I've installed WordPress on a number of domains in the past, on both Plesk Parallels and Cpanel.  However, not for a while!  I'm trying to install one now for a client who has their hosting with you.

I'm in their control panel and I've created a database in the relevant section of the site - but obviously, I need to create a user for it now.  How do I do that?  I can't work out where/how!

Thanks for any advice in advance.

Carly.

A web-robot or robot can be described as a program that executes a specific function automatically on the web; be it for search engine indexing or for HTML and link validation. Googlebot and Bingbot are two of the most common web-robots.

Bandwidth is the measure of data that is sent across the Internet, each time a person visits your website a portion of bandwidth is used. The same applies for web-robots; each time a web-robot visits your site they use a small portion of bandwidth.

Ordinarily the bandwidth that web-robots use is relatively small, but web-robots can sometimes be seen to consume gigabytes of bandwidth which can be a problem for those with bandwidth limits to adhere to with their hosting providers.

Whilst your website being visited regularly by web-robots is by no means a bad thing, it can in fact be perfectly normal if you are regularly adding new content to your website, problems arise when web-robots become stuck in infinite loops on your website. These infinite loops can be caused by custom scripts, but are most often caused when Session ID's are served with each URL that is indexed. The constant activity of web-robots on your site trapped in an infinite loop is what can sometimes cause such heavy bandwidth usage.

A robots.txt file is a simple text file that sits in your web root folder and can be used to control the web-robots allowed to visit your website. Additionally, a robots.txt file further allows you to control what web-robots can view during that visit. This means by controlling the web-robots that visit your site, you can prevent certain directories from being indexed by a web-robot which can in turn provide SEO benefits by preventing duplicated content from being indexed. Furthermore, a robots.txt also allows you to specify a Crawl-Delay in order to restrict a web-robot from constantly indexing and crawling your website, helping to reduce the footprint they make on your bandwidth allocation.

For your convenience, we have included a widely available robots.txt file for use with Magento which is beneficial both in terms of improving your SEO as well as reducing bandwidth usage and server load.

# $Id: robots.txt,v magento-specific 2010/28/01 18:24:19 goba Exp $
#
# robots.txt
#
# This file is to prevent the crawling and indexing of certain parts
# of your site by web crawlers and spiders run by sites like Yahoo!
# and Google. By telling these ?robots? where not to go on your site,
# you save bandwidth and server resources.
#
# This file will be ignored unless it is at the root of your host:
# Used:  http://example.com/robots.txt
# Ignored: http://example.com/site/robots.txt
#
# For more information about the robots.txt standard, see:
# http://www.robotstxt.org/wc/robots.html
#
# For syntax checking, see:
# http://www.sxw.org.uk/computing/robots/check.html
# Website Sitemap
# Sitemap: http://www.mywebsite.com/sitemap.xml

# Crawlers Setup
User-agent: *
Crawl-delay: 30
# Allowable Index
Allow: /*?p=
Allow: /index.php/blog/
Allow: /catalog/seo_sitemap/category/
Allow: /catalogsearch/result/
Allow: /media/
# Directories
Disallow: /404/
Disallow: /app/
Disallow: /cgi-bin/
Disallow: /downloader/
Disallow: /errors/
Disallow: /includes/
Disallow: /js/
Disallow: /lib/
Disallow: /magento/
Disallow: /pkginfo/
Disallow: /report/
Disallow: /scripts/
Disallow: /shell/
Disallow: /skin/
Disallow: /stats/
Disallow: /var/
# Paths (clean URLs)
Disallow: /index.php/
Disallow: /catalog/product_compare/
Disallow: /catalog/category/view/
Disallow: /catalog/product/view/
Disallow: /catalogsearch/
Disallow: /checkout/
Disallow: /control/
Disallow: /contacts/
Disallow: /customer/
Disallow: /customize/
Disallow: /newsletter/
Disallow: /poll/
Disallow: /review/
Disallow: /sendfriend/
Disallow: /tag/
Disallow: /wishlist/
# Files
Disallow: /cron.php
Disallow: /cron.sh
Disallow: /error_log
Disallow: /install.php
Disallow: /LICENSE.html
Disallow: /LICENSE.txt
Disallow: /LICENSE_AFL.txt
Disallow: /STATUS.txt
# Paths (no clean URLs)
Disallow: /*.js$
Disallow: /*.css$
Disallow: /*.php$
Disallow: /*?p=*&
Disallow: /*?SID= 
Disallow: /*?limit=all

# Uncomment if you do not wish for Google to index your images
#User-agent: Googlebot-Image
#Disallow: / 
 

Full credit for the above robots.txt file goes to its original creator. Discussion on the robots.txt file can be found within this thread on the Magento Community Forums.

To install the robots.txt file to your domain, you can follow these few simple steps:

Step 1: Download the robots.txt file to your computer by clicking here.

Step 2: If your Magento is installed within a sub-directory you will need to modify the robots.txt file accordingly. For example, you would need to change 'Disallow: /404/' to 'Disallow: /your-sub-directory/404/' and 'Disallow: /app/' to 'Disallow: /your-sub-directory/app/' and so on and so forth...

Step 3: If your domain has a sitemap.xml, you can uncomment line number 21 of the robots.txt file and include the URL to your sitemap.xml.

Step 4: Upload the robots.txt file to your web-root folder. This can be done by placing the file within your 'httpdocs/' directory either by logging into your Plesk Hosting Control Panel with your credentials, or through your FTP client of choice.

If you have any feedback on the above robots.txt file, feel free to leave a post below. It would be good to discuss and improve the above robots.txt file for the benefit of everyone.

Basically, I would like to work on my site locally and was wondering whether its possible to simply synchronise my local site with the remote server every so often...? I've read a few guides on migration from local to remote, but it seems a fairly lengthy and involved process, so it's probably not something you would want to do very often.

I've seen the Maintenance Page - ArtsOn.IT add-on, but by all accounts it doesn't work on 1.6.2.0. I've also seen the one by Balke Technologies, but Magento gives me an "Invalid channel.xml file" alert when I insert the key for that one.

The reason for my confusion is that when testing, I tried a couple of times to enter a non existent mail box and the messages came through

Thank you

Plesk 8.x

Click on Domains under General in the left hand navigation bar.

Click on the domain you would like to update the Domain Administrator password for.

Click on Domain Administrator under Domain.

Under Preferences you can enter the new password, twice.  Scroll down and click on OK.  The password has now been changed.

Please note you can also disable Domain Administrator access on this page.

Plesk 9.x

Click on Domains under Main Menu in the left hand navigation bar.

Click on the domain you would like to update the Domain Administrator password for.

Click on Domain Administrator Access under Domain Administration.

Under Preferences you can enter the new password, twice.  Scroll down and click on OK.  The password has now been changed.

Please note you can also disable Domain Administrator access on this page.

Password Best Practices

There are a few tips we would strongly suggest you use when updating any passwords.

We recommend that you use a solution such as Keepass or LastPass to save your passwords.  This is in preference to making your passwords memorable, or saving them in your browser.

Both solutions can autogenerate secure passwords for you - we recommend you use this feature.

Passwords should be at least 8 characters in length, and use a mixture of upper and lower case letters, as well as numerics.  Passwords such as letmein or 123456 are an invitation to be compromised!

Plesk 8.x

Click on Domains under General in the left hand navigation bar.

Click on the domain you would like to update the FTP password for.

Click on Setup under Hosting.

Under Account Preferences you can enter the new password, twice.  Scroll down and click on OK.  The password has now been changed.

Plesk 9.x

Click on Domains under Main Menu in the left hand navigation bar.

Click on the domain you would like to update the FTP password for.

Click on Web Hosting Settings under Web Site.

Under Account Preferences you can enter the new password, twice.  Scroll down and click on OK.

The password has now been changed.

Plesk 10.x

Click on Subscriptions under Hosting Services in the left hand navigation bar.

Click on the subscription that contains the domain(s) you would like to update the FTP password for.

Click on Open in Control Panel, then Websites & Domains.

Click on FTP Access, then click on the FTP user that you would like to update the password for.

Enter the new password, twice, then click on OK.

The password has now been updated.

Password Best Practices

There are a few tips we would strongly suggest you use when updating any passwords.

We recommend that you use a solution such as Keepass or LastPass to save your passwords.  This is in preference to making your passwords memorable, or saving them in your browser.

Both solutions can autogenerate secure passwords for you - we recommend you use this feature.

Passwords should be at least 8 characters in length, and use a mixture of upper and lower case letters, as well as numerics.  Passwords such as letmein or 123456 are an invitation to be compromised!

I'm logging in as an Admin User

It's quite easy to determine if you're logging in as an admin user (your username is.... admin!).

The version of Plesk you are using is usually displayed on the first page you see when you log in.  If this is not the case, just follow the relevant instructions below.

Plesk 8.x

Once you've logged in, click on Clients under General in your left hand navigation bar.

Click on the Client that you want to update the password for.

Click on Edit under Tools.

Enter the new password, twice, and click on OK.  The password has now been changed.

Note that, as an Admin user, you can also change the Client Username on this page if you wish.

Plesk 9.x

Once you've logged in, click on Clients in your left hand navigation bar.

Click on the Client that you want to update the password for.

Click on Change Password under Account.

Enter the new password, twice, and click on OK.  The password has now been changed.

Note that, as an Admin user, you can also change the Client Username on this page if you wish.

Plesk 10.x

Within Plesk 10.x, the concept of Client logins has changed slightly.

You now have Customers and Resellers.

To update a Customer password, click on Customers under Hosting Services.

Click on Change Login Info.

Enter the new password, twice, and click on OK.  The Panel will give you an indication of the relative strength of the password you have chosen.  Once you have clicked on OK, the password will have changed.

Note that, as an Admin user, you can also change the Username on this page if you wish.

The process for Resellers is identical, however you have to click on Resellers instead of Customers.

I'm logging in as a Client User

Again it's relatively simple to work out if you're logging in as a Client User.  Is your username admin?  No?  Read on..

The version of Plesk you are using is usually displayed on the first page you see when you log in.  If this is not the case, just follow the relevant instructions below.

Plesk 8.x

Once you've logged in, click on Home under General in the left hand navigation bar.

Click on Edit under Tools.

Enter your new password, twice, and click on OK.  The password has now been changed.

Note that if you want to change your username, you will need to contact an Admin user to make this change.

Plesk 9.x

Once you've logged in, click on Change Password under Account.  You may need to click on Home under Main Menu in the left hand navigation bar to see this option.

Enter your new password, twice, and click on OK.  The password has now been changed.

Note that if you want to change your username, you will need to contact an Admin user to make this change.

Plesk 10.x

Log into your panel.  Click on Account then click on My Profile.

Enter the new password, twice, and click on OK.  The Panel will give you an indication of the relative strength of the password you have chosen.  Once you have clicked on OK, the password will have changed.

Note that you can also change the control panel language on this page if you wish.

Password Best Practices

There are a few tips we would strongly suggest you use when updating any passwords.

We recommend that you use a solution such as Keepass or LastPass to save your passwords.  This is in preference to making your passwords memorable, or saving them in your browser.

Both solutions can autogenerate secure passwords for you - we recommend you use this feature.

Passwords should be at least 8 characters in length, and use a mixture of upper and lower case letters, as well as numerics.  Passwords such as letmein or 123456 are an invitation to be compromised!

Updating for a Plesk 8.x

Under the System tab in your left hand navigation bar, click on Server.

Under Administrator information, click on Change Password.

Enter the old password, then the new password (twice).  Click on OK.

That's it - you've now updated the password.

Updating for a Plesk 9.x

Click on Settings in your left hand navigation bar.

Under Administrator Account, click on Change Password.

Enter the old password, then the new password (twice).  Click on OK.

That's it - you've now updated the password.

Updating for a Plesk 10.x

Under My Profile in your left hand navigation bar, click on Change Password.

Enter the old password, then the new password (twice).  The Panel will provide you with an indication of the security of your password.  Click on OK.

That's it - you've now updated the password.

Password Best Practices

There are a few tips we would strongly suggest you use when updating any passwords.

We recommend that you use a solution such as Keepass or LastPass to save your passwords.  This is in preference to making your passwords memorable, or saving them in your browser.

Both solutions can autogenerate secure passwords for you - we recommend you use this feature.

Passwords should be at least 8 characters in length, and use a mixture of upper and lower case letters, as well as numerics.  Passwords such as letmein or 123456 are an invitation to be compromised!

If the domain has been registered or transferred to NuBlue, then you will be able to update your DNS through your Billing Control Panel.

Log in to your Billing Control Panel, and then under the Packages tab, click on Domains.  Click on the domain name that you wish to update, and then click on 'Edit DNS Settings'.

If 'Use Registrar as DNS' is set to 'Yes', select 'No' and then click on 'Save Changes'.  You will then need to click on 'Edit DNS Settings' again.

Check that 'Use Registrar as DNS' is set to 'No'.  If it is, then simply update the DNS entries to the correct values.

Your DNS will have been sent to you in your original Welcome email.  If you do not have this email or you are unsure please contact us and we will advise you accordingly.

Clients who have purchased Shared Hosting since 24/11/10 can use the following DNS:

ns1.nufuturenet.com
ns2.nufuturenet.com

Once you have done this, click on 'Save Changes', and your DNS will now be updated.

Please bear in mind that it will usually take up to 24 hours for any DNS changes to take effect.

All feedback apreciated!

http://www.sushisushi.co.uk

Please note we do not accept any responsibility for any unintended consequence of following or failing to follow these instructions.  These instructions if followed correctly will duplicate your current Magento store without harming it in any way.  However failure to follow these instructions correctly could result in significant harm to your live install.  If you are not confident following these instructions then you should not undertake this HowTo. 

We offer this as a professional service - if you wish for us to undertake this duplication please contact us via the usual support channels.

Requirements :

Your live site should be fully backed up before attempting this
DNS is pointing at the VPS
Shell access
Magento is in web root. If the Magento install is not in web root then you will need to add the subdirectory to all the file paths.

Step 1 : Create the domain in Plesk

Create New Domain of the format : dev.domain_name.com where your live domain is domain_name.com

Add a database
Make a note of all login details.
(Further information if required)

Step 2 : Access the shell

Ensure /bin/bash shell access is enabled in your Hosting Account (Setup -> Shell access to server with FTP user's credentials - /bin/bash)
Access your VPS using Putty logging in as the new domain user.

Step 3 : Duplicate files

Shell Commands :

You will need to replace DEV.DOMAIN_NAME.COM and DOMAIN_NAME.COM as appropriate.

cd /var/www/vhosts/DEV.DOMAIN_NAME.COM/httpdocs/
cp -r /var/www/vhosts/DOMAIN_NAME.COM/httpdocs/* /var/www/vhosts/DOMAIN_NAME.COM/httpdocs/.ht* /var/www/vhosts/DEV.DOMAIN_NAME.COM/httpdocs/ 
chown -R DEV_FTP_USERNAME:psacln /var/www/vhosts/DEV.DOMAIN_NAME.COM/httpdocs/* /var/www/vhosts/DEV.DOMAIN_NAME.COM/httpdocs/.ht* 

(Ignore any errors relating to plesk-stat or var/cache/mage...).

Step 4 : Duplicate Database

Shell Commands :

Dump a copy of the live database

cd /var/www/vhosts/DEV.DOMAIN_NAME.COM/private/
mysqldump -u LIVE_DB_USERNAME -pLIVE_DB_PASSWORD LIVE_DB_NAME > LIVE_DB_NAME.sql

Import it into the new dev database

mysql -u DEV_DB_USER -pDEV_DB_PASSWORD DEV_DB_NAME < LIVE_DB_NAME.sql
rm LIVE_DB_NAME.sql

Step 5 : Point dev domain at duplicated database and update base URLs

Edit file : /var/www/vhosts/dev.domain_name.com/httpdocs/app/etc/local.xml
(If unsure use Plesk CP -> File Manager -> Navigate to file -> Pencil Image )
Change db_name, db_username, and db_password from live_db settings to the dev_db details.
Save the file.

Using Hosting Control Panel / phpMyAdmin :
Login -> Home/Domains -> dev.domain_name.com -> Databases -> database -> DB WebAdmin
Click on core_config_data
Click on the Search tab
Enter %base_url in path and click Search/Go
Change all entries to point to dev.domain_name.com
(Further information on using  phpMyAdmin)
Reset the magento cache using the  "Magento Cache Reset" button for dev.domain_name.com

Step 6 : Enable caching and Magento Connect

Configure file permissions and the pear.ini

find /var/www/vhosts/DEV.DOMAIN_NAME.COM/httpdocs/ -type d -exec chmod 775 {} \;
find /var/www/vhosts/DEV.DOMAIN_NAME.COM/httpdocs/ -type f -exec chmod 664 {} \;
chmod a+x /var/www/vhosts/DEV.DOMAIN_NAME.COM/httpdocs/pear
/var/www/vhosts/DEV.DOMAIN_NAME.COM/httpdocs/pear mage-setup .

TEST REPEATEDLY!
Note : All absolute links entered into the CMS component of Magento will remain wrong.
Login details should be changed so that the logins for the dev site are different to the live site.
Consider using "Protected Directories" to prevent viewing of the dev site.

~Paul

Does anyone else feel they are being ripped off by Nublue ? Does anyone else have experience of Evohosting (and how I would go about transferring my website).

www.dermacaredirect.co.uk

Bhavin