssectioninPlesk.

3. ClickAddNewClientAccount.

Fig.3.3AddingaNewClientAccount.

AddingaDomaintoYourServerUsingPlesk

15

4. Tocreateanewclientaccount,enteraContactName,Login,andPassword.The otherfieldsonthispageareoptional.

Fig.3.4EnteringyourclientinformationinPlesk.

5. ClickOK. 6. Inordertoassociatethisclientwithanewdomain,youneedtoassociateyourclient withanIPpool.FromthelistofVacantIPs,selectanIPandaddittotheClientsIP Pool.

Fig.3.5EnteringyourclientinformationinPlesk.

7. ClickOK.

AddingaDomaintoYourServerUsingPlesk

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STEP 2 CREATING A NEW DOMAIN IN PLESK

AfteryousetupaclientinPlesk,youcancreateyournewdomain.Ifyouhavenotsetup aclientinPleskalready,seetheprevioussection,Step1CreatingaClientinPleskon page 13.

} To Add a New Domain in Plesk

1. IfyouarenotalreadyloggedintoPlesk,loginusingadminforyourloginandthe passwordyoucreatedwhenyouloggedintoPleskforthefirsttime.Ifyouarean AssistedServicePlancustomer,usetheloginyoudefinedduringaccountsetup. 2. Fromthemenuontheleft,selectDomains. Note: AssistedServicePlanusersshouldselecttheHomemenu.

Fig.3.6OpeningtheDomainssectioninPlesk.

AddingaDomaintoYourServerUsingPlesk

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3. ClickAddNewDomain.

Fig.3.7OpeningtheDomainssectioninPlesk.

4. Note:Steps4and5donotapplytoAssistedServicePlanservers. Selecttheclientyouwanttocreatethedomainfor.Inthiscase,wearegoingto selecttheclientthatwecreatedinStep1CreatingaClientinPleskonpage 13.

Fig.3.8Selectingtheclientforanewdomain.

AddingaDomaintoYourServerUsingPlesk

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5. ClickOK.Thedomaincreationpagedisplays.

Fig.3.9Selectingtheclientforanewdomain.

6. Selectthecheckboxnexttowww. 7. IntheDomainnamefield,enteravaliddomainname(forexample, coolexample.com).Ifyouenteradomainnamethatalreadyexists,Pleskasksyouto changeit. 8. KeepthedefaultsettingsfortheSelecttemplateandSelectanIPaddressfields. 9. Ifyouwanttosetuphostingforthisdomainnow,selecttheProceedtohosting setupoption.

Fig.3.10Selectingproceedtohostingsetup.

10. ClickOK. OncePleskcreatesyourdomain,youcanspecifythehostingconfigurationforthis domain.Inthenextsection,youspecifyyourhostingoptionsandcreateanftpusername andpasswordforyourdomain.

STEP 3 SETTING UP HOSTING FOR YOUR DOMAIN

UsingthehostingconfigurationsectionofPlesk,youcandeterminewhatfeaturesyou wanttoenableonyourhostingaccount.Forexample:SSL,diskspace,SSHaccess, FrontPageextensions,SSI,PHP,ASP.NET,CGI,andWebstatistics.

AddingaDomaintoYourServerUsingPlesk

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Youcanalsodecideifyouwanttophysicallyhostyourdomainonthisserverorforwardit toanotherdomain. Inthefollowingexample,wesetupabasic,physicalhostingaccountforthedomainwe createdinStep2CreatingaNewDomaininPleskonpage 16.Formoreinformation aboutthevarioushostingfeaturesinPlesk,youcantakealookatthePleskdocumenta tiononSWsoft'sWebsite: http://www.swsoft.com/en/products/plesk75win/docs/

} To Set Up Hosting for Your Domain in Plesk

1. IfyourenotalreadyloggedintoPlesk,loginusingadminforyourloginandthe passwordyoucreatedwhenyouloggedintoPleskforthefirsttime.Ifyouarean AssistedServicePlancustomer,usetheloginyoudefinedduringaccountsetup. 2. Fromthemenuontheleft,selectDomains. Note: AssistedServicePlanusersshouldselecttheHomemenu.

Fig.3.11OpeningtheDomainssectioninPlesk.

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3. Fromyourlistofdomains,clickthedomainnamethatyouwanttosetuphostingfor. Inthisexample,wesetuphostingforcoolexample.com.

Fig.3.12Clickingthedomainnamethatyouwanttomanage.

4. ThisisthemanagementpageforyourdomaininPlesk.UndertheHostingsection, clicktheSetupicon.

Fig.3.13Settinguphostingforyourdomain.

AddingaDomaintoYourServerUsingPlesk

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5. FortheHostingtype,selectPhysicalhosting.

Fig.3.14Settinguphostingforyourdomain.

6. Thisisthehostingsetuppageforyourdomain.Here,youhaveanumberofhosting optionsforyourdomain.Gothroughthelistandselectthefeaturesyouwantto enableforthisdomain.Ataminimum,youshouldcreateanFTP/MicrosoftFrontPage loginandpassword.

AddingaDomaintoYourServerUsingPlesk

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Fig.3.15Choosingthehostingoptionsforyourdomain.

7. Whenyouvefinishedselectingthefeaturesforyourdomain,clickOK. YoucannowaccessthedirectoryforyourdomainanduploadfilesusingPlesk.How ever,inorderforpeopletoseeyourWebsiteonline,youneedtoconfigurethe DNSforyoursite. Thenextsectionofthisguide,SettingUpDNSforDomainsonYourServer,walksyou throughDNSsetup.OnceyouconfiguretheDNSforyoursite,youcanFTPintoyourWeb sitehostingdirectoryinthesamewaythatyouwouldwithatraditionalhostingaccount. Pleskhasnumerousfeaturesthatcanhelpyoumanageyourserver. TofindoutmoreaboutPleskandtheotherfeaturesthatwedonot coverinthisguide,pleasevisittheSWsoftWebsiteat: http://www.swsoft.com/en/plesk/

4.

Setting Up DNS for Domains on Your Server

Note:IfyoupurchasedAssistedServicePlanwithyourdedicatedserver,the setupofyourinitialdomainnameanditsDNSiscompletedbyourserversup port.Thischapterisapplicableonlyifyouaresettingupmultipledomain namesonyourdedicatedserver. NameserversaretheInternet'sequivalenttoaphonebook.Anameservermaintainsa directoryofdomainnamesthatmatchcertainIPaddresses. ThismakesitpossibleforpeopleacrosstheInternettoaccessyourWebsiteusinga familiardomainname,insteadofhavingtorememberaseriesofnumbers. Thissectionoftheguidewalksyouthroughsettingupyourdedicatedserverasthename serverforyourdomainandcoverstheprocedureforassigningthisnameservertoyour domain. AfteryousetupyourDNS,itcantakeupto48hoursbeforeyourdomainresolvestoyour IPaddress.Thisperiodisreferredtoasthepropagationperiod. Wedonotdirectlycontrolthepropagationperiodforyour domain.Whileitshouldtakenomorethan48hours,wecan notguaranteethistimeframe.

STEP 1 CREATING A ZONE FILE FOR YOUR DOMAIN

Touseyourdedicatedserverasanameserver,allofthedomainsonyourservermust haveazonefile.AzonefileisthefilethatmapsyourIPaddresstoyourdomainname. ItseasytosetupazonefileforyourdomaininPlesk,becausePleskautomaticallycre atesazonefileforanydomainyousetup. IfyouhavenotsetupyourdomaininPlesk,pleaseseeAddingaDomaintoYourServer UsingPleskonpage 12beforeproceeding.

SettingUpDNSforDomainsonYourServer

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STEP 2 CREATING AND REGISTERING YOUR DOMAIN HOSTS

OnceyousetupadomainandcreateazonefileinPlesk,youneedtocreateandregister twodomainhostsforyourdomain.Ifyourdomainisregisteredwithus,youcanloginto youraccountmanagertocompletethisstep. Ifyourdomainnameisregisteredwithanothercompany,youneedtocontactthemfor instructionsregardingdomainhostregistration.

} To Register Your Domain Hosts

1. LogintoyourAccountManager. 2. UndertheDomainssection,selectManageDomains. 3. Clickthedomainnameyouregoingtohostonyourdedicatedserver.Inthisexample, wellusecoolexample.com.

Fig.4.1Selectingthedomainyouregoingtomanage.

4. OnthebottomleftofthepageunderHostSummary,clickView/ModifyDetail

Fig.4.2OpeningyourDomainHostSummary.

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5. Enteranameforeachofyourdomainhosts.Thisprefixcanbeanythingthatiseasy foryoutoremember(likeNS1andNS2).. Thesedomainhostscanbeusedforotherdomainshostedon yourdedicatedserver.Youdonotneedtocreatenewdomain hostsforeachofyourdomains.

Fig.4.3Enteringyournewdomainhosts.

6. EntertheIPAddressforyourserver.YoucanfindtheIPaddressforyourserverin yourDedicatedHostingManager. 7. ClickOK.

SettingUpDNSforDomainsonYourServer

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STEP 3 ASSIGNING THE NAME SERVERS TO YOUR DOMAIN

Nowthatyoucreatedandregisteredtwodomainhosts,youneedtochangetheinforma tionforyourdomaintousethesenewservers.Ifyourdomainisregisteredwithus,you canlogintoyouraccountmanagertocompletethisstep. IfyourdomainnameisregisteredwithanothercompanyoryoumanagetheDNSforyour domainswithathirdpartytool,youllneedtocontactthemforinformationaboutassign ingnameserverstoyourdomain.

} To Assign the Name Servers to Your Domain

1. LogintoyourAccountManager. 2. UndertheDomainssection,selectManageDomains. 3. Clickthedomainnameyouwanttohostonyourdedicatedserver. 4. UnderNameServersclickthecurrentnameservernames..

Fig.4.4OpeningtheSetNameserverssection.

5. IntheSetNameserverssection,selecttheCustomNameServerstab..

Fig.4.5OpeningtheCustomNameserverssection.

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6. ForNameserver1andNameserver2,enterthenamesofthedomainhostsyou createdpreviously.Inthisexample,wereusingns1.coolexample.comand ns2.coolexample.com.

Fig.4.6Updatingthenameserversforyourdomain.

7. ClickOK

ACCESSING YOUR DOMAIN USING FTP (UPLOADING FILES)

AfteryousetupyourDNS,itcantakeupto48hoursbeforeyourdomainresolvestoyour IPaddress.Thisperiodisreferredtoasthepropagationperiod. Onceyourdomainresolves,youwillseethedefaultPleskindexpagewhenyoutypeyour domainnameintoabrowser.ThisisanexampleofthedefaultPleskindexpage:

Fig.4.7ExampleofthedefaultPleskindexpage.

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Whenthispagedisplays,youcanconnecttothehostingaccountforyourdomainusing FTPorthroughPlesktouploadfilestoyourWebsite. TomakeyourWebpagesviewable,uploadthemtothehttpdocs directoryinyourhostingaccount.Thisdirectoryistherootdirectory foryourWebsite.

5.

Setting Up Email on Your Server

Onceyouhavesetupyourdomainandhosting,settingupemailaccountsinPleskonly takesafewsteps. Ifyoufollowedtheprocedureintheprevioussectionofthisguide tosetuptheDNSforyourdomain,youdonotneedtomodifyyour MXrecordstosetupemailaccountsinPlesk.

USING PLESK TO SET UP AN EMAIL ACCOUNT

Note:ThissectionisnotapplicabletoAssistedServicePlandedicatedservers. Theeasiestwaytosetupanemailaccountforadomainonyourdedicatedserverisusing thePleskcontrolpanel.

} To Set Up Email Accounts for Your Domain in Plesk

1. IfyourenotalreadyloggedintoPlesk,loginusingadminforyourlogin(orthelogin youdefinedduringaccountsetup,ifyoureanAssistedServicePlanuser)andthe passwordyoucreatedwhenyouloggedintoPleskforthefirsttime.

SettingUpEmailonYourServer

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2. Fromthemenuontheleft,selectDomains.AssistedServicePlanuserswillselect Home.

Fig.5.1OpeningtheDomainssectioninPlesk.

3. Fromyourlistofdomains,clickthedomainnamethatyouwanttosetupanemail accountfor.Inthisexample,wesetupanemailaccountforcoolexample.com.

Fig.5.2Clickingthedomainnamethatyouwanttomanage.

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4. ClicktheMailiconontheDomainadministrationpage.

Fig.5.3OpeningtheMailsectionforyourdomain.

5. ThisistheMailNameOverviewpageforyourdomain.IntheToolssection,clickAdd NewMailName.

Fig.5.4Addinganewmailname.

6. EnteraMailNameforthisemailaccount.Inthisexample,wellcreateanaccount forJaneSmith(janesmith@coolexample.com).

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7. CreateaPasswordforthisaccount.

Fig.5.5Creatingamailname.

Youcanalsochangethecontrolpanelaccessormailboxquota forthisemailaccountonthispage.

8. ClickOK. Now,youcanfurthercustomizethesettingsforthisaccountfromwithinPleskorconnect toyouraccountusinganemailclientorWebmail.

CONNECTING TO YOUR EMAIL ACCOUNT

Accessing Your Account Using an Email Client
Toaccessyouremailaccountusinganemailclient,suchasOutlook,Thunderbird,or Entourage,youneedthefollowinginformation:

Email Client Settings for Mail on Your Dedicated Server

UserName ThenameoftheemailaccountyoucreatedinPlesk, forexamplejanesmith@coolexample.com. ThepasswordyouspecifiedinPleskwhenyousetup youremailaccount. mail.yourdomainname.com Whereyourdomainname.comisyourdomainname.

Password

POP3Setting

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Email Client Settings for Mail on Your Dedicated Server

SMTPSetting mail.yourdomainname.com Whereyourdomainname.comisyourdomainname. Theoutgoing(SMTP)serverrequiresauthentication andusesthesameusernameandpasswordasthe incoming(POP3)server. FormoreinformationaboutsettingupmailaccountsinPlesk,youcanlookatthePlesk documentationonSWsoft'sWebsite.

Accessing WebMail for Domains on Your Server

Insteadofaccessingyouremailusingatraditionalemailclient,youcanaccessyouremail ontheWebusingastandardWebbrowser. IfyouhaveWebmailenabledinPlesk,youcanaccessyouremailat: http://webmail. yourdomainname.com

Whereyourdomainname.comisthenameofyourdomainthatyousetuponyourdedi catedserver. SignintoyouraccountusingtheusernameandpasswordyousetupinPleskorprovided toyoubyyouradministrator. Forexample,toaccessWebmailforthedomainthatwesetupinthisguide,youwouldgo tohttp://webmail.coolexample.com.Tosignin,youwouldusetheemailaddressforthe accountyouwanttoaccess,janesmith@coolexample.com.