FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions
Pre-sales questions
Q. Will you place ads on my site?
A. We will NOT place ads on your site.
Q. Do you allow sites to advertise for money, on their web site?
A. Yes, we allow sites to have commercial advertisements.
Q. What forms of payment do you accept?
A. We accept major credit cards, including Visa, Mastercard, and Discover. Note: We do NOT accept PayPal.
Q. Do your servers run Linux or Windows?
A. All our servers utilize the Linux Operating System. We currently do not offer Windows hosting.
Q. Do you allow adult sites?
A. NO, we do NOT allow adult sites, pornography or any sexually-explicit materials.
Q. What control panel do you use and do you have a demo?
A. The control panel we use is called Direct Admin. Users prefer it over other control panels because of its ease of use and superior functionality. A demo of Direct Admin can be found here.
Q. Can I pay monthly?
A. Yes. You have the option to pay monthly, semi-annually or annually. Paying for longer periods rewards you with a lower overall fee.
Q. How long does it take to setup my account?
A. Your account will be setup within one business day of ordering.
Q. Are there any hidden costs, or extra fees?
A. No. All fees are clearly explained for each plan. You pay a setup fee one-time, and a regular hosting fee, monthly, quarterly, or annually.
Q. Do you offer telnet or shell access?
A. No due to security reason's we do not offer telnet or shell access.You are still able to unzip files on the server using our file manager.
Q. Can I password protect directories?
A. Yes you can password protect directories within Direct Admin.
Domains and DNS
Q. How long does it take to get my domain working?
A. It usually takes 24-48 hours for a domain to fully propagate. You are responsible for registering your domain and setting up the DNS at your registrar. We also provide paid assistance for this step if you require it.
Q. What do I set my domains name servers to?
A. All necessary setup informaiton is included in your welcome e-mail. If you have lost your welcome email you can email us requesting your DNS.
Q. What is a subdomain?
A. A subdomain is typically a dedicated section of a website in its own named folder. The subdomain is accessed by replacing the www in a domain name. For example, support.cardinal-hosting.com would be a subdomain.
Q. How do I make sub-domains?
A. To create a subdomain, click on the "Subdomains" icon in the main control panel menu and fill in the form as guided.
Control panel
Q. Do you have a manual for your control panel?
A. Even better, there's a complete site dedicated to documentation and help. For answers to any questions about the Direct Admin panel, just go to http://www.site-helper.com/
Q. How do I get to my control panel?
A. You can access the control panel through your domain or subdomain by putting :2222 after the address like this .http://www.yourdomain.com:2222
FTP
Q. Where can I download a free FTP?
A. Free and trial versions of popular FTP programs are readily available online. Just search for the phrase: free ftp.
Q. Where do I upload my files?
A. Uploading to the public_html folder.
Paths and Scripts
Q. What is the path to my website files?
A. The path is /home/username/public_html
Q. What is the local path to perl?
A. The path to perl is /usr/bin/perl
Q. What is the path to ImageMagick?
A. The path to ImageMagick is /usr/bin/
Q. What is the path to convert for ImageMagick?
A. The path to convert is /usr/bin/
Q. What is the path to sendmail?
A. The path to sendmail is /usr/sbin/sendmail.
Q. None of my cgi scripts are working on the server. How do I get them to work?
A. The most common reason relates to incorrect permissions on the files. Use chmod to set file permissions on the scripts to 755.
Q. How do I create databases and manage them?
A. Login to your Direct Admin and click MySQL Databases. After your database is created you can manage it from phpMyAdmin. This can be found at the very bottom of the MySQL page.
Q. How do I create email accounts?
A. To create an e-mail account, sign into the control panel and then click on the "E-Mail Menu" link and follow the guidelines there.
Q. What do I put for incoming and outgoing mail server in my desktop email program?
A. For both incoming and outgoing mail server put mail.yourdomain.com
Q. Where do I go to check my emails using my browser?
A.To access webmail, click the "E-Mail Menu" link in the main control panel menu, then click the "Webmail" icon.
Software Versions
Q. What version of php are you using?
A. We are using version 5.2.5.
Q. What version of perl are you using?
A. We are using version 5.8.8.
Q. What version of MySQL are you using?
A. We are using version 5.
Q. What version of Direct Admin are you using?
A. Our servers automatically stay up to date with the most recent stable Direct Admin version.
Billing
Q. How do I make a payment?
A. All online payments are recurring. Your payment will automatically be deducted from your credit card on file with the payment processor.
Q. Is tax part of my payment or extra?
A. Any applicable tax is included in the plan price.
Q. How do I close my account and stop billing?
A. If you wish to close your account simply email us your username, password, and why you wish to cancel. You must also include "I give you permission to delete my website and all of it's content."
SSL
Q. How do I purchase a private ssl from you and what type is it?
A. Please email to do so.
Q. I'm going to purchase my own ssl. What do I need to know?
A. Our servers are Apache + Mod SSL If you require assistance from us to install it there will be an additional installation fee.
Q. How do I transfer a ssl?
A. Each seller of ssl's has a different transfer procedure. You will need to ask the supplier you purchased it from.