If you are already a myhosting.com user then you may skip to the part where you login to “Control Panel” otherwise read on…

 

Before you do anything go ahead and subscribe to a “Linux Hosting Account” plan at myhosting.com. Cheapest plan is $6.45/month. You can’t beat that.

The sign-up process is pretty straight forward. You can transfer a domain name, register a new domain name, create a new subdomain name or you can get a vanity domain name.

 

I chose “Vanity Domain Name” as I did not want to bother with domain registration. Plus I didn’t want to spend money on buying a domain name anyway.

Once you submit your registration details, you immediately receive a confirmation email from myhosting.com customer support. 10-30 minutes later, you receive a second email with your Account Details.

 

Once you receive the second email, go ahead and navigate to “http://support.myhosting.com” and login with your credentials.

Click on “Site Management” and then “Application Manager”

Once you are on the “Application Manager” page click on “GO” button for Magento as show below.

On the next page, simply click on “Continue” button.

Clicking on “Continue” button will open up a new window. Make sure that you notice this new window otherwise you may think that the setup process is not working. On this new window, pay special attention to two points and they are as follows:

 

1- If you want to install Magento to your root folder then leave the text field next to your domain name blank.

2- Also don’t forget to delete your index.html file from your root folder. You can do this by either logging in to your account via FTP or using File Manager (Site Management > File Manager)

Clicking on “Continue” button will start the installation process. Be patient.

Once the installation is completed, you will then be presented with Magento’s Installation Wizard as seen below. Check the “I agree…” box and then click on “Continue” button.

Next page is a breeze, all your database information will be imported already, and all you need to do is to enter your password. Your password is the same as your myhosting.com account password.

 

I always check “Use Web Server Rewrites” as it is a great way for search engines to index your site.

Final step is to enter your contact information and admin username password. Once you are done click on “Continue” and woilaa you are done.

Make sure that you make a note of the encryption key as you will need it for credit card decryption.

I hope you enjoyed this easy installation of Magento Commerce on your myhosting.com account. As always please let us know if you have any questions or comments.

 

Thank you,

myhosting.com

 

 

 

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We are now offering Microsoft SQL 2008 Beta databases. A SQL database allows you to store and retrieve data. This is useful for web applications that are designed to take information from users and store it. For example, a web application can be designed to ask visitors for their email address. When a visitor enters their email address the application can save it to a database. At a later time, a list of email addresses can be retrieved from the database to be used.

Previously we only offered support for Microsoft Access databases and Microsoft SQL 2000 databases. For high volume sites with large databases, Microsoft Access is perhaps not the most ideal solution. It is also incompatible with ASP.NET web sites running on a Windows 2003 server. Microsoft SQL 2000 works well, but customers who develop their database on a newer version of the Microsoft SQL platform may find it difficult to transfer their data to myhosting.com.

With Microsoft SQL 2008, we have introduced new tools to make working with your database easier. One of these is the SQL Web Administration tool. It allows you to create and delete tables, retrieve and edit data, work with stored procedures, and run queries. This is great if you need to make a change quickly and would like to do it through your web browser.

The SQL Web Administration Tool

Most databases are developed and tested on a local workstation. When it is working correctly it is copied to the hosting company’s server. To assist with this we are now offering a SQL Web Backup tool. To get your database on our server, first backup the database on your computer, then start the SQL Web Backup tool, upload your backup file, and finally restore it. This feature is available for both SQL 2000 and SQL 2008 databases. For a SQL 2000 database you can only restore a database that was created on a SQL 2000 server. For a SQL 2008 database you can restore a database that was created on a SQL 2000 server, a SQL 2005 server, or a SQL 2008 server.

The SQL Web Backup Tool

Microsoft is providing a free preview version of SQL Server 2008 Beta. The preview includes a copy of the latest SQL Server Management Studio. SQL Server Management Studio allows you to develop and work with a database. With this program you can connect to a SQL Server that is running on your local computer or connect to our SQL Server. If you would like to use SQL Server Management Studio to work with a SQL 2008 database, you will need to use the preview version from Microsoft. You can obtain the free download here.

myhosting.com offers a 25 megabyte database for free with all Premium and Professional hosting plans. If you would like to test out the new SQL 2008 Beta, why not sign up for your free account and then install an application such as DotNetNuke? DotNetNuke is a web application that can be used to build a web site. You can add features such as account login, banners, site search, and RSS feeds. You can build a web site that has all these features without DotNetNuke but it would take a lot of time to create. DotNetNuke is an open source application which means many developers contribute to it and you can download and modify the source code if you wish. We offer an auto-installer for the DotNetNuke application so you can get it up and running on your site in just a few minutes.

And if you outgrow the database it can be upgraded to a larger size for a fee. And if you run into any problems or have any questions, you can always contact our 24/7 Customer Support department for assistance!

Tony P
Software Developer
SoftCom Technology Consulting Inc.

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As a part of the SQL Server 2008 Go Live Program, myhosting.com now offering accounts on the SQL Server 2008 platform. By joining the Beta program and trying out SQL 2008, you’re getting an opportunity to test out the software before it is available to the public. Your SQL 2008 database can be activated through the Control Panel once your web hosting account has been activated. If you want to read more about this offering then please visit our SQL Server 2008 page.

How to activate your Microsoft® SQL Server™ 2008 Database using your myhosting.com Account

1- First log in to your control panel located at https://support.myhosting.com/

 

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2- Once you log in, take a look at the top left portion of the page and make sure that your hosting plan says either Premium Web Hosting or Professional Web Hosting. You also need to be on a Windows Hosting plan in order to use MS SQL Server 2008.

 

 

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3- Once you verified your hosting plan then click on “Site Management” tab at the top.

 

 

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4- On the “Site Management” page, notice the left menu and click on “Microsoft SQL Database” link located under “Database” category.

 

 

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5- You are now on “SQL Databases Page”. If you haven’t added any SQL Databases then the page will say “You currently do not have any SQL databases.” so click on “Click here to add a new SQL database.” link.

 

 

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6- Next page will ask you to choose the platform you would like your database created on. Click on “SQL Server 2008 Beta” link.

 

 

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7- Next page will be “Microsoft SQL 2008 Beta Database Signup” page. Although you may sign-up for a free version of SQL 2008, you may also consider paid versions if your project require more disk space. For this guide, we will go ahead and click on first option (Free). Select the first option, scroll down and click on “Continue” button.

 

 

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8- This page requires you to enter a password for your database. Make sure that you read the password guidelines on the page. We will go ahead and enter a password.

 

 

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9- Next you will be presented with a billing summary of your selection. As we chose the free version, your summary will indicate zero dollars (as seen below). Simply click on “Confirm” button to continue.

 

 

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10- Congratulations, your database has been created. Make a note of your SQL Server information, you may need them in the future. If you want to manage your database then click on “Click here to manage your database.” link.

 

 

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11- This page will let you manage various aspects of your database. If you want to access myLittleAdmin for your database then simply click on “SQL Web Administration” link.

 

 

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And that is it, now you have added the latest and greatest database solution to your account.

 

If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact me.

Timur Catakli
myhosting.com - Community Manager
http://portal.myhosting.com

ps: Did you like this post? Would you like to see more of user guides with screenshots, if so contact me.

Posted in myhosting.com ~ 1 Comment

As part of the Microsoft SQL 2008 Go Live program, myhosting.com has now launched SQL 2008 Beta Databases for all of our customers to try. Our Premium and Professional Windows-based hosting plans even include a 25 MB SQL 2008 Beta Database for free! Please note that the SQL 2008 Beta database won’t work with our Linux-based hosting plans, such as the Basic plan, but these accounts all include a free MySQL database.

If you are already using a SQL 2000 database or want to get a head start with SQL 2008, you can sign up from our Control Panel today. SQL 2008 databases are set up in real-time, and in a matter of a few minutes you’ll be up and running with your new database.

Once activated, you can use the web-based SQL Manager utility provided by myLittleAdmin for no extra charge, or you can use SQL Server Management Studio to access your database remotely.

Microsoft SQL 2008 includes many of the features you have become used to in SQL 2000/2005, plus the following new and improved features:

• Auditing of Data Changes
• Entity Data Services
• LINQ Support
• Data Synchronization Features
• No size restriction on User Defined Types
• Improved Date and Time data types and new Spatial Data Types
• XML Enhancements
• Table Valued Parameters

And just a few of the advantages of using Microsoft SQL 2008 include the following:

• Build next generation data-centric applications with the ADO.NET Entity Framework
• Revolutionize data access queries with LINQ
• Harness Data Platform technologies with Visual Studio
• Take advantage of a full range of data connectivity technologies
• Store any kind of data in SQL Server 2008
• Build highly scalable applications with SQL Server 2008

For more information on SQL 2008, please visit the Microsoft SQL Server 2008 web site.

Thanks,

Tim Attwood
Product Manager
SoftCom Technology Consulting Inc.

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We have now officially launched domain name registrations for the new .ASIA domain name at myhosting.com. If you have not already heard about .ASIA, it is the new top-level domain name for residents and organizations located within the Asia Pacific region.

.ASIA domain names are available at myhosting.com for $11.45/year. And if you are signing up for a new hosting plan, you can receive your .ASIA domain name registration for FREE!

At first glance, it may seem that registration of .ASIA domain names would be restricted to the Asian continent only, but the availability is much wider than expected. Registration is open to anyone in the entire Asia/Australia/Pacific region. This even includes many countries outside of the Asian continent, like Australia and New Zealand. Of course this also includes other Asian countries including Turkey, Japan, Korea, China, Russia and many more. To see if your country is eligible, simply refer to the geo-region list at ICANN. If your country is listed within the “AP” region, then you are eligible!

To sign up for a .ASIA domain name you can visit myhosting.com and use our domain name lookup tool in the top-left corner. After your search results are completed, click on “Show More” on the left side of the page and the look-up will be performed for all available domain name types, including .ASIA.

Thanks,

Tim Attwood
Product Manager
Softcom Technology Consulting Inc.

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I believe it can change the world, even the longest journey begins with a single step.

There is a lot of talk about the environment and what we can all do to make the world a better place for the next generation. It is sometimes hard to wade through the conflicting opinions about what we should do. What makes sense is to act responsibly and use the fewest resources; this is true for people, families, communities, companies and countries.

As a hosting company we have tried to do our part by;

• Encouraging employees to use public transit by having flexible scheduling.
• Using Teleconferencing when possible to reduce plane travel.
• Updating our servers and other hardware to be more energy efficient.
• Replacing old CRT monitors with more energy efficient LCD ones.
• Adjusting climate controls in off peak hours to reduce consumption.
• Participating in Earth Hour 2008 and turning off our lights from 8:00 to 9:00pm on March 29th.

Earth Hour was created by WWF in Sydney, Australia in 2007, and in one year has grown from an event in one city to a global movement. In 2008, millions of people, businesses, governments and civic organizations in nearly 200 cities around the globe will turn out for Earth Hour. More than 100 cities across North America will participate, including the US flagships-Atlanta, Chicago, Phoenix and San Francisco and Ottawa, Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver.

For more information on Earth Hour 2008 and to find out how you can participate go to earthhour.org

Stephen Nichols
V.P. Sales and Marketing
SoftCom Technology Consulting Inc.

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There’s no doubt that Apple has seen a lot of growth this decade. With the popularity of the iPod, the Mac and the iPhone on the rise, more and more users are making the switch. And why not? We’re fans too, and I’m certainly not going to try and convince you otherwise.

Some stats put Apple’s Mac OS X at over 6% of the market. Although that number may seem low, its actually enough to put it squarely in 3rd place, behind only Windows XP and Windows Vista. And with the rising popularity of the Mac, we also see Apple’s .Mac service becoming more and more popular. But just because you’ve switched to a Mac, do you need to switch to .Mac? In this case, the answer is a resounding “No”.

A few Mac applications, including iWeb include integration with the .Mac service, making it easy to publish sites and content created in iWeb directly to your .Mac account. But what if you wanted to publish your content somewhere else? It may not be a 1-step process but it is still very easy.

All you need to do is select “Publish to a Folder…” instead of “Publish to .Mac”. This will allow you to save your work to a folder on your Mac. Then, with any FTP application such as Fetch, FileZilla, Cyberduck, or even our own File Manager application, you can upload your iWeb content to any web site. And yes, this works with any of our myhosting.com web hosting plans!

But what are some of the other advantages of myhosting.com over .Mac? Instead of just 1 IMAP email account, we give you hundreds! Instead of having to use yourusername@mac.com and http://homepage.mac.com/yourusername/ you can get your own FREE domain name and have something even more memorable, like firstname@lastname.com or www.my-site.com. And you don’t have to use your myhosting.com web site only for a public site, you can use your space for backup or storage.

And when the day comes that you’ve outgrown your iWeb built website, our hosting plans will grow with you, allowing you to incorporate many popular web-based tools and applications including CMS, Photo Galleries, Blogs, Bulletin Boards and even Wikis as part of your site. The potential is limitless…

Thanks,

Tim Attwood
Product Manager
SoftCom Technology Consulting Inc.

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Yesterday we quietly launched a number of changes for our myhosting.com web site, web hosting plans and web hosting platform. We have been busy preparing all this over the past weeks and months, and now it’s finally ready.

The myhosting.com web site has undergone a full redesign. Along with the new look, we’ve also introduced a new sign-up process which makes it easier and quicker for you to get from start to finish. Included is a new domain name selection and suggestion tool powered by Tucows We’re also offering even more TLDs at even lower prices than before!

Our new hosting plans include more focus on our core plans, increased disk space, bandwidth and email accounts, and all the tools and add-ons you need at affordable prices. Our new promotions offer free domain names, lower prices for customers signing up for 12-month billing terms, and other free and useful add-ons.

And if that wasn’t already enough, we’ve also launched a new web hosting platform at the same time! All of our Premium and Professional hosting plans include both a Windows and Linux based platform, the same as before. But now, our Windows platform is based on the Windows 2008 Operating System with IIS7. This is the most advanced and secure Windows Server operating system yet, designed to power the next generation of web-based applications and services. Our launch coincides with the Microsoft launch just 1 day earlier!

Windows 2008 and IIS7 provide a security-enhanced, easy-to-manage platform for developing and hosting web applications and services. And what’s new with this platform that our customers can take advantage of?

• New directory structure allowing you to store files securely online that are not web accessible.
• IIS7 Delegation features and management directly from IIS7 Manager
• Improved archetecture allows us to isolate sites by application pool, and enables us to extend Full Trust to all web sites for all your .NET applications
• Continued support for .NET Framework 3.5 and ASP.NET AJAX
• Support for Microsoft Expression Web and Microsoft Silverlight

We invite everyone to visit our new web site and have a look around. And why not sign up for a new Windows 2008/IIS7 hosting account? Go ahead, kick the tires and take it out for a test drive! We still offer the same 30-day money back guarantee as before.

Thanks,

Tim Attwood
Product Manager
SoftCom Technology Consulting Inc.

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We have now deployed updates to the .NET Framework on all of our Windows Based web hosting servers. Both the .NET Framework 3.0 and 3.5 updates have been applied to our hosting servers. Although the updates include new version numbers, .NET 3.0 and 3.5 are technically extensions to the .NET Framework 2.0. According to the MSDN, the .NET Framework 3.5 includes enhancements for ASP.NET as well as the addition of ASP.NET AJAX, which enables developers to “create web applications that feature next-generation user interfaces with reusable client components”.

What does this all mean? Basically ASP.NET AJAX allows you create an interactive web application in ASP.NET 2.0 that allows you to update data on a page without reloading the entire page. These types of applications are becoming more and more common throughout the internet, and have become synonymous with Web 2.0. This allows visitors to interact and contribute to the site, rather than just read flat text. To try this out you’ll first need a Windows-based hosting account, which you can sign up from here.

All customers who have already enabled .NET 2.0 from their control panel will be able to make use of the updated framework right away. If you have just signed up, are still using the .NET 1.1 Framework, or haven’t completed the upgrade yet, you can follow these steps:

1. Log in to your Control Panel
2. Click on “Site Management”
3. Click on “Site Settings”
4. And finally click on ”ASP.NET Version”. Here you can upgrade the .NET Framework version for your Windows hosting account.

For more information about ASP.NET and the .NET Framework, please visit Microsoft ASP.net. Their site is rich with examples, samples, videos and other resources to help get you started with ASP.NET AJAX.

Thanks,

Tim Attwood
Product Manager
SoftCom Technology Consulting Inc.

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Domain Name renewal scams have been around for a while, and have been making a resurgence lately. Domain Name ownership details and contact information are publicly available on the internet through something known as the WHOIS Database. And some companies collect that information and send official looking renewal documents and invoices to the mailing address listed. These documents often come many months in advance and contain warnings to renew now at an inflated price, or face losing your domain name. Also, it will often look just like any other invoice. Your accounting department may not know the difference between a legitimate invoice and the fake invoice. If you are duped into falling for one of these scams, the company will bill you for the inflated renewal fee and will transfer your domain name away from your current registrar to theirs.

As a domain name owner, what can you do to protect yourself from these scams? What can you do to make sure that your domain name stays with the same company that you know and trust?

If you get one of these notices in the mail or in your email, always question the authenticity. If you don’t recognize the company, contact your domain name registrar or your hosting company and ask them about it. And if you have an accountant or accounting department that pays your bills, make sure they know about these types of scams ahead of time. You can also renew your domain name early, and renew for multiple years if you know you are going to keep your domain name for a long time.

A domain name feature that has been gaining popularity over the years is WHOIS Privacy. This feature allows you to hide your contact information from the publicly accessible WHOIS Database. This will prevent these companies from seeing your address and sending you unsolicited and unethical renewal notices.

We are aware that this is a feature that more and more domain name owners want to make use of. And we are going to offer free WHOIS privacy for all of our customers who have domain names registered with us through OpenSRS. We are planning to have this ready by March 2008, and we will be sure to let you know once it is available. And if you can’t wait until then, you can contact our Customer Support department and they can activate it for you now.

Thanks,

Tim Attwood
Product Manager
SoftCom Technology Consulting Inc.

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